Find All the Buyers in the Deal
In every deal, find the economic buyer who signs off the money, the user who lives with the result, the technical buyer who checks the rules, and a coach who tells you how things really work.
A widely used account-planning framework from practitioners; no controlled studies.
Why it works
Most deals stall not because the person you met said no, but because someone you never met did. Naming each role early tells you who else you must meet or brief.
How to do it
- After the first meeting, write down who plays each role, or write unknown.
- Ask your contact who else will judge the decision.
- Find a coach: someone inside who wants the problem solved.
- Plan one action for each role you have not met.
- Change the message for each role: money for the economic buyer, ease for the user, terms for the technical buyer.
What to say
Apart from you, who will be looking at this?
Who will the new manager report to? Could I speak with them briefly?
Is there anyone in purchase or legal who usually checks agreements like this?
Avoid
Treating a friendly HR executive as the decider. They may like you and still have no power to say yes.
Example
Amit had three good meetings with the HR manager of a Gurugram agrochemical firm, then nothing. His coach in the sales team told him the CFO had to approve any agency over 8%. Amit asked for fifteen minutes with the CFO and closed in a week.
Practise it
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