Decision-Maker Mapping

Decision-maker mapping identifies who has the authority to approve a purchase, who can block it, and what process the organization follows to move from "we want this" to "contract signed." In B2B SaaS, the decision-maker is rarely one person. It's a chain: the champion recommends, the economic buyer approves, technical evaluator validates, procurement negotiates, and legal reviews. Missing any link in the chain creates a surprise blocker at the worst possible time.

The principle: map the decision process, not just the decision-maker. Knowing "the VP signs" is incomplete. Knowing "the VP signs after the Director recommends, IT approves integration, Finance validates ROI, and Procurement reviews terms. This takes 6 weeks" is a decision map.

The Decision Authority Map

4 levels of decision authority

Mapping the chain

Recommender (Champion)
  → "I think we should buy this"
  ↓
Approver (Economic Buyer / VP)
  → "Approved. Proceed with evaluation"
  ↓
Validator (IT / Security / Engineering)
  → "Technically sound. No blockers"
  ↓
Approver again (final budget sign-off)
  → "Confirmed. Let's move forward"
  ↓
Executor (Procurement)
  → "Contract terms acceptable. Signature ready"
  ↓
Signer (may be Approver or separate legal authority)
  → Contract signed

Decision chain by company size

Discovery Questions for Decision Mapping

The 5 essential questions

Follow-up probes

Decision-Maker Identification by Title

Common decision authority by title and company size

Title rules

• Don't assume authority from title alone. A "VP" at a 20-person startup has different authority than a "VP" at a 5,000-person company. Ask about the specific approval process, not the title hierarchy
• Authority thresholds vary by company. Some companies require VP approval for any purchase over $5K. Others let Directors spend up to $50K independently. Ask: "Is there a spending threshold above which you need additional approval?"
• Authority often shifts after the first purchase. If they've never bought a SaaS tool, the approval chain may be ad hoc. If they've bought 10 tools, there's a standard process. Ask about precedent

Mapping Blockers

Types of blockers

Blocker detection questions

The Decision Map Document

What to document per deal

# Decision Map: [Account Name]

## Decision chain
1. Recommender: [Name, Title] — STATUS: [Champion / engaged / unengaged]
2. Approver: [Name, Title] — STATUS: [Engaged / identified / unknown]
3. Validator: [Name, Title] — STATUS: [Review started / not yet / N/A]
4. Executor: [Procurement contact / process] — STATUS: [Engaged / not yet]
5. Signer: [Name, Title / same as approver?]

## Process steps
| Step | Owner | Timeline | Status |
|------|-------|----------|--------|
| Champion recommends | [Name] | Done / in progress | ✓ |
| Demo for economic buyer | [Name] | [Date] | Scheduled |
| Security review | IT team | 3 weeks | Not started |
| Budget approval | [Name] | 1 week after security | Pending |
| Procurement review | [Name/team] | 2-3 weeks | Not started |
| Contract signature | [Name] | [Target date] | Pending |

## Blockers
| Blocker | Who | Concern | Mitigation |
|---------|-----|---------|-----------|
| IT security review | [Name] | Data residency concerns | Send SOC 2 + DPA proactively |
| Budget competition | CFO | Competing with [other project] | Align timing to Q3 budget cycle |

## Spending authority
- Threshold for VP approval: $[amount]
- Threshold for C-suite approval: $[amount]
- Our deal falls in: [which threshold]

## Key unknowns
- [ ] Has the EB ever approved a purchase in this range?
- [ ] Is there a board approval required above $[amount]?
- [ ] Does procurement use standard terms or custom?

Decision Mapping by Deal Stage

Stage-gating rules

• Don't send a proposal without knowing the EB. A proposal sent to someone who can't approve it sits in a void. Know who approves before proposing
• Don't enter negotiation without knowing procurement. If you discover procurement at negotiation, you've added 4-6 weeks to the deal that weren't in your forecast. Map procurement by Evaluation stage
• Update the decision map after every interaction. New people emerge. Timelines shift. What you knew at Demo may have changed by Proposal. The map is a living document

Measurement

Anti-Pattern Check

• "The Director is the decision-maker" on a $80K deal at a 500-person company. Directors rarely have $80K approval authority at that company size. There's a VP or C-level above them who needs to sign off. Ask about spending thresholds
• Decision map created at Discovery and never updated. The map said "VP approves" but the VP left and was replaced. The map said "no procurement" but the company added a procurement process since your last deal there. Update after every interaction
• No procurement mapping until the deal is in negotiation. Procurement adds 3-6 weeks. If you don't know about it until negotiation, your close date is wrong by a month. Ask about procurement at the Demo stage
• Accepting "I make the decision" at face value. Champions often believe they're the decision-maker because they make the recommendation. But recommendation ≠ approval. Probe: "And nobody else needs to sign off? Finance? IT?"
• Not mapping blockers proactively. You discover the IT Security lead has concerns when they kill the deal at week 10. "Who might see this differently?" asked at week 2 would have surfaced this. Ask about blockers early and explicitly
• Same decision map assumption for every deal. A 50-person startup has a 2-person chain. A 1,000-person enterprise has a 7-person chain. Don't apply one company's process to another. Map each deal individually