Latest / Sales Leadership with Fexingo: Quota Carriers, Sales Managers, and Revenue Teams / Why Sales Reps Should Sell to the Whole Buying Committee
Transcript
- Lucas: Back in May, a VP of Sales at a mid-market SaaS company told me about a deal that slipped through her fingers. Six figures, nine months in play, and the champion — the head of marketing — went on medical leave. Deal dead within two weeks. The buyer's procurement team had never even heard the rep's name. Luna: Ouch. So they were totally single-threaded on one person. Lucas: Completely. And it's the single biggest risk I see reps take — especially the confident ones. They build a great relationship with one internal advocate, assume that person can carry the deal across the finish line, and never map the rest of the buying committee. Luna: But isn't that partly the champion's job? To sell internally? Lucas: It is, but expecting one person to navigate the political landscape of a whole organization is like asking a tour guide to also be the bellhop, the chef, and the pilot. Most champions are busy. They have their own job. They can open doors, but they can't sit in every meeting or know every objection the CFO's analyst is whispering. Luna: So what's the alternative? Start every deal with a full org chart? Lucas: Close. I call it the 'committee canvas.' Before the second discovery call, I want reps to map six roles: the economic buyer, the technical evaluator, the end user, the champion, the blocker, and — this is the one everyone forgets — the influencer. That's the person with no formal authority but lots of informal pull. Luna: Give me an example of an influencer. Lucas: The CEO's executive assistant. The senior engineer who's been there fifteen years and everyone respects. The compliance officer who can greenlight or kill a vendor security review. In that lost deal I mentioned, the influencer was the CFO's analyst — a quiet person who ran the ROI model and flagged the rep's pricing as 'not benchmarked.' The rep never met her. Luna: So how do you actually get introduced to those people without your champion feeling like you're going around them? Lucas: You reframe it. You say to the champion: 'To make sure this proposal works for everyone, I'd love to spend fifteen minutes with the person who'll be running the numbers or using the tool day to day. Can you make the intro? I promise I won't waste their time.' Most champions actually appreciate it because it reduces their risk. Luna: And if the champion hesitates? Lucas: That's a red flag. It could mean the champion isn't as influential as they claim, or that there's a hidden objection they don't want you to uncover. Either way, slow down. Ask what would make them more comfortable. Sometimes they just want to prep the stakeholder first. Luna: There's a classic stat from Gong — deals where the rep engages six or more stakeholders close at a much higher rate. I think it's something like 34% faster. Lucas: That's the one. And it makes intuitive sense. More stakeholders means more people who can speak to value when the decision is being made behind closed doors. But I see reps stop at three — the champion, the decision-maker, and maybe one end user. They leave the technical evaluator and the economic buyer until the very end, which is when the deal gets picked apart. Luna: What about the economic buyer? How early should you get to them? Lucas: Ideally, before you send a proposal. Because the economic buyer — often a VP or CFO — has a different set of criteria than the champion. The champion cares about outcomes. The economic buyer cares about ROI, risk, and comparables. If you haven't heard their specific language, your proposal will sound generic. And generic proposals get the 'we'll review it' treatment. Luna: So you're basically asking reps to do more discovery across more people — which means more time per deal. How do you balance that with pipeline velocity? Lucas: Great question. The key is to not treat every stakeholder the same depth. Some need a thirty-minute video call. Others just need a five-minute phone call to confirm one thing. The influencer might only need a well-crafted email with a relevant case study. The point is to have a touchpoint, not a full discovery. You're just making sure you're not a stranger when the decision is made. Luna: I like that. It's more about visibility than relationship depth with everyone. Lucas: Exactly. And one tactical trick: after every call, ask your champion, 'Who else should have seen this? Who would have a strong opinion?' That question alone surfaces hidden stakeholders. One rep I worked with used it and discovered that the VP of IT had veto power over any new software — something the champion had never mentioned. Luna: And once you've mapped them, how do you keep the deal from getting 'single-threaded' again? Lucas: I tell reps to run a weekly stakeholder audit. For each active deal, list every person they've spoken to. If any role from the committee canvas is blank, that's a risk. Then schedule one outreach per week to fill a gap. It becomes a habit, not a fire drill. Luna: That's a good discipline. Let's talk about the flip side — what if you're the one being sold to? As a buyer, how do you protect yourself from a seller who's trying to map your committee? Lucas: As a buyer, you should expect it. A good seller is going to try to meet everyone. That's not manipulative — it's thorough. The risk is if they try to circumvent your process or go around your champion without permission. That's a red flag. But if they're transparent and the champion is on board, it's actually a sign of a professional. Luna: So the lesson here is: don't get lazy with your deal map. One champion is not a deal. Lucas: Right. And if these conversations have moved your work forward in some small way, we'd love for you to support the show. We deliberately don't run ads on these — no sponsors, no mid-roll interruptions. If you want to support that choice, the link is buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. It's a simple way to keep the episodes ad-free and focused on the content. Luna: Yeah, and it's completely optional. We've had listeners say they appreciate not having to skip past a car commercial in the middle of a sales strategy. Every contribution helps keep it that way. Lucas: Alright, back to the committee. One more thing I want to touch on: the silent decider. This is the person who holds the real veto but doesn't show up on any org chart. Luna: Like a founder who's stepped back from day-to-day but still signs off on anything over fifty thousand? Lucas: Exactly. Or a board member who gets a whisper from the CEO. The rep who lost that six-figure deal later learned that the CEO had a former colleague who'd used a competitor — and that was the real reason the deal died. The rep never knew that person existed. Luna: How do you uncover a silent decider? Lucas: You ask questions like, 'Who else typically weighs in on decisions like this?' or 'Has anyone else been involved in similar purchases before?' And listen for hesitation. If the champion says, 'Well, ultimately it's my call, but...' that 'but' is a crack. Follow it. Luna: So the takeaway is: assume there's always someone you haven't met. Lucas: Assume it until you've proven otherwise. And even then, keep asking. Buying committees shift. People leave, get promoted, change their minds. A deal you thought was secure in Q2 can die in Q3 because a new stakeholder joined. The committee canvas isn't a one-time exercise — it's a living document. Luna: Alright, let's wrap with a practical action item. For someone listening right now who has a deal in their pipeline, what's one thing they can do tomorrow? Lucas: Pull up your biggest active deal. Write down every person you've spoken to. Now, next to each name, write their role in the committee — champion, economic buyer, etc. If you have a blank next to any of the six roles, make one call tomorrow to fill it. Just one. That's your edge. Luna: Simple but not easy. Thanks, Lucas. Lucas: Thanks, Luna. See you next time.