DECISION PROCESS
“I need to talk to my team,” “we’ll review next quarter,” and “send something for the committee” often hide an unfinished buying process. This playbook is how to name stakeholders, what they will evaluate, and when—then book a follow-up that answers a specific question.
Published Updated By Pianpian Xu Guthrie, Founder and CEO
BDRs qualifying meetings and AEs advancing mid-funnel deals where the path to a yes is still fuzzy.
Use this in the last third of a discovery or evaluation call, or any time the next step is a document instead of a conversation with a purpose.
Write down who else must be comfortable, what they will evaluate, the real timing, and a dated working session, intro, or question to answer—not “I’ll send a deck.”
“Let’s stay in touch” is not qualification. Attach a person, a question, and a date.
If you cannot name who reads the packet, you do not have a process. Ask who and what they decide.
Fiscal freezes, board dates, and contract end dates change whether a deal is real this quarter.
Budget without stakeholders and criteria still dies in committee.
Use these as written. They are examples, not a script you must read in order.
Illustrative examples of the cue shape a rep might use. Not product screenshots, recorded calls, or proven outcomes.
Prospect
“Send me a one-pager and I’ll run it by the committee.”
Next question
“Who is on that committee, what do they decide, and when do they actually meet?”
Why now
A packet without a roster and a date is a black hole. Qualify the room.
Listen for
Names or functions, a standing meeting, and whether you are allowed to attend.
Prospect
“We probably won’t look at this until next quarter.”
Next question
“Is that a freeze, a capacity issue, or a date you already have on the calendar—and what would change it?”
Why now
“Next quarter” can be a polite no or a real window. Split freeze, capacity, and dated plans.
Listen for
A planning cycle, a contract end, or no trigger at all.
Prospect
“Finance will want a business case before anyone else engages.”
Next question
“What does finance need to see, who owns that model, and when would they review a first draft?”
Why now
Business case is a process. Name the owner and the review, then offer to help build it.
Listen for
A template they already use, a finance partner, and whether the business owner is involved.
Sellers often hear a soft close and stop asking. Amotions can cue one two-part question about people, criteria, or timing so the call ends with a process, not a hope.
The useful prompt is often “what should the next meeting answer?” rather than “can I send slides?”
One glanceable cue helps the rep listen for names and dates.
The seller still books the next step. Coaching does not speak for them.
It is mapping how a yes actually happens: who must be comfortable, what they will evaluate, when, and what the next conversation is for.
Sponsor discovery finds outcome ownership and a path to a leader. This playbook maps the full buying path—including committee, finance, and timing—even when the sponsor is already known.
Ask what the next step is supposed to decide, and who would be blamed if that decision slipped. Refusal is itself a qualification signal.
Yes, lightly. Even one question—“who else would need to be in a follow-up for it to be useful?”—beats ending on a recap email.
Discovery calls drift into product talk before pain and impact are named.
“We’ll build it” ends the call before ownership and cost of delay are clear.
The contact is engaged, but no executive owns the outcome yet.
Technical lists take over the call before anyone names the approver or the date.
Reps rebut the label instead of clarifying the real concern.
Live BDR and AE discovery coaching when the buying process is still fuzzy.
Outbound qualification coaching for BDR and SDR motions.
AE coaching for mid-funnel process and next steps.
Private in-call prompts when the close gets fuzzy.
Live coaching plus roleplay for the same qualification moments.