How to Create a Sales Influence Map And Identify the Buying Influencers

Whether or not you’re able to quickly map buying influencers, remember that someone always plays the roles of the economic, technical and user buyers in B2B. Maybe a single person plays all roles in a small business, but those influences can always be found.

Mapping the Buying Influencers

Don’t make quick assumptions. The CEO is not always the decision-maker and the technical buyer is not always in IT. Create a sales influence map, and do your research.

Chances are that the early adopters you met were either Economic buyers or User buyers. If you were discussing with economic buyers, at what level in their organization would final approval for a sale like the one you’re putting in place be required? Considering the level of perceived risk involved in your proposal, should you be looking higher up the corporate ladder or lower?

If you were meeting with user buyers, can they help connect you to the other types of buyers? Do they have sufficient influence to help recommend your solution? Can you motivate them to coach you to make the deal happen?

Identify the members of your jury (CFO, analysts, managers, etc.). For every deal, meet all stakeholders and position your solution to bring win results — what they personally stand to gain — to everyone.

Identify Buying Influencers with a Sales Influence Map

The following jury map is an example of the information you need to identify the buying influencers. It should never be shared with your prospects:

The reasons why everyone buys will be different. Figure out what your influencers have to gain personally. The person you want to sell to is the person with the pain and/or the money.

Start Mapping Your Jury – Get our Free Buying Influencer Map

More on the Sales Influence Map

• The Role of the Technical Buyer in B2B Customer Development
• The Role of the Economic Buyer in B2B Sales & Customer Development
• The Miller Heiman Sales Process