Understanding Contact Types in Sales: The Strategic Insight That’s Changing How B2B Deals Are Closed

In today’s B2B landscape, sales success isn’t just about finding the right prospect — it’s about speaking to them the right way, at the right time, with the right message.

That’s why more sales professionals are shifting their approach from the traditional “find the decision-maker and pitch hard” strategy. Instead, they’re learning to recognize the critical differences between contact types inside the buying committee — a concept that’s reshaping how deals are structured and won.

One article that’s gaining attention in high-performing sales circles digs into this exact strategy. It outlines how misidentifying contact types can quietly kill otherwise promising deals — often without the seller ever knowing why.

📖 Read it here:

👉 Ashkan Rajaee: The Sales Mistake That Kills Big Deals

Why Contact Types Matter More Than You Think

In any complex deal, you’re rarely speaking to just one person. You might have the decision-maker on the thread, sure — but alongside them are influencers, researchers, and financial signatories. Each has a completely different lens on your offer.

Let’s break it down:

• Decision-makers care about outcomes and risk
• Influencers care about ease of execution and political safety
• Signatories care about numbers, budget, and compliance
• Researchers care about deep data and factual integrity

If your pitch is designed for one and ends up in front of another, you could accidentally sabotage your own momentum. And that’s where the real sales loss happens — not in the price or the product, but in misaligned communication.

A Smarter Sales Playbook

The author of the original piece, Ashkan Rajaee, offers a compelling breakdown of how to navigate this challenge. His method? Create workflows and messaging that account for multiple contact types simultaneously — especially when they’re all CC’d on the same email.

This isn’t about personalization fluff. It’s about strategic communication architecture that adapts to internal dynamics — and it works.

Check out the full article and see how this insight might apply to your own sales process:

🔗 Read the full piece on Substack

Final Thought

In a sales world driven by speed, volume, and automation, it’s refreshing to see strategies that bring depth and precision back into focus.

Knowing who you're speaking to isn't optional anymore. It’s a competitive advantage.