present your solution in the best way possible<\/a>, because you may not have a second chance.<\/p>\nInfluencer<\/h3>\n The buyer of your product will have relationships with influencers. An influencer is someone who has the power to influence a decision-maker. These might be people using your product or perhaps assigned to research your offer to weigh the benefits and costs.<\/p>\n
An influencer isn\u2019t a decision-maker but is someone in contact with who you need to sign off. You need to qualify them to see how much influence they have in decision-making processes. Ask questions like:<\/p>\n
\u201cHow does the decision-making process work?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\u201cWho else would be affected by [product\u2019s impact]?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\u201cWhat is your role in the decision-making process? Can you make recommendations?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\nYou should give influencers the pitch, and if they are excited about your product, you can even provide them with more information to help your case.<\/p>\n
Champion<\/h3>\n Campions are influencers far more invested in your product. They are your allies and will fight for your cause. They might use your product daily and understand the benefits. The sooner you can identify a champion, the better.<\/p>\n
If you have a champion, give them information to relay to decision-makers or other influencers. The more resources you can provide a champion, the better. Give them anything they need\u2015if they don\u2019t have time to write a memo, do it for them. Make it easy for them to spread the word.<\/p>\n
Blocker<\/h3>\n Not all of your contact points will be allies. Blockers will stop the process from moving forward. Unfortunately, these people don\u2019t reply to emails and calls or might even intentionally prevent you from making a sale.<\/p>\n
Blockers are inevitable, but they are only a single person in an organization. Understanding if you are dealing with a blocker needs to be done quickly. If you are dealing with a blocker, you need to get creative. Some ideas are:<\/p>\n
\nFind a new contact<\/strong>\u00a0– if your blocker is your only contact, use Linkedin to locate others, try different phone numbers for the company, or even show up at the office.<\/li>\nGet Information<\/strong>\u00a0– your blocker might even provide you with a new contact, pain points, or insights into how decisions are made.<\/li>\nDon\u2019t try to convert –\u00a0<\/strong>just get what you can from the interactions and move on.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\nSelf-proclaimed Decision-maker<\/h3>\n Another pitfall is the self-proclaimed decision-maker. These are people who will make you think they have the authority to push something through when they don\u2019t.<\/p>\n
Like any contact, a self-proclaimed decision-maker should be treated respectfully. They may have influence and might be able to give you insights into their organization.<\/p>\n
Be sure to verify people’s roles by looking beyond their own words and checking with other people within the company as well, particularly if someone’s influence doesn’t seem to be moving sales forward.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Takeaway: Gatekeepers and Decision Makers<\/h2>\n <\/p>\n
You might be able to get past gatekeepers to decision-makers smoothly. But always be ready for a longer journey.<\/p>\n
Prepare to map out an organization. Find out who can close the deal with you. Be diligent in qualifying everyone you meet to determine their influence within an organization and whether they are on your side!<\/p>\n
And remember, as you navigate the many personalities and perspectives in a company, every contact point (even a blocker!) gives you insight into how a company works. Be polite, ask questions, make people feel valued, and when the moment comes to close your deal, you will find yourself with all the allies you need.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
When you make a sales call, your first contact point probably can\u2019t sign off on the pitch. Instead, you will meet employees who answer calls for decision-makers\u2015these are gatekeepers. Gatekeepers are not your enemy. They are valuable contacts who possess information, influence, and contacts that can open doors for you. A gatekeeper is close to […]\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":654,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n
Gatekeepers and Decision Makers in B2B SaaS Sales \ud83d\udfe9 SaaS Heaven<\/title>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Gatekeepers and Decision Makers in B2B SaaS Sales \ud83d\udfe9 SaaS Heaven","description":"When mapping an organization, your top priority is to identify decision-makers. But sometimes, it\u2019s not as simple as just asking. Learn more!","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/saas-heaven.com\/2022\/06\/12\/gatekeepers-and-decision-makers-in-b2b-saas-sales\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Gatekeepers and Decision Makers in B2B SaaS Sales","og_description":"When mapping an organization, your top priority is to identify decision-makers. But sometimes, it\u2019s not as simple as just asking. 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