People are afraid. And rightfully so.
Every decision now needs to be justified with data, and it’s easier than ever to get called out for a bad one. Because of this, people are less likely to make decisions alone, and understandably, every big decision now pulls more people into the room.
I’ve seen this shift firsthand over years of experience. You no longer need to convince one person. You need to convince a room, and most of that room you’ve probably never met, and probably never will.
Which brings me to this point: don’t get overexcited when one person tells you their organization needs your service. Far too often, salespeople hear that remark and start envisioning the signed contract without considering the gauntlet of questions, concerns, and competing priorities that will slow momentum.
Is that discouraging? It can be, if you let it.
My take: accept it, and build your strategy around further equipping your advocate.
Who is the advocate?
They’re the person who pulled you into the conversation. The one you met at the conference, or the one who finally reached out after you’d been trying to connect for months. They believe you can help them. They’re bought in.
But here’s the catch: you can’t rely on their representation alone to get you to the finish line. You need to help them help you.
Give them insurance, not homework.
Your advocate needs to pass along confidence. A confidence that your team is the right one to take care of their organization’s needs, and that making this change isn’t a risk.
That means arming them with resources they’ll feel comfortable forwarding to their teammates. And those resources need to be quick-hitting. Not a ten-page white paper. Not anything that feels like extra work to consume.
Here’s what that looks like in practice:
- Comparison/one-pager snapshots: A single visual page showing before/after or “with us vs. without us.” Something a stakeholder can screenshot into a Slack thread without explanation.
- 60-90 second explainer videos: Short, no-fluff videos addressing one specific objection or benefit (“Here’s how implementation actually works” or “Here’s the ROI in plain numbers”). When you send it, tell your advocate to lead with “it’s only 60 seconds” — that framing alone increases the odds it gets watched.
- ROI calculator snapshot: A simple graphic or short interactive tool showing numbers specific to their situation, not generic case study math.
- “Answers to the 5 questions your CFO will ask” one-pager: Preempts the objections advocates know are coming from people they haven’t looped in yet.
- Customer proof in 30 seconds: A short client testimonial clip or a 3-bullet case study summary. Your advocate wants proof they can drop in a message, not a document someone has to schedule time to read.
- Internal FAQ doc, written for them to share: Give your advocate the language, not just the content. Frame how to address the specific hesitations their teammates will likely have, so forwarding it feels natural instead of like a sales pitch.
None of this works if it feels like extra effort. Create content that’s fast to digest, easy to understand, and builds confidence that your approach will help them hit their goals.
Your advocates want to work with you. Make it easy for them to bring their team along.
