Who actually decides? Mapping the buying committee
28 Aug 2026 QualificationEnterprise
"The proposal was excellent, but management didn't approve." You hear it after two months of work, and it means you were selling to someone without the decision, and they did not deceive you, you simply never asked.
Five roles, not one person
In any institutional purchase there are five roles (sometimes held by two people, sometimes spread across seven):
| Role | What they care about | The question that reveals them |
|---|---|---|
| Problem owner | Making the pain stop | "How is this done today?" |
| User | Not gaining more work | "Who will use it daily?" |
| Technical gatekeeper | Compatibility and security | "What are your technical requirements?" |
| Budget holder | Return and risk | "Who approves an amount this size?" |
| Champion | Their own success | "Who benefits most if this works?" |
Look for two in particular
The champion, whoever gains something if you succeed. They will defend you in a meeting you will not attend. Equip them: give them one page they can forward without your explanation.
The blocker, whoever loses something if you succeed. It may be an incumbent supplier, or a manager who reads change as a verdict on their past work. Ignoring them does not remove them. Raise it explicitly with your champion: "Who might see this as not a priority?"
Three questions in the first meeting
- "Who else will be involved in evaluating this?", reveals the committee without awkwardness.
- "What steps does approval go through, and how long?", reveals the real cycle.
- "Have you worked with something similar before? What happened?" — reveals the blocker and its history.
The warning sign
A deal with one contact after a month of work. If you have not spoken to at least two people, you do not know how decisions are made there, and your close rate does not deserve the number you wrote in the forecast.