Stakeholder Map: SalesTech Inc

Deal Context: $150K marketing automation platform, 250 employees, Marketing, IT & Finance impacted

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Organizational Structure

Note: Limited public information available. Structure based on typical 250-employee B2B SaaS/tech company patterns.

Executive Leadership

• CEO: [Executive Leadership]
• CFO: [Finance Leadership] → Reports to CEO
• CTO/VP IT: [Technology Leadership] → Reports to CEO
• CMO/VP Marketing: [Marketing Leadership] → Reports to CEO

Marketing Department

• VP Marketing: Lisa Chen (Champion) → Reports to CMO or CEO
  • Marketing Operations Manager: [Marketing Ops role]
  • Demand Generation Manager: [Demand Gen role]

IT Department

• VP IT/CTO: [IT Leadership]
  • IT Security/InfoSec Lead: [Security role]
  • IT Operations Manager: [IT Ops role]

Finance & Procurement

• CFO: [Finance Leadership]
  • Director Finance/FP&A: [Finance role]
  • Procurement/Legal (if separate): [Procurement role]

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Stakeholder Analysis (8-10 Identified)

CHAMPION: VP Marketing (Lisa Chen)

• Role Type: Champion
• Influence: High | Status: Engaged | Risk: Low
• Motivations: Automate marketing workflows, improve lead management, demonstrate marketing ROI, reduce manual work
• Concerns: Implementation complexity, team adoption, integration with existing tools
• What She Needs: Internal selling tools, executive one-pager, ROI calculator, IT/security docs to share
• Engagement: Already engaged. Provide champion enablement materials immediately.

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CRITICAL GAP: CFO (Finance Leadership)

• Role Type: Economic Buyer (Final Approval Authority)
• Influence: Very High | Status: Not engaged | Risk: CRITICAL
• Motivations: Budget control, ROI justification, cost optimization, financial predictability
• Concerns: $150K unbudgeted spend, renewal costs, total cost of ownership, payback period
• What They Need: Business case with clear ROI, cost-benefit analysis, 3-year TCO, budget impact
• Engagement: Lisa MUST secure CFO approval for $150K. Get introduction ASAP.
• Risk: At 250 employees, $150K almost certainly requires CFO sign-off. Deal cannot close without CFO engagement.

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GATEKEEPER: VP IT / CTO (Technology Leadership)

• Role Type: Technical Approver & Gatekeeper
• Influence: Very High | Status: Not engaged | Risk: CRITICAL
• Motivations: System security, data privacy, integration complexity, technical stability, minimize IT support burden
• Concerns: API integrations, data security, compliance (GDPR/SOC 2), vendor lock-in, ongoing maintenance
• What They Need: Technical architecture review, integration documentation, security certifications, IT resource requirements
• Engagement: Request technical review meeting. Marketing automation impacts CRM/data warehouse integrations.
• Risk: IT can kill deal late-stage if not engaged early. Will push back on security, integrations, or resource requirements.

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GATEKEEPER: IT Security / InfoSec Lead

• Role Type: Security Gatekeeper
• Influence: Medium-High | Status: Not engaged | Risk: HIGH
• Motivations: Data security, compliance, risk mitigation, vendor security posture
• Concerns: Customer data handling, third-party access, compliance certifications, vulnerability management
• What They Need: SOC 2 Type II report, security questionnaire responses, data processing agreement, penetration test results
• Engagement: Proactively provide security documentation. Offer security review call.
• Risk: Security can delay or block deal. Engage early to address concerns proactively.

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INFLUENCER: CMO / VP Sales (if Marketing reports to Revenue)

• Role Type: Executive Influencer (if Lisa reports here)
• Influence: High | Status: Unknown | Risk: Medium
• Motivations: Revenue growth, pipeline quality, marketing-sales alignment, campaign effectiveness
• Concerns: Marketing spend efficiency, impact on sales pipeline, competitive differentiation
• What They Need: Strategic value proposition, competitive positioning, how this drives revenue
• Engagement: Qualify reporting structure with Lisa. If she reports to CMO, secure executive briefing.
• Risk: If Lisa reports to CMO, CMO approval needed before CFO review.

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INFLUENCER: Marketing Operations Manager

• Role Type: Technical Evaluator & Influencer
• Influence: Medium | Status: Not engaged | Risk: Medium
• Motivations: Operational efficiency, clean data, campaign automation, integration with existing stack
• Concerns: Implementation effort, data migration, learning curve, technical fit with CRM/analytics
• What They Need: Hands-on product demo, technical deep dive, integration specifications
• Engagement: Schedule technical demo. This person will run day-to-day operations and influence Lisa’s recommendation.
• Risk: If Marketing Ops opposes due to technical concerns, Lisa may withdraw support.

