What you'll get
- 5 copy-ready blocks
- Spreadsheet-ready
- 3 tables
- 8 min read
- Map header (paste into a spreadsheet)
- Codes for the map
- One-person brief (fill in before the first conversation)
- Coverage check (copy into the account record)
- Summary formulas (Google Sheets or Excel, relationship in column J, influence in column I, rows 2 to 20)
How to use it
- Step 1: Start with one account from your top tier. List the roles first and the names second, so an empty role stays visible.
- Step 2: Find the person in each role from the leadership page, LinkedIn and recent announcements. Mark every guess as a guess.
- Step 3: Fill in one line per person using the map below.
- Step 4: Run the coverage check. It tells you who to approach next.
- Step 5: Update the map after every conversation. Review Tier 1 accounts weekly.
In a large company no single person buys. One person signs, another holds the budget, someone runs the evaluation, and several others can slow it down or stop it. A buying committee map is one page per account that says who those people are, where each one stands and who on your side is talking to them.
Part 1: The nine roles to look for
Titles differ from company to company. Roles do not. One person can hold two roles, and in a smaller company they often do.
| # | Role | What they do in the decision | What they usually ask |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Decision maker | Makes the final call | Does this serve a priority I have already stated? |
| 2 | Budget owner | Releases the money | What does it replace, and what happens if we wait? |
| 3 | Executive sponsor | Lends authority and removes obstacles | Will this reflect well on my function? |
| 4 | Champion | Wants the change and argues for you when you are not in the room | Can I defend this internally? |
| 5 | Technical evaluator | Checks that it works with what they have | What breaks, and who maintains it? |
| 6 | Day-to-day owner | Lives with the result after the purchase | Does this make my team's week easier or harder? |
| 7 | Finance | Tests the business case | Where does the saving or the revenue show up? |
| 8 | Procurement, legal or security | Runs the process and the risk review | Does the supplier pass our checks and terms? |
| 9 | Blocker | Prefers the current way, an incumbent or a rival project | Why change at all? |
Two notes. A champion is someone who acts for you, such as making an introduction or sharing an internal document. A friendly contact who only replies politely is not yet a champion. And a blocker is rarely hostile. Most have a sound reason, and finding it early is the point of the map.
Part 2: The map
Map header (paste into a spreadsheet)
Account Role Name Title Reports to Cares about Likely objection Stance Influence Relationship Warm path Our owner Last touch Next action Due SourceCodes for the map
STANCE
S Supporter: has said or done something in favour
N Neutral: engaged, no view yet
C Sceptic: has raised a concern or backs another option
? Unknown: no contact yet
INFLUENCE
H Can approve or stop the decision
M Their opinion is asked for
L Informed, not consulted
RELATIONSHIP
0 Not identified (role is empty)
1 Identified, no contact
2 Connected or one-way contact (they accepted, opened or read)
3 Two-way conversation by message or email
4 Live conversation (call or meeting)
5 Acts for us (introduces, shares, argues our case)One-person brief (fill in before the first conversation)
STAKEHOLDER BRIEF: [name], [title], [account]
Role in this decision: [one of the nine roles]
Reports to: [name or "unknown"]
What they are measured on: [from their profile, posts or the company's stated priorities]
What they care about in our area: [one sentence, in their words where possible]
Most likely objection: [one sentence]
What would answer it: [evidence, reference, document]
Stance today: [S / N / C / ?] Evidence: [what they said or did]
Warm path: [mutual connection, customer referral, event, or "none"]
Who else they listen to: [names inside the account]
One question worth asking them: [specific to this company]
Source for the above: [links]. Mark anything inferred as "inference".Part 3: Coverage check
Run this for every Tier 1 account each week. Answer yes or no.
Coverage check (copy into the account record)
BUYING COMMITTEE COVERAGE: [account], [date]
1. Is every one of the nine roles filled with a name, or marked "does not exist here"? [Y/N]
2. Do we have a two-way conversation (relationship 3 or higher) with at least three people? [Y/N]
3. Is at least one of those three the decision maker or the budget owner? [Y/N]
4. Do we have a champion who has acted for us in the last 30 days? [Y/N]
5. Have we identified a likely blocker and their reason? [Y/N]
6. Does every High-influence person have a named owner on our side? [Y/N]
7. Does every person with a relationship of 2 or higher have a dated next action? [Y/N]
8. If our main contact left tomorrow, would we still have a live conversation in the account? [Y/N]
Roles with no name: [list]
High-influence people with no contact: [list]
Next two people to approach, and through whom: [ ]A "no" on question 8 means the account depends on one person. Fix that before anything else.
Summary formulas (Google Sheets or Excel, relationship in column J, influence in column I, rows 2 to 20)
People in two-way conversation: =COUNTIF(J2:J20,">=3")
High-influence people not yet reached: =COUNTIFS(I2:I20,"H",J2:J20,"<=1")
Roles still empty: =COUNTIF(J2:J20,0)Part 4: How much to map, by tier
| Tier | Depth |
|---|---|
| Tier 1 | All nine roles, a brief for every High-influence person, weekly review |
| Tier 2 | The core roles: decision maker, budget owner, technical evaluator, day-to-day owner. Review every month |
| Tier 3 | Two likely entry points. Map further only when someone replies or a trigger event lands |
These match the tiers in the Target Account Selection Scorecard. Criterion 11 there, "buying committee can be identified", is scored from this map.
Worked example (illustrative, not a real company)
"Northfield Logistics", mapped by a company selling warehouse software. Names are invented.
| Role | Title | Stance | Influence | Relationship |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Decision maker | Chief Operating Officer | ? | H | 1 |
| Budget owner | VP Supply Chain | N | H | 2 |
| Executive sponsor | not found | ? | ? | 0 |
| Champion | Regional Warehouse Manager | S | M | 5 |
| Technical evaluator | Head of IT Applications | C | H | 3 |
| Day-to-day owner | Warehouse Systems Lead | S | M | 4 |
| Finance | Finance Director, Operations | ? | M | 1 |
| Procurement | Category Manager, Technology | ? | M | 0 |
| Blocker | Head of IT Applications (same person) | C | H | 3 |
Read it the way the coverage check does. There are three two-way conversations, so question 2 passes. None of them is with the decision maker or the budget owner, so question 3 fails. The champion is real but mid-level. The technical evaluator is also the likely blocker, and the reason is not yet known.
The next two moves follow from the map. First, ask the champion for an introduction to the VP Supply Chain, with a short note the champion can forward. Second, ask the Head of IT Applications what worries them, before sending anything else to the account. More email to the people already engaged would not change this picture.
Five mistakes to avoid
- Mapping titles instead of roles. "VP" tells you rank. It does not tell you who decides this purchase.
- Calling a friendly contact a champion. Wait until they have done something for you.
- Leaving the blocker off the page. If the map shows only supporters, it is incomplete.
- Guessing names. If an AI tool or a database gives you a name, open the person's profile and confirm they still hold the job.
- Mapping once. People move, and so does their stance. Date every line.
Why this works on named accounts
Common questions
What is a buying committee?
The group of people who take part in a purchase in a large company: the one who decides, the one who pays, those who evaluate and those who can stop it. This map lists nine roles.
How many people are in a buying committee?
It varies by company and by deal. Start from the nine roles in Part 1. One person can hold two, and some roles will not exist in a smaller company.
How often should the map be updated?
After every conversation, with a weekly review for Tier 1 accounts. Date every line, because people and their stance both move.
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