How many people are involved in a B2B buying decision?
On average, 13 people inside a company are involved in a B2B buying decision, Forrester found in its State of Business Buying, 2024.1 Most reach past one team: 89% of purchases involve two or more departments.1
So the person on your first call can't speak for the whole group. Someone in another department sees the problem from their side, and may have a say you haven't heard about yet.
How often do B2B purchases stall?
86% of B2B purchases stall at some point in the buying process, and 81% of buyers are dissatisfied with the provider they chose, Forrester found.1
Here is one way a stall can start on the first call. The rep learns the problem from one person, agrees to a pilot, and never meets the person who signs. Their next email goes unanswered.
Before you agree to a pilot, find out what the problem costs and who has to say yes. Read how to qualify a POC before you agree to run it.
What should you ask about the people who aren't on the call?
Ask about the group the same way you ask about the problem: one open question, built on something the buyer just told you.
| What to find out | A question to ask | |
|---|---|---|
| Who feels it | Who else lives with the problem | "You mentioned the plant managers get paid late. Who else hears about it when that happens?" |
| Who signs | Whose yes the purchase needs | "You mentioned this needs approval before next quarter. Whose approval does it go through?" |
| Who could slow it | Another department with its own concerns | "You mentioned IT owns the data pipeline. What would IT need to see before they back a change?" |
| What they need | What each person will want from the next call | "You mentioned finance tracks the late payments. What would finance want to see on the next call?" |
Skip the question that offers two answers
Is it you or your boss who signs off on this?It hands them two answers to pick from and puts them on the spot. You learn one name at best.
You mentioned finance reviews anything over budget. What will they want to see before they say yes?It uses their own fact, and it tells you what finance cares about before you meet them.
The MEDDPICC letters for this are the economic buyer, the decision process and the champion. Read MEDDPICC, with questions for each letter.
How do you keep track of everyone you hear about?
Names come up fast on a first call, usually in passing. Veracity's live notes fill in while you talk, and Stakeholders is one of the sections, beside Summary, MEDDPICC, Facts, Open questions, Objections and Tasks. MEDDPICC shows up in the live notes, the recap and the rating.
On the next call with the same company, your earlier calls feed the opening question, the questions and the answers. You can edit that brief or switch it off. See how live notes work, or how your last call with the account carries into this one.
What should you do on your first call with a new account?
- Ask who else feels it. 13 people are involved in the average buying decision, and the person you're talking to can name some of them.1
- Ask about the other departments. 89% of purchases involve two or more, so ask which team the change would touch next.1
- Learn who signs before you plan a pilot. With 86% of purchases stalling, know whose yes you need before you agree to the next step.1
- Book the next call with the next person. Leave with a time, and the name of someone from the group who will join.
- Write the names down as you hear them. Every name you catch on the first call is one you won't have to ask for again.
Where every number comes from
Each figure is quoted the way its publisher states it. The source was checked on October 29, 2026.
- 1Forrester. "Forrester: To Master B2B Buying Mayhem, Providers Must Prioritize Buyers' Needs." Press release on The State Of Business Buying, 2024. December 4, 2024. forrester.comUsed for: 13 people, 89% two or more departments, 86% stall, 81% dissatisfied.