Tailoring for Resonance—Why Consensus Beats 'Going to the Top'
A tech company’s sales rep, Casey, had always been told to reach the highest-level executive possible. One day she landed a meeting with a division leader and presented her solution—only to be politely turned down. Something hadn’t clicked. On review, Casey realized she’d overlooked the team’s influencers and underestimated the variety of opinions shaping decisions inside her client’s organization. On her next opportunity, she did long homework: she mapped out everyone who’d use, approve, or be affected by her offering. She read LinkedIn bios, asked probing questions in early calls, and learned that the operations team cared about minimal disruption, while finance worried about ongoing fees.
When Casey met with each group, she reframed her pitch: less about technical power and more about smoother workflows and predictable costs. She provided tailored stories, cited outcomes that matched each leader’s interests, and kept the conversation open so these teams could voice concerns. The result? Buy-in grew across the board, and when the final decision was made, even the cautious stakeholders became champions, smoothing approval at the executive level.
This shift from a 'top-down' sales mindset to consensus-building reflects research showing that today’s complex decisions rarely hinge on one person. Tailoring isn’t just about knowledge—it’s about empathy and speaking each person’s language. This multiplies trust and compresses decision cycles.
When planning your next persuasion attempt, list everyone who has a voice in the process. Dive into their backgrounds and responsibilities, then shape your message specifically for each person’s map of what matters. Not all will see value in the same features—so meet them where they are and connect your solution directly to their needs. You’ll find alignment builds faster, with less resistance and more real enthusiasm. Give yourself time to test this on one deal and track the difference.
What You'll Achieve
Learn to build bridges across different priorities, foster buy-in, reduce resistance, and increase your chances of a successful and lasting agreement in any group decision.
Map and Personalize Messages Across Stakeholders
Identify all stakeholders involved in a decision.
Go beyond the obvious decision-maker; consider influencers, end-users, and those managing implementation. Map their roles and what success means to them.
Research each stakeholder’s unique priorities.
Use public reports, internal connections, or conversations to surface what each values or worries about—numbers, speed, reputation, risk, etc.
Adapt your pitch language and focus for each audience.
Frame the problem and solution in terms that directly address that stakeholder’s outcome, not your own agenda. Use industry or personal references relevant to them.
Reflection Questions
- Who have I overlooked in my stakeholder maps?
- How do I learn what really matters to each person involved?
- What adjustments can I make to my language to foster connection?
Personalization Tips
- For a family planning a vacation, address both parents’ concerns about budget and teens' desire for adventure.
- In software sales, speak differently to the CFO (cost and compliance) and the engineering lead (speed and integration).
- On a school committee, tailor your message to educators, parents, and administration by acknowledging their distinct needs.
The Challenger Sale: Taking Control of the Customer Conversation
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