Short answer
A buying committee is the group of people who decide on a purchase. Mach uses 4 roles: decision maker, champion, user and approver. Name someone for each role, and write to each one about what they care about.
The 4 roles
| Role | Who it is | What they care about |
|---|---|---|
| Decision maker | The person who signs. | The outcome for the business, and the risk of getting it wrong. |
| Champion | The person who wants it and pushes for it inside. | Solving the pain point they live with, and looking good for it. |
| User | The person who will work with it every day. | Whether it makes their day easier. |
| Approver | The person who checks the money or the IT. | Cost, security and fit with what they already run. |
One person can hold two roles at a small company. At a large one, a role can need two people, for example one approver for money and one for IT.
How to find each person
A job title is a good start. It isn't proof. A "Head of Operations" may decide at one company and only advise at another.
- Look for public evidence: a talk they gave, a post about the problem, a quote in the news.
- Keep the source beside each name, so the rep can check it.
- Accept each name yourself. Don't let a guess become a fact in your CRM.
Write to each role differently
- To the decision maker: the outcome, in one line, with a case study from a company like theirs.
- To the champion: their pain point, in their words, and how others solved it.
- To the user: what their day looks like after.
- To the approver: what it costs, what it connects to and how it keeps data safe.
Mark the gaps
"Nobody yet" is useful information. A deal with no champion is at risk, however good the decision maker looks. Find that person before you push for a meeting.
How Mach does it
Mach names someone for each role in the buying committee, with a source for each name. You accept each one. Then Mach writes to each person with the case study that fits their role. See Research.