Have you ever found yourself making a long, elaborate sales pitch to one person—only to find out after the fact that you have been paying attention to someone who does not control the purse strings? Whether it is the spouse who actually has the buying power or the boss or someone in a completely different department—you have just wasted all that time and energy making a good pitch to the wrong person. Of course, you can chalk it up to experience and practice but it is a good idea to know who has the buying power so that you can direct your attentions to that person.
There are some variations to this general rule: sometimes you need to make a presentation to one person or department before you are allowed access to the decision-makers. It is like a “try-out” so to speak. Some families are organized this way—one spouse or partner does all the research and makes a recommendation and then another one actually makes the decision to purchase. This is definitely a possibility if you do the type of work where you work with large corporations or organizations. You may have to go through a few presentations before you are facing the person who can really say “yes” or “no.” The important thing is that you realize and understand the power structure and you have a very clear picture of who will be making the financial decision.
As soon as possible in your professional relationship, determine who will be deciding whether to purchase your product or services and discern how to influence that decision. This way, even if you do have to talk and pitch to other people first, you can keep as your ultimate goal getting in front of the person who controls the checkbook.