How to talk to different roles within the DMU

As a subject matter expert you are responsible for your own business development.

You are selling your services to other businesses and other organizations. The purchase decision however, is still made by people.

These people form a group of about 9 individuals* called the Decision Making Unit (or DMU).

Within a DMU there are roughly 5 roles:

1. Initiators – People who notice there’s a challenge within their organization. They are the ones who initiate the process of finding a solution to help their organization overcome the challenge.
   
2. Users – People who will directly interact with your product or service, after the deal has been sealed.
   
3. Decision makers – People who approve or reject the decision to purchase your solution.
   
4. Influencers – People who influence the purchase decision. By providing recommendations, insights, or expertise. They could be people from within your (potential) client or people from outside of the organization, like consultants or industry analysts.
   
5. Support – People who facilitate the purchase of your solution. They are the ones in procurement, legal, and maybe IT.

Now, each role requires a different approach and adjusted messaging.

1. When you speak to Initiators, make sure to highlight how your solution helps them overcome the challenge they’ve identified. Don’t forget to show them a few quick wins.
   
2. When talking to Users, make sure to demonstrate the usability of your solution. Show them how you can improve their day-to-day work, preferably based on testimonials by other users.
   
3. When addressing Decision makers, focus on the strategic and financial benefits of your solution. Highlight competitive advantages. And provide them with compelling business cases.
   
4. Influencers may be the most similar to you. They are usually highly experienced industry professionals. No need to worry about knowledge gaps, when providing them with in-depth insights, thought leadership, and case studies.
   
5. Should you have a conversation with Support, try and stress ease of procurement, competitive pricing, and optional value-added benefits.

Hope this helps!

* According to research by Direct Research, conducted for 6sense’s 2023 B2B Buying Report.

Thank you for reading Nudge #040, sent to busy subject matter experts on January 7, 2024.