FEATURE24 March 2016

The myth of the senior decision-maker

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Pat Spenner

B2B Features Impact UK

Sales and marketing teams looking to sell their products and services need to identify the ‘mobiliser’ in the client organisation, as they are the person with the credibility among their colleagues. By Pat Spenner

Team decision-maker business_crop

Having the most efficient and go-getting sales team no longer guarantees high-quality results in today’s B2B buying world. Even several years after the global recession, companies are still incredibly risk averse, and finding a buyer in an organisation willing to put their neck on the line to push your deal through can seem almost impossible.

Part of the reason for this is that the senior decision-maker no longer exists; rather, there are now, on average, 5.4 stakeholders who need to be convinced for any buying decision. Going straight to the top is not a viable option, and CEB research shows that only one in three senior executives is likely to be the person orchestrating change in their organisation. 

So who do sales and marketing teams need to be targeting? Hint: it isn’t the friendly, eager-to-help customer. Instead, they need to engage people who are inherently sceptical and who often intensely question a supplier’s offering or services. ...