Hopefully, you’ve had a chance to review last week’s article, “Are you sure you know the Decision Process?” and concluded that you should always be prepared to qualify a prospect’s needs continually. It is also necessary to ensure you understand your client’s sales qualifying process through the completion of the sale. For example, if you continue to have difficulty trying to find out the primary economic buyer, it may help to ask for the company’s organizational chart with the thought that the hierarchy within the chart should include the person who has budget control. Discovering who this relevant decision-making person is may also help design the right marketing message for convincing other stakeholders.
We have previously discussed the typical roles in the decision-making, such as the end user, champion, and primary economic buyer, but what about the additional roles within the organization that can also sabotage your effort of selling your solution?
Additional roles to consider:
Influencers – These people have the power to influence other decision-makers based on their experience or standing within the company. They can reside inside or outside the company.
Purchasing Department – Depending on the size of the company, you might encounter this department. They are usually focused on handling the entire purchasing process and are notorious for lowering the final contract price. Consider them a link in the chain that you should neutralize but not actively sell to. There are exceptions, but for the most part, they can impact your sales power.
Veto Holders – These stakeholders could be dangerous for you. In corporate settings, veto power can be based on hierarchy but also functionality or influence.
The Influencer that resides inside the company is usually the go-to person who, when trying to figure out problems with business flow, knows the workaround related to the tools they use or has a long history of experience within that area. The outside influencer could include outside consultants or former employees who were hired to evaluate the products or tools. These people are sometimes hard to detect when going through the sales process.
Depending on the cost of your solution, there may be several purchasing department(s) that need to approve your deal. If a product can satisfy most of the company’s needs, the purchasing department can delay or cancel your deal.
Typically, when we discuss the person who has veto power, we mean the person who has a stake in the game, such as the IT Department or the Security Committee. They are usually responsible for maintaining or owning the solution tool.
There is a subconscious bias in the minds of people who have influence. It is your responsibility to uncover who these people are, what those biases are, and what role they play in the overall decision process. You need to be prepared to lead successful sales conversations with these people and ultimately be able to persuade or convince them that they need your product.
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