Buyer's Org Chart

Organagrams. Prehistoric thinking that remains remarkably prevalent.

Yet it is often a revealing exercise to try and plot out your prospect’s such chart.

And I don’t mean simply getting a ‘pal’ clientside to sneak you a copy nabbed off someone’s cubicle wall.

I was reminded of these merits from this graphic, provided by the Guardian’s data blog starlets. In the wake of the latest bumbling BBC scandal, its designers attempted to show who reported to whom.

It included lines of influence, not represented by traditional hierarchical reporting lines, as well as salaries, to further illuminate seniority not otherwise displayed by job title.

Many years ago, I remember getting an account manager to draw out such a chart for their (and our, I think) biggest client.

It uncovered all sorts of gaps and suppositions.

Yet because the guy was a winner, rather than mope at this exposure to his lack of depth, he went away and hatched a plan to secure intimacy and revenue from an ever-happy customer.

Every major opportunity should entail some kind of similar graphic.

Imagine going through such a slide with your ‘champion’. Or perhaps better still, your boss…

Forget the fact that you get to understand your prospect way better, even thinking from a sales manager’s view point, if someone at the coal face came to me with this kind of thinking, they’d get all the support and more they asked for…