Reaching the Real Decision-Makers in Complex B2B Sales

Salespeople are told to “get to the decision-maker.” This is, of course, sensible and obvious advice - but reality is often more complicated. In complex B2B environments, where multiple stakeholders shape the buying decision, identifying and engaging the real decision-makers is rarely straightforward. Less experienced salespeople can mistake visibility for influence and spend months promoting proposals to people who might be able to recommend but cannot actually decide.

So how can we identify and engage the true decision-makers - the ones who ready, willing and able to commit budget, prioritise initiatives, and drive alignment? And what do these ultimate decision-makers really care about?

Decision-Makers vs Recommenders

In most complex sales there are tiers of influence: at one level are recommenders - typically operational managers or functional specialists who evaluate solutions and define requirements. Their opinions matter but their authority is limited.

Above them sit approvers or executive sponsors - the people who can allocate funds and make final commitments. They’re the people who can say “yes” when everyone else can only say “no” - or say “no” when everyone else has said “yes”.

Reaching them demands more than persistence. It requires insight into how decisions are really made - who shapes priorities, controls resources, and defines success. Titles and reporting lines tell part of the story - but influence often flows along informal networks. Observing who convenes meetings, who challenges assumptions, and who others defer to is often more revealing than an org chart.

What Real Decision-Makers Care About

These ultimate decision-makers rarely obsess about the same issues that dominate most sales conversations. They’re not focused on features or implementation details.

Their attention is consumed by strategic outcomes - how initiatives help achieve corporate goals, manage risk, or create advantage.

They must continually decide not just which vendor to select, but which projects deserve attention at all. Every proposal competes not only with alternative suppliers but with every other demand on scarce resources.

As Brent Adamson and his colleagues observed in The Challenger Customer, many decisions stall not because vendors fail to prove value but because the customer fails to achieve internal consensus on what problem to solve. Decision-makers aren’t simply looking for the best solution - they’re deciding which problems are worth solving.

Competing for Limited Executive Attention

In The Framemaking Sale, Adamson goes further and argues that great sellers don’t just differentiate their product - they differentiate the problem itself. They help customers frame decisions in a way that makes investment appear inevitable.

Senior executives spend their time comparing frames, not vendors: “Should we automate operations, modernise infrastructure, or expand into new markets?”

To influence that discussion, salespeople must engage upstream, before the frame is fixed. That means understanding strategic imperatives, success metrics, and internal trade-offs - and showing how our approach aligns with them.

When salespeople do this well, they stop competing for a slice of a pre-defined budget and start helping to shape how that budget is allocated.

From Vendor to Strategic Adviser

Effective sellers begin with what the customer is trying to achieve, not what they are trying to sell. They engage senior stakeholders in a conversation about impact, risk, and opportunity cost - using credible data and customer stories to illuminate possibilities.

They then help the decision-maker build a persuasive business case for change. Even when the executive sponsor is convinced, they must still justify the decision to peers, finance, and procurement. The seller’s job is to equip them to do that.

Identifying the Decision Network

“The decision-maker” is rarely one person. It’s typically a decision network of influencers, approvers, and blockers. Salespeople must map this network - who talks to whom, who trusts whom, who has veto power - and identify the mobilisers that Adamson describes: people who challenge the status quo and can rally others.

Mobilisers are not always senior. They may be credible mid-level leaders or data-driven analysts whose opinions carry weight. Without them, proposals often die in committee.

Reframing the Sales Mindset

If the ultimate decision is about allocating finite resources, our task becomes clear: position our solution as the best use of those resources - not just versus competitors, but versus all other projects.

That requires shifting from “why choose us?” to “why prioritise this?”. It also demands honesty about fit. When we see that our initiative is unlikely to make the cut, we should reposition or withdraw early rather than pursue an uninvestable deal.

Practical Takeaways

I’d like to offer a handful of practical takeaways:

1. Map the landscape early. Go beyond titles - uncover who shapes priorities and owns the business case.
2. Find the mobilisers. Look for people who challenge assumptions and build cross-functional consensus.
3. Frame the problem. Help executives see why your initiative deserves priority, not just why your product works.
4. Elevate the conversation. Talk outcomes, risk, and opportunity cost - the real language of decision-makers.
5. Equip your champions. Provide data, stories, and tools that help them sell the decision internally.

Closing Thought

Reaching the real decision-makers in complex B2B environments is less about breaking through hierarchy and more about breaking into how decisions are made. The most successful sellers don’t just gain access - they gain influence.

They help customers clarify what truly matters, shape the frame of reference, and ensure that when decisions are finally made, they are made in their direction.

At least, that's what I think. What about you?

This article was originally published in the December 2025 edition of Top Sales Magazine.