Overview
This guide shows you how to create detailed Buying Committee configurations in Sona that identify key stakeholders involved in purchasing decisions within target accounts. You will learn to define specific job titles, conditions, and attributes to automatically identify committee members for targeted engagement. With this guide, you will be able to confidently target the multiple stakeholders who influence and make buying decisions in account-based sales strategies.
When to use Buying Committee
When you need to identify multiple stakeholders involved in purchasing decisions.
When implementing account-based marketing and sales strategies.
When you want to engage entire buying committees rather than individual contacts.
When setting up automated identification of decision-makers and influencers across departments.
When you need to map the complete buying process within target accounts.
Prerequisites:
Admin or manager access to your account.
An understanding of your typical buying committee structure and decision-making process.
Knowledge of the various roles and departments involved in purchasing your product or service.
Familiarity with job titles and hierarchies within your target market.
Step 1: access the Buying Committee tab
From the Scoring page, navigate to the Buying Committee tab.
You will see the heading "Build your Buying Committee" with an info icon (ⓘ).
Click the info icon for guidance on defining buying committee attributes.
Step 2: understand the buying committee concept
A buying committee unites stakeholders from various departments to evaluate purchases.
With account-based strategies, you can automatically identify committee members for targeted engagement.
This differs from individual persona targeting by focusing on group decision-making dynamics.
Step 3: define committee member titles
Under the Buying Committee Attributes section, you will see the TITLE field.
Click + Add to create new committee member criteria.
In the condition builder, select your parameters: When the (choose the condition type, such as "Title"), contains (select the matching criteria), and enter the specific job title or role, for example "Account manager".
Step 4: build multiple committee roles
Add multiple committee member types by clicking + Add for each role. Consider including various stakeholders such as:
Decision-makers: C-level executives, VPs, Directors.
Influencers: department heads, senior managers.
Users: end-users who will use your product or service.
Technical evaluators: IT professionals, technical leads.
Budget holders: finance, procurement.
Step 5: save your buying committee configuration
Click the Save button to preserve your settings.
Your buying committee configuration is now ready to identify stakeholders automatically.
The system will use these criteria to flag relevant contacts within target accounts.
Key concepts and best practices
Understanding buying committee dynamics:
Multi-Stakeholder Decisions: B2B purchases typically involve 6 to 10 stakeholders from various departments.
Different Roles, Different Needs: each committee member has unique concerns and evaluation criteria.
Consensus Building: successful sales require addressing the needs of the entire committee, not just one decision-maker.
Effective committee configuration:
Include Diverse Roles: cover decision-makers, influencers, users, and technical evaluators.
Consider Department Representation: ensure key departments are represented in your targeting.
Balance Specificity: specific enough to identify relevant roles, broad enough to capture committee diversity.
Account for Title Variations: include synonyms and variations for the same functional role.
FAQs
What is a Buying Committee configuration in Sona?
What is a Buying Committee configuration in Sona?
A Buying Committee configuration defines the job titles and conditions that automatically identify stakeholders involved in a purchasing decision within a target account, such as decision-makers, influencers, users, technical evaluators, and budget holders. Sona uses these criteria to flag relevant contacts automatically.
How is a Buying Committee different from a Persona?
How is a Buying Committee different from a Persona?
A Persona targets one specific type of individual buyer. A Buying Committee targets the full group of stakeholders across departments, such as decision-makers, influencers, and technical evaluators, who collectively participate in a B2B purchase, since most purchases are not made by a single person.
How many stakeholders should I typically account for?
How many stakeholders should I typically account for?
B2B purchases typically involve 6 to 10 stakeholders across departments. Cover a diverse mix of roles, decision-makers, influencers, users, technical evaluators, and budget holders, and include title variations and synonyms so your configuration captures everyone in the committee.