Stakeholder map template
A stakeholder map lists everyone involved in a buying decision, what part they play in it, what they care about and where they stand on you. It shows at a glance whether you're single-threaded through one friendly contact or have the people who can actually say yes.
- Who owns it
- The AE keeps it current. The SC and anyone else on the deal add what they learn.
- When to use it
- As soon as more than one person at the buyer is involved
- Before every forecast call on a deal you're committing
- When a contact goes quiet or changes job
The template
| Person | Role in the decision | Cares about | Stance | Owned by |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marcus, Head of Operations | Champion | Hours back for the depot teams before peak | Supporter | Sam (AE) |
| Helen Park, CFO | Economic buyer, signs | Payback inside 12 months | Neutral | Your VP Sales |
| Raj, IT Lead | Technical evaluator | No new integrations to maintain | Neutral | Your SC |
| Northwind legal | Approver | Liability cap and data processing terms | Unknown | Sam |
| Procurement | Gatekeeper | Supplier set-up and three quotes | Unknown | Sam |
| Depot managers | Users | Fewer steps per parcel | Supporter | Your SC |
Northwind and the people in it are made up.
What good looks like
- The person who signs is on it by name, and someone on your side owns them
- Every stance has evidence behind it, not a hunch
- You know what each person cares about in their words, not your product's
- Unknowns are marked unknown, then turned into tasks on the close plan
In a Deal Room
In a Deal Room the map fills itself in as people open the room: who visited, from which team, and who forwarded it. Each person can be posted something of their own, a plaque for the champion or a printed business case for the CFO, and their scans show up on the map.