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Despite what many salespeople think, it is not always the person with the most senior job title, the biggest office or the largest department who holds true authority in a buying decision. In fact, it may be a mistake to rely solely on people’s job titles as a guide to who wields the authority to buy.

 Introducing the Agent of Change. The most important type of all buying roles is someone I’m going to call an Agent of Change. These are often unique individuals within their organization who can make things happen because they not only have enough seniority (which we can identify from their job title), but also possess the personality, drive, insight and motivation to achieve that positive change or improvement in their business.

 The natural leaders. Agents of Change have certain personality traits that give them this unique role. In particular, they are people who are prepared to take a calculated risk and have the personal influence to carry their agenda through. You could call them natural leaders, who do not get bogged down in too much detail, but look at the bigger, strategic picture, and are willing to make bold decisions which create change.

one minute wonder Draw a simple graph with X and Y axes. One axis represents the propensity to take risks and create change. The other represents the level of official authority. Now plot your buyers on this graph. Those in the top right hand corner will be most likely to be agents of change.

 Why are they so important? Because you can’t sell to someone who won’t change, can’t buy and doesn’t have a vision of the potential value of improving their business. And we can help give them that vision, as it relates to our product or service!

 Sometimes known as Foxes. Jim Holden of the Holden Corporation, an international sales training company, calls these strange creatures ‘Foxes’. They can sometimes be disruptive, demanding and quick to make judgements, but they have the advantage of being highly likely to actually do something positive.

Unfortunately, the vast majority of people we deal with in business are followers – content to let others take the risky decisions. Selling is about convincing someone to do something different, and it can be hard going if we only ever deal with people who want an easy life, or require proof that every decision they make carries no risk.

Look for the rare individuals who combine authority with a willingness to change.