---
name: decision-maker-mapping
slug: decision-maker-mapping
description: This skill should be used when the user asks to "map decision makers", "identify who makes the buying decision", "map the decision-making process", "find the real decision maker", "understand who decides on purchases", "map organizational decision authority", "identify buying authority", "figure out who signs the contract", "map approval chains for B2B deals", or any variation of mapping decision-making authority and approval chains in B2B SaaS accounts.
category: general
---

# 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

| Level | Who | What they decide | How to identify |
|-------|-----|-----------------|----------------|
| Recommender | Champion, Manager, Director | "We should buy this." Recommends the tool to the approver | Usually your primary contact. The person who attended the demo |
| Approver | VP, C-level, Economic Buyer | "Yes, spend the money." Budget authority for this purchase | Ask: "Who would approve the budget for a purchase like this?" |
| Validator | IT, Security, Engineering, Legal | "It's safe/secure/integrable." Technical and compliance sign-off | Ask: "Does your IT/security team need to review new tools?" |
| Executor | Procurement, Finance, Legal | "The contract terms are acceptable." Handles the paperwork | Ask: "Once the business decision is made, what's the process for getting the contract signed?" |

### 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

| Company size | Typical chain length | Who's involved | Timeline |
|-------------|---------------------|---------------|----------|
| 1-50 employees | 1-2 people | Founder/CEO decides. Maybe a VP | 1-2 weeks |
| 51-200 employees | 2-3 people | Director recommends → VP approves | 2-4 weeks |
| 201-1000 employees | 3-5 people | Manager recommends → Director validates → VP approves → Procurement | 4-8 weeks |
| 1000+ employees | 5-10 people | Manager → Director → VP → Security → Procurement → Legal | 8-16+ weeks |

---

## Discovery Questions for Decision Mapping

### The 5 essential questions

| Question | What it reveals | When to ask |
|----------|----------------|-------------|
| "How has your team made a purchase like this before? Walk me through the last time" | The actual process (not the theoretical one). Real steps, real people, real timeline | Discovery call |
| "Who would need to approve the budget for something in the $X range?" | The economic buyer. The person with financial authority | Discovery call |
| "Is there a security or IT review required for new SaaS tools?" | Validator step. Timeline for technical approval | Demo or post-demo |
| "What does your procurement process look like?" | Paper process. Contract review, negotiation, signature authority | Post-demo or proposal stage |
| "Who else would need to weigh in before a decision is made?" | Hidden stakeholders. The people you don't know about yet | Every call. Ask this every time |

### Follow-up probes

| Initial answer | Follow-up probe | What you're digging for |
|---------------|----------------|----------------------|
| "I make the decision" | "And nobody else needs to sign off? Not finance or IT?" | Often there's a hidden approver they forgot about. Verify |
| "My VP would need to approve" | "Has your VP approved a tool purchase in this range before? What did that process look like?" | The specific process, not just the person |
| "We'd need IT to review" | "How long does IT review typically take? Is there a standard process or do they handle it ad hoc?" | Timeline for the validation step |
| "I'm not sure about procurement" | "Can you find out? Knowing the process early helps us stay on timeline" | Awareness that procurement exists AND their timeline |
| "We've never bought something like this" | "What's the closest purchase your team has made? A CRM, a marketing tool?" | Even if they haven't bought your category, they've bought SaaS tools. The process is similar |

---

## Decision-Maker Identification by Title

### Common decision authority by title and company size

| Title | At 50-person company | At 200-person company | At 1000+ person company |
|-------|---------------------|----------------------|------------------------|
| CEO / Founder | Final approver for everything | Approver for $50K+ deals | Rarely involved below $500K |
| CRO / VP Sales | Approver for sales tools | Approver for $20-100K sales tools | Recommender to C-suite for $100K+ |
| VP Marketing | Approver for marketing tools | Approver for $20-100K marketing tools | Recommender for $100K+ |
| Director | Recommender with strong influence | Approver for $10-30K. Recommender for $30K+ | Recommender. Rarely approver |
| Manager | Recommender | Recommender | Champion / user. No approval authority |
| Head of RevOps | May be approver for ops tools | Recommender to VP | Recommender |
| IT / Security | Not involved (no IT team) | Validator. Can block | Validator with veto power. Must pass |
| Procurement | Not involved | May be involved for $20K+ | Always involved for $10K+ |
| Legal | CEO handles (or outside counsel) | In-house counsel for $50K+ | Always involved. Standard review |

### 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 type | Who | Why they block | How to handle |
|-------------|-----|---------------|---------------|
| Incumbent tool champion | Person who chose the current tool | Switching invalidates their past decision | Acknowledge the current tool's strengths. Position as complement or evolution, not replacement |
| Budget gatekeeper | Finance or CFO | Not convinced of ROI | Provide ROI calculator with their numbers. Make the business case in finance language |
| Security / compliance | CISO, IT Security | Concerned about data handling, integration risk | Proactively send SOC 2, DPA, security questionnaire. Offer a security-focused briefing |
| "Not now" blocker | Any stakeholder | Timing conflict. Other priorities. Budget cycle | Acknowledge timing. Align to their budget cycle. Don't push. Nurture until timing improves |
| "Build vs buy" blocker | Engineering leader | Believes they can build it internally | Show the hidden cost of building (engineering time, maintenance, opportunity cost). Reference peers who tried building and switched |
| Political blocker | Any leader with competing agenda | Your deal competes with their project for budget or attention | Identify the competing priority. Find a way to complement it, not compete |

### Blocker detection questions

| Question | What it reveals |
|----------|----------------|
| "Who on the team might see this differently?" | Surfaces potential objectors before they emerge as surprises |
| "Is anyone invested in the current approach?" | Identifies the incumbent champion |
| "Are there any competing priorities that might affect timing?" | Surfaces budget conflicts and attention competition |
| "Has something like this been proposed before? What happened?" | Reveals prior failed attempts and the reasons why |
| "What would make someone on the team say no?" | The prospect tells you the blocker's objection before you meet the blocker |

---

## 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 | What you should know | How to find out |
|-------|---------------------|----------------|
| Discovery | Who recommended the call. Who else cares about the problem | "Who else on the team is affected by this?" |
| Demo | Who the EB is. Whether IT/security review is needed | "Who would approve budget? Does IT need to review?" |
| Evaluation | Full decision chain. Each person's role. Timeline per step | "Walk me through the steps from 'yes' to contract signed" |
| Proposal | Procurement process. Contract review timeline. Signing authority | "What does procurement need? How long does legal review take?" |
| Negotiation | Specific procurement requirements. Redline process. Signature authority | "Who handles contract negotiation? Who signs?" |

### 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

| Metric | Definition | Target | Frequency |
|--------|-----------|--------|-----------|
| Deals with complete decision map | % of deals past Demo with all 4 levels identified | > 60% | Weekly (pipeline review) |
| EB identified by Demo stage | % of deals where EB is named by end of Demo stage | > 80% | Monthly |
| Procurement mapped by Proposal | % of deals where procurement process is documented before proposal sends | > 70% | Monthly |
| Surprise blocker rate | % of deals where a blocker emerged after Proposal that wasn't in the decision map | < 15% | Quarterly |
| Decision map accuracy | % of predicted timelines within 2 weeks of actual close | > 60% | Quarterly |

---

## 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