If you sell long enough, you’ll hit this wall: you’re working with a smart, engaged contact… but the deal stalls. Not because they don’t like you or the solution—because they’re not the person who can say yes.
Getting to the decision maker can feel uncomfortable, even risky. You worry you’ll offend your contact. They worry about bringing their boss in too soon. But if you want to serve your buyer—and actually get the right outcome—you must learn to reach (and de-risk) the economic decision maker.
This is a practical guide to do exactly that—ethically, buyer-first, and without turning your champion into a roadblock.
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Why “No Decision” Happens More Than “No”
Most sales advice talks about beating the status quo. But that’s only half the story. In my experience, buyers are more afraid of making the wrong decision than they are of staying where they are.
Think of it like the stock market. You know investing grows wealth long-term, but volatility makes you nervous. “What if I pick the wrong stock?” So money sits in a savings account earning less, because a low return feels safer than potential loss.
Your buyers feel the same. They will stall if they can’t clearly see:
- How does your solution solve the problem
- How it reduces risk now and later, and
- That the right person will approve it.
Quick Definition: Who Is the Economic Decision Maker?
Ask yourself: Do they sign the front of the check or the back?
- Front of the check → they commit the money. That’s your economic decision maker (EDM).
- Back of the check → they approve/receive funds but need someone else’s sign-off. That’s an influencer or recommender, not the EDM.
EDMs are usually inside the company (CEO, President, GM, VP with P&L). But sometimes external parties have veto power—boards, investors, or consultants—especially in startups or partnerships.
If they can say yes (or definitely no), they’re part of your decision web.
How to Test (Nicely) If You’ve Found the EDM
Don’t challenge their authority. Test the process. Here are respectful, drill-down questions that reveal who decides:
- “When decisions like this are made here, who else typically gets involved?”
- “After you say this is a go, what happens next?”
- “Which budget does this come from? Who owns that P&L?”
- “If the board/investors need to weigh in, what criteria do they use?”
- “What would your CEO want to see to feel confident this won’t create downstream risk?”
If they truly are the EDM, these questions are easy. If not, they’ll surface the names, steps, and criteria you need.
Reframing the “No Need to Involve My Boss” Objection
You’ll hear: “I make the recommendation—my boss doesn’t get involved.”
Buyer-first response (keep it collaborative):
“Got it—and I want to make this easy for you. In my experience, the fastest path to results is aligning early with the person who will own the risk and the budget. What’s the best way to make sure we answer their questions up front so this doesn’t get stuck later?”
If they still resist, shift to enablement:
“If looping them in isn’t workable yet, what will they care about most—ROI, time-to-value, risk mitigation, total cost? I can tailor a one-page brief or a short video that speaks directly to those points so you’re set up for a smooth ‘yes.’”
You’re not going around them; you’re protecting them from a failed internal sell.
Field Example: When You Can’t Get Everyone in the Room
A client’s CEO had four equal partners; we could never get all five schedules to align. Instead of pressing, we asked:
- “What do the other partners usually ask?”
- “What’s important to each of them?”
- “Where have similar proposals gone sideways before?”
We then created two short, custom videos, each addressing the specific concerns of the missing partners and walking through the proposal sections that mattered to them. The deal closed because we spoke to each decision maker’s reality, even without a meeting.
Watch this video for more insights
Map the Decision (Not Just the Org Chart)
A title doesn’t tell you how decisions get made. The process does. Use these prompts to build a clear decision map with your buyer:
- Steps & Stakeholders
- “What are the steps from ‘we like this’ to ‘contract signed’?”
- “Where do Legal, Finance, HR, IT weigh in?”
- “Who can’t say yes, but can say no?”
- Criteria & Evidence
- “How will the board/CEO decide—ROI, price, risk, time-to-value?”
- “What proof helps—case studies, pilots, benchmarks, security docs?”
- Milestones & Timing
- “If you want results in six months, and onboarding takes two, and buying takes three, we’re left with one month of runway. Do we accelerate the buying steps or adjust the outcome timeline?”
This is where deals either stall in “checking on the proposal” purgatory—or accelerate because expectations are plain.
Scripts You Can Steal
Ask for EDM access (without souring the relationship):
“Based on what we’ve scoped, we’re at the point where the budget owner typically wants to see how risk is handled and the timeline we’re promising. What’s the best way for us to include them so they’re confident and you’re not stuck relaying everything?”
If they insist they decide:
“Perfect. Once you’ve decided this is a fit, who else needs to sign off on budget, legal, or policy so we can plan the path and hit your date?”
If there’s a board/investor layer:
“Boards often look for [ROI %, payback window, compliance, change risk]. Which of those will matter most here? I’ll prep a brief you can use in their packet.”
When time is the risk:
“You mentioned you need outcomes by [date]. Given the steps you outlined, we’ll need decisions by [earlier date] to make that feasible. Should we pull forward the budget review, or adjust the target? I don’t want you committing to a timeline that isn’t realistic.”
Alternative Paths to the EDM (When Intros Stall)
- Value Brief: One page with the problem, impact, “why now,” measurable outcomes, timeline, risk-mitigation, and investment. Purpose-built for the EDM.
- 2–3 Minute Loom/Video: Walk the proposal and speak to the EDM’s priorities. Keep it scannable.
- Pilot With Guardrails: Short, low-risk test that proves the metric the EDM cares about most (time-to-value, churn reduction, cycle time, etc.).
- Third-Party Proof: Customer references, external benchmarks, compliance letters to reduce perceived risk before the EDM asks.
- Executive-to-Executive Note: If appropriate, a brief, respectful message from your executive offering to answer risk questions, not “pitch.”
Set Expectations So Buyers Don’t Have to Guess
Every step you clarify removes a little fear. Recap in writing:
- Who: names and roles of everyone who must weigh in
- What: criteria each cares about
- When: dates/milestones backward from the desired go-live
- How: the artifacts you’ll provide (brief, video, pilot plan, security doc)
When buyers can see the path, they can walk it. When they can’t, they wait.
Bottom Line
Reaching the economic decision maker isn’t about going around people—it’s about protecting the people you’re helping and giving their organization a safe, confident way to say yes. Reduce decision fear with clear steps, tailored evidence, and realistic timelines. That’s Buyer-First.
Try this this week: Pick one active deal. Map the real decision process using the questions above. Create a 1-page value brief and a 2-minute video aimed at the budget owner’s top two risks. Ask for the intro—or equip your champion to win it.
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