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INFLUENCER: Demand Generation Manager

• Role Type: End User & Influencer
• Influence: Medium | Status: Not engaged | Risk: Low-Medium
• Motivations: Better campaign performance, lead quality, faster campaign execution, easier A/B testing
• Concerns: Usability, learning curve, impact on current workflows
• What They Need: Use case-specific demo, proof of value for their campaigns
• Engagement: Include in product demo. Build secondary champion among end users.
• Risk: End user resistance can create adoption challenges post-purchase.

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POTENTIAL BLOCKER: Legal / Procurement (if exists at 250 employees)

• Role Type: Contractual Gatekeeper
• Influence: Medium | Status: Not engaged | Risk: Medium
• Motivations: Contract terms, liability protection, vendor risk management, negotiation leverage
• Concerns: Data privacy clauses, indemnification, termination rights, auto-renewal terms, vendor lock-in
• What They Need: Redline-friendly contract, data processing addendum, standard terms
• Engagement: Qualify if Legal/Procurement involved. Provide contract early if yes.
• Risk: Can delay close by 2-4 weeks if not engaged early.

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Buying Committee Summary

Stakeholder	Role Type	Influence	Status	Risk
Lisa Chen (VP Marketing)	Champion	High	Engaged	Low
[CFO Name]	Economic Buyer	Very High	Not engaged	CRITICAL
[CTO/VP IT Name]	Technical Approver	Very High	Not engaged	CRITICAL
[InfoSec Lead]	Security Gatekeeper	Med-High	Not engaged	HIGH
[CMO] (if applicable)	Executive Sponsor	High	Unknown	Medium
[Marketing Ops Manager]	Technical Evaluator	Medium	Not engaged	Medium
[Demand Gen Manager]	End User Influencer	Medium	Not engaged	Low-Med
[Legal/Procurement]	Contract Gatekeeper	Medium	Not engaged	Medium

Single-Threading Assessment: CRITICAL RISK - Only engaged with 1 of 8-10 stakeholders. Missing economic buyer (CFO) and technical approver (IT).

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Risk Assessment & Mitigation

CRITICAL RISKS

1. CFO Not Engaged - DEAL KILLER

• Risk: Lisa likely does NOT have $150K approval authority at 250-employee company
• Impact: Deal cannot close without CFO approval
• Mitigation:
  • Ask Lisa TODAY: “Do you have $150K budget authority, or does this need CFO approval?”
  • If CFO approval required, request introduction immediately
  • Prepare ROI business case with 6-12 month payback

2. IT/CTO Not Engaged - DEAL KILLER

• Risk: Marketing automation requires CRM integration, data access, IT resources
• Impact: IT can veto on security, integration complexity, or resource grounds
• Mitigation:
  • Ask Lisa: “Does IT evaluate marketing tools? Who leads technical reviews?”
  • Request IT technical review meeting within 1-2 weeks
  • Proactively provide architecture diagrams, API docs, security certifications

3. Single-Threaded with Champion Only

• Risk: If Lisa leaves, gets promoted, or loses internal support, deal dies
• Impact: No other stakeholder engaged; no air cover
• Mitigation: Multi-thread immediately (see strategy below)

HIGH RISKS

4. IT Security Not Engaged

• Risk: Security can kill deals 80% through process
• Impact: 2-4 week delay minimum; possible deal death
• Mitigation: Proactively send SOC 2 Type II, security questionnaire, offer security call

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Multi-Threading Strategy

Phase 1 (This Week): Qualify & Strengthen Champion

With Lisa Chen (Champion):

• Map buying process: “Lisa, for a $150K platform, what’s the approval process? Do you have budget authority, or does this need CFO sign-off?”
• Surface hidden stakeholders:
  • “Does IT evaluate marketing tools before purchase?”
  • “Does InfoSec review vendor security?”
  • “Is there a procurement or legal team that reviews contracts?”
  • “Who else has veto power or needs to approve?”
• Provide internal selling tools:
  • Executive one-pager (ROI-focused for CFO)
  • Technical overview (architecture for IT)
  • Security summary (SOC 2, compliance for InfoSec)
  • ROI calculator showing cost savings / efficiency gains

Questions to Ask Lisa:

1. “Walk me through the last software purchase your team made. Who was involved?”
2. “If we move forward, who needs to say ‘yes’ before you can sign?”
3. “Who could say ‘no’ and kill this deal?”
4. “Is this in your approved budget, or does it need CFO approval?”
5. “How does IT typically get involved in marketing tool purchases?”

