Countless research talks to the fact that now more than ever, all decisions are made-by-committee. This is true for both large and small organizations alike. Armed with this knowledge all sellers need to beware of the One-Contact-Trap and negotiate access to a broader stakeholder community early! Classic persona titles include; Sponsor, Champion, Power Sponsor, and the like. I have found these to be a little opaque so grouped the players into seven functional roles. It’s worth noting that these roles are not absolute, and people can sit in multiple categories, but you may find these useful when strategizing an account or opportunity.

1. The Boss

Characteristics –

• Ultimate accountability for the project’s success or failure.
• Usually a senior executive.
• May, or may not take a very active role in the cycle.
• Often delegates and trusts in the team and Project Leader with evaluation and business case responsibilities.
• Sometimes engage early and or late in the cycle.
• Loves to march in at the end to throw their weight around in a negotiation.
• Has ultimate say, before confirming with Money Bags.

Approach –

• Positive engagement with this person is a must.
• Ignore them at your peril.
• Assume your competitors are taking them to; breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
• If you are not connected, be paranoid.
• Strategize with your manager.
• Executive alignment and outreaches can help.
• The project team may have been delegated responsibility, but you must find ways to negotiate access to The Boss.
• Earn the right to ask for this access.
• If The Boss is not engaged, you are at risk!

 

2. Project Leader

Characteristics –

• Report directly to the Boss and have been delegated responsibility.
• Think of them as the project manager.
• Can look and sound like The Boss, but behind the scenes, they are running things up the chain.
• Can be nice or not so nice.
• Likely to dictate the pace and control the resources you get access to.
• Typically, a gatekeeper to The Boss.
• Insist everything runs through them.

Approach –

• Similar approach to the Up and Comer.
• Respect their authority and be careful of going around them.
• Earn the right to ask for access to others.

 

3. Friend

Characteristics –

• Persons with whom you have built good rapport.
• You know they will answer your calls or emails.
• You will inevitably need; information, advice, or perhaps even a favor.
• These are the people you turn to.

Approach –

• Nurture and cherish these relationships!
• Think what you can do for them.
• It’s a two-way street.
• You need to earn points with them!

4. Money Bags

Characteristics –

• Ultimate controller of the purse strings.
• Usually in finance.
• If not the CFO then someone close to.
• Remember, budgets change based on circumstance. A bad quarter could result in a pause in spend.
• The Project Leader will always check with Money Bags if funds are still available.

Approach –

• In reality we seldom have contact with these people.
• And to be fair we often don’t need to. Their role is often internal to the project.
• Empower The Boss and Project Leader to have a conversation with Money Bags, where your project is a no brainer!
• Help them build a strong business case with a demonstrable ROI.

 

5. Empty Suit

Characteristics –

• Sound and look like the real deal.
• Have a reasonable amount tenure, senior enough title and can talk the talk.
• You may mistake them for a Friend or even a Project Leader
• These people can lead to your demise!
• They suck time and resources, and when push comes to shove, they cannot get anything done.
• In reality, no one listens to them.

Approach –

• Be polite and courteous but negotiate access to others as quickly as possible.
• You need to validate if engaging with the account is worthwhile.

 

7. Up and Comer

Characteristics –

• Do not be fooled by the title or tenure.
• These are the future superstars who are respected internally with increasing responsibility.
• Ambitious and looking for things to put their thumbprint on, they want wins to support their upward trajectory.

Approach –

• Work hard to win these people over.
• Try to turn them into Friends.
• They could be your biggest advocates (and nay-sayers if you don’t watch out).
• Think hard about how you can make them realize that your project has upside for them personally.

 

8. Nemesis

Characteristics –

• Not on your side and likely never will be.
• Maybe wedded to the status quo or tight with your competitor.
• Will poo poo you and your solution at every turn.

Approach –

• Knowing they exist and who they are is half the battle won.
• Lean on your Friends to validate your suspicions.
• Try to understand what their objections are and then empower ‘your people’ with strong counterpoints.
• Assume it’s a battle so prepare your troops!

 

Now that we know who all exists, we need to have a plan to gain access. But that is a blog for another day.

After all … It’s easy if you know how!