B2B Decision Maker Data: Finding the Right Company Is Easy. Finding the Right Person Is Hard.
Databroker Summer Series - Part 5 of 8 – Building Your Best Q4 Starts Now
Over the last four parts of our Summer Series, I’ve looked at building your pipeline, getting your CRM into shape, understanding the cost of bad data and, most recently, identifying the right businesses to target. This week, I’m taking that final point one step further. Because finding a company that perfectly matches your target market is only half the job. You still need to find the right person inside it.
There’s not much point identifying the perfect prospect if your email lands with somebody who has no involvement in the purchase, or your salesperson spends half the call being passed around the business trying to find out who actually makes the decision. That’s where good B2B decision maker data can make a huge difference.
In 30 Seconds
- Finding the right company is only half the job.
- B2B purchases often involve several decision-makers and influencers.
- The right contact isn’t automatically the Managing Director.
- Good decision-maker data means more time having relevant conversations and less time trying to find the right person.
- “Can You Send It Over and I’ll Pass It On?”
If you’ve worked in sales for any length of time, you’ll probably recognise that sentence. Sometimes they genuinely do pass it on. Quite often, your proposal ends up sitting in somebody else’s inbox behind fifty other emails and that’s as far as it gets. A week later, your salesperson follows up and gets: “I’m not sure, I passed it on.” The problem isn’t necessarily your product, your price or even your sales approach. You simply never reached the person who could do anything with it.
That’s why identifying the right contacts within your target companies matters so much. Good B2B prospecting isn’t simply about getting your message into an organisation. It’s about getting it in front of the people who understand the problem you’re solving and can influence what happens next.
Who Is Actually the Decision-Maker?
One of the questions we’re regularly asked at Databroker is:
“Can we just have the Managing Directors?”
Sometimes, absolutely. But often, they’re nowhere near the best person to target. If you’re selling payroll software, Finance or HR might be far more relevant. Cyber security could involve IT and Technology. Facilities services might sit with Estates, Operations or Procurement, while a marketing platform will probably involve senior Marketing or Digital contacts.
This is why we spend time understanding what you’re selling before deciding who you should target.
Job titles are useful, but job functions are often even more important. Different businesses use different titles for people doing very similar jobs, so restricting a campaign to one or two exact titles can mean missing some excellent prospects. Learn more about the various job titles, roles and functions available.
It Isn’t Always One Person
Another mistake is assuming every purchase has a single decision-maker. In reality, particularly within larger organisations, there could be several people involved. Someone identifies the need. Somebody else researches the options. A department head wants the product. Procurement negotiates the terms. Finance approves the budget. IT might need to sign off the technology.
They’re all part of the same buying process.
That doesn’t mean you should throw ten contacts from every company into a campaign. Sometimes it is quite the opposite. The objective should be to identify the small number of people most likely to matter. For some campaigns that might be one senior contact. For others it could be two or three relevant people across different functions. Understanding that before building your data can make a massive difference to the quality of the resulting audience. I explain it to clients by saying:
“Imagine if your marketing is being seen by 2 or 3 of the key decision makers around the boardroom table – that gives you a much better chance of success”
From the Databroker Desk
This is where a good brief becomes so important. A client might initially ask us for CEOs and Managing Directors, but once we understand what they’re selling, we might suggest Operations Directors, Procurement Managers or Finance Directors instead. Or perhaps a combination of roles depending on company size.
It’s also why we don’t believe there should be a standard list of “B2B decision-makers” that works for every campaign. There isn’t one; the right decision-maker depends on the product, the company, its size and how that particular organisation buys. Our job is to understand those variables and then use the available data to identify the people most likely to influence the outcome.
Better Contact Data Means Better Conversations
Accurate B2B decision maker data doesn’t just improve who receives an email. It can completely change the way your sales team approaches prospecting. Instead of ringing reception and asking who looks after Operations, you already have a name. Instead of sending information to a generic inbox and hoping it’s forwarded, you’re contacting the relevant person directly. Instead of spending the first part of every conversation establishing whether you’ve reached the right department, you can start talking about why you’ve called.
Multiply those little improvements across hundreds or thousands of prospects and the difference becomes significant.
There’s also a marketing benefit. A Finance Director is interested in different things to an Operations Director, and an IT Director has different priorities again. Once you understand who you’re talking to, you can adapt the message accordingly.
That’s proper personalisation. Not simply putting someone’s first name at the top of an email.
If You Remember One Thing…
Finding the right company opens the door. Finding the right person starts the conversation. Good B2B decision maker data should help your sales and marketing teams spend less time working out who to contact and more time thinking about what they’re going to say when they reach them. That’s ultimately what better data should do: remove unnecessary work and create better opportunities.
Five-Minute Challenge
Look at your last five new customers and ask yourself who first showed an interest, who influenced the purchase and who eventually approved it.
- Were they all the same person?
- More importantly, are those the roles you’re targeting in your prospecting today?
If not, you’ve probably just found something worth reviewing.
Looking Ahead
We’ve now looked at building your pipeline, CRM health, the cost of bad data, finding the right businesses and reaching the right people within them. Next, we’ll look at why even the best business data doesn’t stay accurate forever. People change jobs. Businesses grow. Companies relocate, merge and close. We’ll look at why maintaining and refreshing B2B data is every bit as important as sourcing it in the first place.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is B2B decision maker data?
B2B decision maker data identifies relevant individuals within target organisations, typically including information such as name, job title, job function, business email address and telephone number where available.
How do I find the right B2B decision-makers?
Start by understanding who typically influences the purchase of your product or service. Depending on what you’re selling, this could include people working within Finance, Operations, Marketing, IT, Procurement, HR or senior management.
Should I always target Managing Directors and CEOs?
No. They can be appropriate for some campaigns, particularly within smaller businesses, but specialist products and services are often better targeted towards the people responsible for the relevant business function.
How many decision-makers should I target per company?
There isn’t a universal answer. Some campaigns only require one senior contact, while more complex B2B purchases may involve several stakeholders. Relevance is more important than simply adding more contacts.
Why is accurate decision-maker data important?
It helps sales and marketing teams reach relevant people directly, reduce wasted prospecting time and tailor their messaging to the responsibilities and priorities of the person they’re contacting.
