Companies spend millions of dollars trying to decipher what’s behind the buying behaviors of retail consumers.

But, what about B2B decision-makers? According to Bryan Eisenberg in an article at ClickZ, most B2B business decision-makers fall into one of four preference categories -- methodical, spontaneous, humanistic or competitive. Depending on the style of decision-maker you are trying to reach, you will want to set up your Web pages in certain ways. Here are the four preference categories:

Methodical decision-makers: Most B2B sales efforts are designed for these individuals. They care about rules, organization and methods. They’re practical, analytical, conservative and devour information. They can also be too rigid.

Spontaneous decision-makers: These business people are high energy, poised, adventurous, responsive, flexible and value authenticity. They seek individual expression and attention. They can often be impatient.

Humanistic style decision-makers are people-oriented. They care about relationships, harmony, principles and big-picture outlooks. They’re creative, listeners and seek meaning in their work. However, they can be perfectionists and slow to make decisions.

Competitive decision-makers are aggressive and competitive. They’re no nonsense and want things to get done. They are driven to achieve success.

While this is helpful information, I am not sure how to predict which type of decision-maker will arrive on your Web page. To reach all four types, do you try to include something for each style of decision-maker? Or do you set up your pages to appeal to one particular type of decision-maker to the exclusion of other types? How do you determine to which type you direct your appeal? If one type is more prevalent in your industry, is that something peculiar to your industry, or is it just a by-chance occurrence of luck?

And, finally, do small business owners tend to fall into one preference category versus others? I don’t think so. In fact, there is danger in stereotyping. Small business owners run the gamut of all different types, depending on the industry they are in and their own particular personalities and backgrounds. They’re different. They’re unique. In fact, they sound a lot like retail consumers.