Glossary Prospecting
What is a decision maker in B2B sales?
A decision maker is the person at a company with the authority to approve a purchase or a change, usually because they own the budget or the problem your product solves.
Decision makers are rarely the most senior person. The VP of Procurement may approve a carrier contract that the CEO never sees. The right person is the one who owns the problem and its budget.
Writing to too senior a person often gets forwarded or ignored; too junior a person may like the idea but cannot act on it.
Why it matters
- A great email to the wrong person goes nowhere.
- Knowing the decision maker shapes what you say: cost to a buyer, speed to an operator.
- The right person can also tell you who else needs to agree.
How Reach Crew handles it
Scout looks for the person in the role your goal names, at each company that matches, and weighs role fit most when it scores. The right company with the wrong person is never scored an A.
Related terms
- Buying committee. A buying committee is the group of people at a company who influence or approve a purchase, typically...
- Ideal customer profile. An ideal customer profile (ICP) is a description of the type of company that gets the most value from what you...
- Lead scoring. Lead scoring is a method of ranking prospects with a number or grade that reflects how well they fit your...
- Guide: How to find the right person at a company
- Template: A first cold email to a VP of Procurement