The One Sales Question That Gets You Access to Real Decision Makers

Jul 09, 2025

You’re in a great conversation.

The contact is sharp. They like what you’re offering. You feel aligned.

But every time you push the deal forward… it stalls.

Why?

Because you’re not in the room with the people who matter.

You’re stuck behind a gatekeeper. Or a solo champion. Or a “let me run this by my boss” situation.

Chris Jennings says it like it is:

“If your proposal is getting passed up the chain without you, odds are it’s not coming back signed.”

The problem isn’t the contact. It’s the access.

And getting past that bottleneck starts with one simple question.

First—Why Most People Ask the Wrong Way

Here’s what most sellers say when they want to get to decision makers:

“Are you the decision maker?”

“Can I talk to someone in charge?”

“Who approves this on your end?”

Please don’t do this.

It sounds aggressive. It puts people on the defensive.

And it guarantees one of two things:

They lie to protect their ego (“Yes, I’m the decision maker”)
They shut you out altogether

Instead, use what we teach in Conversations Made Easy—a calm, honest, collaborative tone that opens the door without forcing it.

The Question That Changes Everything

Here’s the move:

“Hey, just so I’m not missing anything—who else has an opinion on this that we should be including?”

Let that sit.

It’s not confrontational. It doesn’t challenge their authority.

It invites them into a leadership conversation about what success looks like.

That’s how you go from vendor to trusted partner.

Chris calls this Understanding Who Cares—and it’s a game-changer.

Why This Question Works

This one question gives your contact space to reflect on:

Who needs to feel bought in
Who could say no later
Who might cause friction if left out

And it lets them be the one to initiate the next steps—not you.

Other great versions of this:

“Anybody else likely to cause trouble if we don’t include them early?”
“If we move forward, who’s impacted day-to-day that we haven’t spoken to yet?”
“Anybody else’s feedback going to come back around later if we don’t loop them in now?”

These don’t sound like sales tactics. They sound like leadership.

Because they are.

What Happens Next

Once you ask the right question, your contact will do one of two things:

Offer a name (ideal): “Yeah, actually, you should probably talk to our ops lead.”
Get honest: “To be real, this is probably going to hit resistance from [person/team].”

Either way, you win.

Because now you know who else needs to be included—and you’re not waiting around hoping someone else does your job for you.

The Bottom Line

If you’re doing all the work and still not closing deals, chances are you’re missing voices that matter.

Don’t push your way past the gatekeeper.

Lead your way in with the right question.

Inside Conversations Made Easy, you’ll learn how to:

Ask non-threatening questions that get you access
Understand how internal teams actually make decisions
Build conversations that include everyone who needs to be there

Enroll now and stop hoping your contact “sells it internally.”

Start leading conversations that actually include the people who can say yes.