Contact Roles in Sales
Most sales involve multiple stakeholders. ISO Mate lets you link contacts to any lead, opportunity, or deal with a specific role, so your team always knows who is involved and what part they play in the decision.
Available Roles
Each contact linked to a sales record is assigned one of five roles:
- Decision Maker: The person with final authority to approve or reject the purchase.
- Influencer: Someone who shapes the decision through recommendations or opinions.
- Technical Evaluator: The person assessing whether your product meets technical requirements.
- End User: The person who will use the product or service day to day.
- Other: Any other stakeholder who does not fit the above categories.
Linking a Contact to a Sales Record
- Open a lead, opportunity, or deal detail page.
- Scroll to the Contacts section.
- Click the + button to add a contact.
- Search for an existing contact by name or email, or create a new contact.
- Select the role from the dropdown (Decision Maker, Influencer, Technical Evaluator, End User, or Other).
- Click Link to save.
When you create a lead, opportunity, or deal with a primary contact, that contact is automatically linked with the appropriate role.
Viewing Linked Contacts
The Contacts section on any sales record detail page shows all linked contacts with their name, email, company, and assigned role. This gives you a quick overview of the stakeholders involved.
Removing a Contact Link
Click the unlink icon next to any contact in the Contacts section to remove the association. This does not delete the contact record itself; it only removes the link to the sales record.
Activity Tracking
When a contact is linked or unlinked, the action is logged in the sales record’s activity timeline. This provides a complete history of stakeholder changes throughout the sales process.
Contact Roles Across Conversions
When you convert a lead to an opportunity or an opportunity to a deal, the contact associations are visible on the original record. You can link additional contacts to the new record as the deal progresses and new stakeholders become involved.
Best Practices
- Identify the Decision Maker early. Knowing who has final authority helps you tailor your approach.
- Link Technical Evaluators before demos or proof-of-concept stages so your team knows who to prepare for.
- Use the Influencer role for champions within the prospect’s organization who advocate for your product.
- Review contact roles when a deal stalls. Missing a key stakeholder is a common reason deals lose momentum.