Do you know who the decision makers are in the buying process?
More and more individuals are involved in the buying decision than ever before. There are a number of reasons for this, including new buyers who don’t know how to make a decision in today’s marketplace, buyers simply being scared about making a decision, or just general buyer confusion because there are so many solutions they need to consider. Nonetheless, all businesses are different.
Some of you might find that there are as many as three, four, or up to 15 people in the buying cycle, but I can guarantee you that, for those in the business-to-business marketplace, it’s more than one. So, think about your own business here. In particular, there are three types of people you need to engage.
3 Types of Decision Makers in the Buying Process
1. Buyers
These are the people who have the ability to say “yes” or “no.” They might be a technical or financial buyer. There are one or two people in an organization that have a true yes-no authority.
2. Stakeholders
These are the people who are affected by the decision. They might be rolling out your solution. They might be using the solution. They might be impacted by the solution. There are lots of them, and they can have a direct influence on whether your buyers say “yes” or “no.”
3. Advisors
These are the people who are advising the solution. They can be insiders or outsiders. People look to them for advice. They could be outside consultants providing advice or inside consultants being advised.
In order to build the most well-rounded solution and to ensure the decision is made in your favour, it’s crucial to identify and engage those three categories of people.
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