How to find decision makers in a company
Updated By the SalesOne research team6 min read
The short answer
To find the decision makers at a company, first decide which role signs off on what you sell, then search the company’s leadership pages, press releases, filings, event speaker lists and professional profiles for the people in that role. Confirm each one with a recent, dated source before contacting them, and map the rest of the buying committee too.
Who is the decision maker in a B2B purchase?
The decision maker is the person who signs off on the purchase. Who that is depends on the size of the company and the size of the deal. At a 30-person company it is often the founder. At a 3,000-person company buying a departmental tool it is usually the head of that department, with finance approving the budget.
The decision maker is rarely the only person who matters. Forrester’s 2024 research found an average of 13 people inside an organization involved in a buying decision. So the real task is to find the decision maker and the few other roles that move the deal: the economic buyer who holds the budget, and the champion who owns the problem.
| Company size | Usual decision maker | Also find |
|---|---|---|
| Under 50 employees | Founder or CEO | The person who will use it day to day |
| 50–500 employees | Executive over the function (COO, CFO, CTO, VP) | Function head as champion |
| 500–5,000 employees | VP or SVP of the function | Finance, procurement, IT or security evaluators |
| 5,000+ employees | Business-unit leader or function executive | Procurement and a formal evaluation team |
What are the best ways to find decision makers?
Seven sources cover most companies. The first six are public and usually dated; the seventh, data providers, is fastest but needs checking.
| Method | What it gives you | Dated? |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Company website | Executives, function heads, project owners | Sometimes (newsroom posts are) |
| 2. Press releases and trade press | Names, titles, start dates | Yes |
| 3. Public filings | Officers and directors of US public companies | Yes |
| 4. Professional profiles | Current title, start date, reporting line | Usually |
| 5. Job posts | Who a role reports to | Yes |
| 6. Events and publications | Who speaks for the company on a topic | Yes |
| 7. Data providers | Candidates and contact details | Often not |
Leadership, team and newsroom pages name executives, and appointment releases give a date. Trade-press people moves add names and start dates; a new leader is also a buying signal. US public companies name their executive officers and directors in annual reports and proxy statements, and disclose many officer changes on Form 8-K Item 5.02, all searchable on SEC EDGAR.
Job posts often say who the role reports to, such as “reports to the VP of Supply Chain”, which reveals the decision maker for that function. Conference agendas, podcasts and interviews show who talks publicly about the problem you solve. Contact databases are fast, but records can be out of date: use them for candidates and contact details, then confirm the role with a dated source.
How do you confirm someone is the right decision maker?
Confirm three things: the person is still in the role, the role covers the problem you solve, and nobody above them has just changed. A dated source from the last 12 months answers the first; the title and reporting lines answer the rest.
- Check the date. Prefer a source from the last 12 months: an announcement, a filing, a recent profile update.
- Check the remit. The title should cover the problem you solve, not just a nearby one.
- Check reporting lines. A job post or org announcement often shows who reports to whom.
- Check for recent changes. A departure or a new hire may mean the person you found is no longer the one deciding.
- Ask. Once you are in a conversation, ask who else will be involved in a decision like this.
How do you search professional profiles for decision makers?
Search the company’s people on a professional network by title keywords for the function, then read each profile for start date, remit and reporting line. Do it by hand.
Use the words the function uses, such as “procurement”, “supply chain” or “finance”, and filter by seniority. Look at who else in the function appears: a director with three managers under them is a likely champion, and the executive they report to is a likely decision maker. Note how recently each profile changed, because a title updated last month is stronger evidence than one untouched for years. Keep the search manual: automated scraping and messaging tools break the network’s user agreement and put accounts at risk.
What does a decision maker search look like?
A typical search moves from the company’s own pages to job posts and profiles, and ends with a small committee map rather than one name. Here is an illustrative search at a fictional 800-person manufacturer, for a product sold to procurement.
| Step | Source | Finding |
|---|---|---|
| Leadership page | Company website | CEO, CFO and COO named; no procurement leader listed |
| Press releases | Newsroom | New COO appointed 41 days ago (a people signal) |
| Job posts | Careers page | Procurement analyst role reports to the Director of Procurement |
| Profiles | Professional network | Director of Procurement in role for 3 years; reports to the COO |
| Result | Committee map | Decision maker: COO. Champion: Director of Procurement. Economic buyer: CFO |
The leadership page alone would have pointed to the CEO. The job post and profile showed that procurement reports to the new COO, who is both the decision maker and a fresh reason to reach out.
What mistakes should you avoid when finding decision makers?
Most mistakes come from trusting one source or one person. Each one below leads to outreach that reaches the wrong person or goes cold when a contact moves.
- Going straight to the CEO at every company. Unless the company is small, the CEO rarely decides on a departmental purchase.
- Trusting a database title without a date.
- Stopping at one person. If they leave or go quiet, the account goes cold.
- Buying contact data for everyone at the company instead of the few people you will actually contact.
- Confusing seniority with authority. A senior title outside the function usually cannot sign.
How does SalesOne find decision makers?
SalesOne maps the buying committee at each qualified account. S1 deep research agents find the decision maker, champion, evaluator and other roles, each with a dated source you can open. Your team chooses who to contact, and verified contact details from 20+ data providers are looked up only for those people, never paid for twice. S1 agents do the homework. Your team builds the relationship.