How to find the right person at a company
Email the person who owns the problem your email is about, not the most senior name you can find. For a buying goal, that is usually the leader of the team that feels the problem and controls the budget: the founder at a small company, a head of the function at a mid-size one, a director or senior manager at a large one. For a referral or an intro, pick someone who knows the person you want and has a reason to help, often a peer in the same field.
Start from your goal
The right person depends on what you want to happen next. The same company has a different best contact for each goal.
| Goal | Who to email | Why |
|---|---|---|
| A sales meeting | The leader of the team that feels the problem and holds the budget | They can say yes, or bring in whoever must |
| A referral | Someone who works closely with the person you need, often a peer | A peer's forward is trusted; a junior forward up the chain often is not |
| An intro | Someone who already knows both of you, or knows the target well | An intro only helps if the introducer is credible to the target |
| A reply (research, feedback) | A practitioner who does the work every day | They know the details and are often happy to share them |
| Fundraising | The partner who covers your sector and stage | See investor outreach for a seed round |
Role, decision maker and champion
Most purchases involve more than one person. Knowing who plays which part tells you who to write to first:
- The user does the work your product changes. Great for a reply or feedback, rarely able to buy.
- The champion feels the problem and pushes for a fix, often a team lead or manager.
- The decision maker owns the budget and signs off, usually the head of the function.
- Approvers, such as finance, security or legal, can block a deal but rarely start one.
For a first email, aim at the decision maker in smaller companies and at the champion or decision maker in larger ones. A chief executive at a 5,000 person company is too far from most problems to act on your email.
By company size
| Company size | Usually the right first contact |
|---|---|
| 1 to 20 people | A founder |
| 20 to 200 people | The head of the function (Head of Finance, VP Sales) |
| 200 to 2,000 people | A director or head of the specific team |
| 2,000 or more | A director or senior manager who owns the exact area |
Signals that point to the right person
- Job posts: a listing names the problem the team is hiring to solve, and often the role the hire reports to.
- What they write: posts, talks and interviews show what a person cares about right now and give you a real opener.
- New in role: people who just started a role are often reviewing how things are done.
- Company news: a new office, a funding round or a launch creates new problems and new owners.
One person at a time
Do not send the same email to five people at one company on the same day. They compare notes, and it reads as a blast. Start with your best guess. If they say it is not them, thank them and ask who it is. If they do not answer after your follow-ups, try the next person, and say honestly that you wrote to a colleague first if it comes up.
Verify the address before you send
Guessing first.last@company.com is tempting and often wrong. A bounce wastes the research and hurts your mailbox reputation, which affects every other email. Verify every address. See warm-up and sending limits for why bounces matter.
How Reach finds people
In Reach, you set a goal in one sentence: meetings, referrals, replies, intros or fundraising. Scout then finds the right people at the right companies for that goal, Checker verifies every email twice, and Writer drafts a personal email for each person for you to approve.
Checklist
- Write down your goal before you look for anyone.
- Pick the role that owns the problem for that goal.
- Adjust seniority to the company's size.
- Use job posts, posts and news to confirm the owner.
- Write to one person per company at a time.
- If they point you elsewhere, ask who and say who sent you.
- Verify every address before sending.
Frequently asked questions
Should I email the CEO or the head of the department?
At a small company, the CEO or a founder is often the right person. At a mid-size or large company, the head of the department that owns the problem is usually better, because they can act on it.
What is the difference between a decision maker and a champion?
The decision maker owns the budget and signs off. The champion feels the problem and pushes for a fix. In larger companies, the champion is often the best first contact.
Who should I ask for a referral?
Someone who works closely with the person you need and has a reason to help, often a peer in the same field. A forward from a peer carries more weight than one from far down the chain.
Should I email several people at the same company?
Not at once with the same email. Start with one person, follow up, and only then try a second, being open that you wrote to a colleague first.
How do I find someone's work email?
From a source the person or company published, or a verification tool, and always verify before sending. Guessed addresses bounce, and bounces damage your sender reputation.