Phase 2 (Weeks 2-3): Engage Critical Approvers

PRIORITY 1: CFO Meeting (If Required)

• How to Get Meeting: Ask Lisa to introduce: “Lisa, can you intro me to [CFO Name] for a 20-min ROI discussion? I can present the business case.”
• Meeting Format: 20-30 min ROI presentation
• What to Position:
  • Business case: Marketing efficiency gains, lead quality improvement, revenue impact
  • ROI: X hours/week saved × $Y/hour = $Z annual savings. Payback in 6-12 months.
• What to Achieve:
  • Understand CFO’s approval criteria
  • Address budget/ROI concerns
  • Secure conditional approval (pending IT/security)

PRIORITY 2: CTO/VP IT Meeting

• How to Get Meeting: Ask Lisa: “Can you connect me with [IT Lead] for a 30-min technical review?”
• Meeting Format: Technical architecture discussion
• What to Position:
  • Low IT burden: SaaS platform, no on-prem infrastructure
  • Standard integrations: Pre-built connectors for Salesforce/HubSpot/common CRMs
  • Security: SOC 2 Type II, GDPR compliant, annual pen tests
• What to Achieve:
  • Technical fit validation
  • Integration plan agreement
  • Identify security review requirements

Phase 3 (Weeks 3-4): Engage Influencers & End Users

Marketing Operations Manager

• Format: 60-min technical deep dive and product demo
• What to Position: Integration with existing stack, data migration plan, hands-on campaign automation
• What to Achieve: Build secondary champion; validate technical fit

Demand Generation Manager

• Format: Use case-specific demo
• What to Position: Faster campaign execution, better A/B testing, lead scoring
• What to Achieve: End user buy-in; reduce adoption resistance

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Stakeholder Messaging Guide

To CFO (Economic Buyer)

• “Marketing currently spends 15 hours/week on manual campaign tasks. At $75/hour loaded cost, that’s $58K/year wasted on manual work.”
• “Our customers see 40% improvement in lead conversion through better lead scoring and nurturing.”
• “6-month payback period. After Year 1, this platform pays for itself through efficiency gains alone.”

To CTO/VP IT (Technical Approver)

• “How does this fit your marketing technology strategy?”
• “Our platform is fully cloud-based SaaS - zero on-prem infrastructure. Pre-built integrations with Salesforce, HubSpot, and major CRMs.”
• “We have SOC 2 Type II, GDPR compliance, annual penetration testing.”

To IT Security (Security Gatekeeper)

• “We understand security is critical. We have SOC 2 Type II certification - let’s address security concerns upfront.”
• “Here’s our security documentation: SOC 2 report, pen test results, data processing agreement.”

To Champion (Lisa Chen)

• “Lisa, here’s what I need your help with: mapping the approval process and getting me in front of [CFO/IT].”
• “I’ve created these internal selling tools for you: executive one-pager, ROI calculator, technical overview.”

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Next Steps Checklist

THIS WEEK (Days 1-3): CRITICAL

• Qualify Lisa’s authority: “Do you have $150K approval authority, or does this need CFO/executive approval?”
• Map buying process: “Who needs to say yes? Who can say no? What’s the approval process?”
• Surface IT involvement: “Does IT evaluate marketing tools? Who leads technical reviews?”
• Identify security review: “Does InfoSec review vendor security? What’s that process?”
• Create internal selling tools: CFO-ready business case, IT-ready technical overview, one-page executive summary

WEEKS 2-3: ENGAGE CRITICAL APPROVERS

• CFO meeting (if required): 20-30 min ROI discussion - CRITICAL
• CTO/VP IT meeting: 30-min technical architecture review - CRITICAL
• IT Security review: Security questionnaire + documentation - HIGH PRIORITY
• Provide proactive documentation: SOC 2 Type II report, integration architecture diagrams

WEEKS 3-4: ENGAGE INFLUENCERS

• Marketing Ops technical demo: 60-min deep dive on integrations and workflows
• Demand Gen use case demo: Campaign automation use cases
• Build secondary champions: Marketing Ops and Demand Gen buy-in

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8-10 stakeholders identified (pattern-based), 3 critical gaps (CFO, IT, Security), phased multi-threading engagement plan provided

Research Methodology Note: Limited public information available for SalesTech Inc. This stakeholder map is based on typical buying committee patterns for 250-employee companies evaluating $150K marketing automation platforms. Validate organizational structure, reporting relationships, and approval authorities with Lisa Chen before executing engagement strategy.