S.C.

Johnson's Professional Division

S.C.Johnson & Son, Inc., produces a range of well-established consumer products
such as PLEDGE furniture polish, GLADE air fresheners, SHOUT laundry soil
and stain remover, OFF insect repellant, RAID insecticides, and WINDEX glass
cleaner. Each of these brands enjoys a strong position in the market. Through
its Professional Division, the firm is also a leading producer of products and
services for commercial, industrial, and institutional building maintenance and
sanitation. The products include a complete line of specialty formulated
cleaners, floor finishes, disinfectants, furniture polishes, and products for
insect and odor control.

The Professional Division serves a diverse array of organizations in the business

market such as retailers, health-care organizations, and educational
institutions. Customers are served directly by the company's sales force or by a
large network of distributors. Organizations follow two alternative
approaches to building or store maintenance: the job is performed by its own
personnel or it is "outsourced" to a building services contractor who regularly
brings a trained staff on site to clean the facility

Maintaining a sparkling and professional appearance is a desired goal in any

organization but, for many, a continuing challenge. Consider the heavy store
traffic that retailers such as Wal-Mart generate each day or the stream of
shoppers who visit a supermarket around the clock. Some retailers spend
$100,000 per store each month in cleaning, floor care, and maintenance
programs. For large chains with hundreds of stores, this represents a massive
expenditure. Included here are the costs of the cleaning products, labor and
equipment costs, training expenses, and costs related to regulatory compliance.
At a more fundamental level, retail store managers may be even more concerned
about other costs—the lost sales that could arise from consumer concerns about
cleanliness, food sanitation, or the unsightly appearance of a store. Moreover,
there are safety concerns that worry store managers. A slippery floor that
causer a shopper to slip and fall may lead to costly legal action against the
retailer.

To meet the needs of organizational customers, the Professional Division at S.C.

Johnson has developed an array of products and services. For a particular
customer like a supermarket chain, the salesperson will recommend a particular
range of products and employee training programs to meet the unique needs of
the retailer. Special dispensing systems (Solutions Centers) have been developed
by S.C.Johnson to assist users in pinpointing the proper dilution level of the
company's products to meet different floor-care maintenance tasks. The
Professional Division also provides ongoing technical support to a customer.
Each year, the unit receives over 30,000 calls from customers on issues
that range from product selection for particular types of floor surfaces to
environmental or safety queries.

Questions

1. In purchasing cleaning products and services, which of the following

managers might be members of the buying center at a discount retailer,
like Wal-Mart or Target: A purchasing executive at the headquarters
level, store managers, a merchandising executive, a marketing manager, a
maintenance staff supervisor, or maintenance employees? Who would be
most influential in the buying decision?
2. Describe how the evaluative criteria employed by the purchasing
manager might be different from those that are important to users.
3. Explore how the needs of a health-care organization might differ from
the needs of a retailer in purchasing cleaning products and services.
What adjustments in marketing strategy might be pursued by the
Professional Division in the health care sector?