How to Spot the Decision-Maker at a Table

Not everyone at the table can say yes, and pitching the wrong person is how good preparation gets wasted. Larry Chiang’s PQRST starts before you ever sit down, previewing who is actually attending is part of that homework. The decision-maker is not always the person talking the most, sometimes they are the one letting everyone else talk first.

Watch where eyes go after someone makes a point, the room usually glances at the real decision-maker without meaning to. The person who asks the sharpest, most specific question is often closer to the checkbook than the person nodding along politely. Larry’s whole model is built around asking directly for the deal, and that only works if you are asking the person who can actually grant it.

If you cannot tell who holds the authority, PQRST’s question step gives you permission to just ask plainly who makes this call. The pen-drop close, setting your pen down and waiting in silence, only works if you aim it at someone with the authority to pick the pen back up.

Titles help, but they are not reliable, plenty of real decision-makers carry unofficial or outdated titles on purpose. The video below breaks down a table where the actual decision-maker was not who most people in the room would have guessed.

Spend the first few minutes reading the table, not pitching it, the pitch lands better once you know where to aim it. Find the person who can say yes, then build the rest of the conversation around them.