Decision Maker

What is a Decision Maker?

A decision maker is the individual within a prospect organization who has the authority to approve or reject a purchase. They control budget and can sign contracts—making them the most critical person to identify and persuade in any B2B sale.

In the MEDDIC sales methodology, this person is specifically called the Economic Buyer.

Types of Buying Stakeholders:

Role	Authority	What They Control
Economic Buyer	Final approval	Budget, contracts, go/no-go
Technical Buyer	Veto power	Technical requirements, feasibility
User Buyer	Influence	Daily usage, satisfaction
Coach	Internal ally	Access, insight, guidance

The decision maker is not always the person you're initially speaking with. Many sales die because reps spend months selling to someone who can't actually say yes.

Why Decision Makers Matter

84% of buyers choose their preferred vendor before talking to sales. If you're not engaging the actual decision maker during that research phase, you're losing deals you never knew you could win.

Critical Truths:

• Champions can't champion without access to decision makers
• No economic buyer identified = no deal (MEDDIC principle)
• Time spent with non-decision makers is wasted if you never reach approval
• Multiple stakeholders require multi-threading—don't rely on single points of contact

The Bypass Problem: When you sell only to mid-level contacts, they may love your solution but can't get budget approval. Meanwhile, competitors who reach the decision maker directly frame the conversation in business terms that resonate with executives.

Benchmarks

• 84% of buyers select vendor before engaging sales
• 6-8 decision-makers involved in average B2B purchase
• Deals with economic buyer identified close 2-3x faster
• Average B2B sales close rate: 29% overall
• Multi-threaded deals (3+ stakeholders) have 40%+ higher win rates
• Single-threaded deals have 15% lower win rates and longer cycles

Best Practices

1. Ask Directly Early: "Who else needs to be involved in this decision?"
2. Research Org Structure: Use LinkedIn to map reporting lines before outreach
3. Start High: When possible, reach out directly to decision makers
4. Leverage Your Champion: Give your internal contact reasons and tools to escalate
5. Multi-Thread: Engage 3+ stakeholders including economic buyer
6. Speak Executive Language: Frame value in ROI, risk reduction, strategic outcomes
7. Qualify Hard: If economic buyer is inaccessible, disqualify the opportunity
8. Use Titles as Signals: VP, C-suite, Director often indicate decision authority

Common Mistakes

• Confusing the user of the product with the buyer of the product
• Asking "Are you the decision maker?" (creates awkward no-win situation)
• Being disrespectful of gatekeepers (they can champion or block you)
• Assuming title equals decision power (CEOs sometimes delegate)
• Selling features to executives (they care about business outcomes)
• Failing to identify the economic buyer early (MEDDIC failure)
• Not preparing different messaging for different stakeholder types
• Accepting "I'll handle it internally" without access to decision maker

Key Takeaways

• The decision maker (economic buyer) controls budget and final approval
• 84% of buyers decide before talking to you—engage decision makers early
• 6-8 stakeholders are involved in most B2B purchases
• Multi-threaded deals with economic buyer access close 2-3x faster
• Don't confuse enthusiastic users with actual decision makers
• Ask about the decision process directly and respectfully
• Frame value in business terms for executives, features for users
• No access to economic buyer = should disqualify and move on

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Sources:

• B2B Sales Benchmarks for 2024 - Databox
• 2024 B2B Sales & Marketing Benchmark Report - Norwest