The Power Matrix: Mapping Who Really Decides
Every significant B2B purchase is shaped by more people than the salesperson ever meets. Some sign the contract, some recommend, some can quietly veto, and many simply have to live with the result. The Power Matrix puts that network on a single page.
It forces a salesperson to answer three questions about every major opportunity: Who can influence this decision? How much power does each of them really have? How well do we know them? A salesperson who can complete the Power Matrix for every account will be phenomenally successful. One who can’t will find that the empty cells show exactly where the deal is exposed.
This overview explains how the matrix is structured, how to build one, and how a sales leader can use it to judge the real health of the team’s largest opportunities.
An influence chart, not an organizational chart
The Power Matrix maps who influences one specific purchasing decision. It does not map who reports to whom. That single distinction drives everything else about the tool.
Two people on the same row may hold different titles, report to different executives, and work in different parts of the company. They’re on the same row because they carry roughly the same weight in this decision. Likewise, someone placed above another in a column does not need to be that person’s boss. They need to respect each other’s opinions.
Titles are a poor guide to power. A title often reflects tenure rather than influence, and a sharp Director can carry as much weight as a Vice President, especially across departments of very different sizes. Build the matrix by watching how people react to one another, whose opinion others seek, and whose objections stop a conversation.
Two versions, sized to the opportunity
The matrix comes in two sizes. The larger one requires far more research and relationship-building, so the deal must justify the effort.
| Characteristic | Small Power Matrix | Large Power Matrix |
| Grid | 3 × 3 | 5 × 5 |
| People identified | 9 | 25 |
| Departments | 3 | 5 |
| Influence levels | 3 | 5 |
| Typical deal size | Below roughly 5–10% of annual quota | Above roughly 10% of annual quota |
| Center cell | Primary Coach | Primary Coach |
The quota cutoff is a guideline, not a rule. Adjust it for your product and industry. As a sanity check, a salesperson with a reasonable win rate should rarely need more than about 10 Large Power Matrix analyses in a year. If someone is building 20 or more, the threshold is set too low, and they are spending large-deal effort on small deals.
Read the rest of the article…
