Obsess About the Decision Making Process, Not The Decision Maker In the past, Sales was ALL about the decision maker, and everyone else on their team wasn’t thought of as important. Now, because executives are busier than ever, and because business culture is more collaborative and less dictatorial, decision makers rely more and more on their teams to help them make purchase decisions. In the past, when decision makers would defer salespeople to their subordinates, it was because the decision maker didn’t think it was important or valuable, and wanted to blow salespeople off. Salespeople were rightly trained to fight to get around this objection and obtain the decision makers’ time no matter what. Now, the “decision making process” is more important than “the decision maker.” Avoid questions like: “Who is the decision maker?” “Who signs the check?” Ask questions like: “How have you evaluated similar products or services?” “What is the decision making process?” “Who is involved in making the decision?” “How will the decision be made?” “What are the steps to have a check cut or funds released?” Now, when a decision maker refers you to their “get it done” people (the influencers), it’s a perfectly good way to begin selling into an account.