How to Connect With Hidden Buyers

This (true) story from a seller is something I call “The Hidden Stakeholder Trap” He had a great meeting with a C-suite exec who was a perfect fit: 1- Clear pain points 2- Budget confirmed 3- Verbal yes. Everything pointed towards a strong close. The only red flag was at the end of the call the buyer said, “I just need final approval from our board.” After that communication slowed, meetings got rescheduled, and pretty soon, he lost all contact. ^ That’s the hidden stakeholder trap. He assumed (like many sellers do) that because he was talking to someone with a C in their title, they’re the ultimate decision maker. But access doesn’t guarantee progress. Even the C-suite rarely buys in isolation. They have boards, users, and other departments influencing the decision. So here’s a six-step process to help you avoid falling into the same trap that this seller did: 1. Go for outcome first Start with the outcome and actually try to DISqualify them early. Ask questions like, “Why wouldn’t this work?” or “Who might push back on this internally?” Healthy friction helps reveal who really owns the goal. 2. Map the obvious Don’t assume that a C-title means they sign the checks. Are they the end user? Do they report to a board? Get visibility into the structure before you assume you’ve reached power. 3. Uncover what’s hidden What hasn’t surfaced yet? Are there departments or users who’ll be impacted but haven’t been involved? Loop them in early so there are no surprises later. 4. Read the power Figure out the real path to budget release and approval. If there’s a board or another layer, identify it early. It’s better to discover it in week one than in week twelve when you’re forecasting the deal. 5. Match their message Adapt your language to who you’re speaking with. If it’s a CFO, focus on numbers. If it’s a CEO, focus on overall business impact. If it’s end users, focus on day-to-day value. 6. Keep the mutual in your mutual action plan Don’t force your buyers through your internal process. Work alongside them, step by step, building a shared plan that fits their buying process. That’s how you keep deals aligned and on track. When you do this well you’re not just selling, you’re guiding. And that’s how you stay out of the hidden stakeholder trap.

You might think that if your content doesn’t get many likes, it doesn’t matter. But according to the newly released report from LinkedIn and Edelman, the people who aren’t engaging publicly with your posts might just be the ones with the most power to affect your business behind the scenes. They’re called “hidden buyers,” and they’re not your typical lead. These are internal influencers, think legal, compliance, finance, and operations execs, who may not hold the final pen, but often hold the unofficial veto. Here’s what stood out from the report: 💡 63% of hidden buyers spend over an hour a week consuming thought leadership. Just like target buyers, they’re doing their research. Quietly. 💡 95% of them say high-quality thought leadership makes them more receptive to outreach. 💡 71% trust thought leadership more than traditional marketing when evaluating capabilities. 💡 79% will advocate for you in the RFP process if you consistently produce great content. 💡 And 91% say quality thought leadership helps them uncover challenges they didn’t even know they had. So what does this mean for the HNW life insurance space, especially for those who serve a complex web of clients, attorneys, CPAs, RIAs, and family office teams? 👉 It means that just because you're not seeing visible engagement on LinkedIn, it doesn’t mean your content isn’t doing its job. Your audience might not clap, but they’re watching. 👉 It means that the advisor who’s never commented is the one telling the principal you’re the best-kept secret in the market. 👉 And it means that if you’re not investing in thought leadership (posts, videos, webinars, or even sharp one-pagers) you’re missing the opportunity to influence exactly the kinds of people who make (or break) deals. Bottom line: If you're in a trust-based, long-cycle business like HNW life insurance, you're not marketing for likes, you're marketing for influence. And sometimes the most important buyers are the ones you never see. #ThoughtLeadership #LifeInsuranceMarketing #HNWClients #LinkedInStrategy #InvisibleInfluence

The new "cheat code" for sellers I was having a conversation with Kerry Cunningham on Linkedin when he made the comment “connection made via social is a 'cheat code' for sellers” and he is right There’s a strange paradox unfolding in B2B buying Buying groups are forming opinions and making decisions far earlier than ever before, long before they’re willing to sit through a pitch And when they do finally agree to a pitch? It’s no longer about evaluating options It’s about validating the choice they’ve already made In other words: By the time sellers show up, the real selling is already over That’s why the smartest, highest-performing sellers have stopped trying to fight this shift Instead, they’ve embraced a new cheat code, one that works precisely because it doesn’t look like selling at all Social Connection: The New Advantage Sellers Don’t Talk About Enough There’s a huge opportunity hidden in plain sight: connection made through social Not the superficial connection of liking someone’s post or dropping a “great insights!” comment, but the deeper connection that comes from being consistently present, relevant, and useful in someone’s professional world When you show up this way, when you help buyers make sense of their roles, challenges, opportunities, and trends, you become part of their thinking before they ever enter a buying cycle You influence quietly, consistently, and without agenda And here’s the irony: Your influence grows fastest when you’re not trying to sell Buyers don’t want pitches early in the journey But they do want help navigating uncertainty They do want ideas that change how they frame a problem They do want clarity in a noisy market Show up like that and you become something no sales pitch can ever replicate: trusted What Meaningful Contribution Really Looks Like This is where many sellers misunderstand the assignment Meaningful contribution is not talking about your product It’s not posting your latest feature release It’s not explaining why your solution is "the leading" anything That’s noise, and buyers have infinite sources of noise already Meaningful contribution is when you help buyers: think differently see something they missed understand a shift happening in their world avoid a trap others fall into benchmark themselves against best practices uncover problems earlier gain confidence in their next step You don’t need a pitch to do any of that You need presence, insight, and generosity Do those consistently…and you’ll be influencing buying decisions long before you even know there is a buying decision happening The question is: were you part of shaping it? In today’s market, the sellers who influence upstream are the sellers who win #Sales #Marketing #SocialSelling #Leadership #Speaker

Most people play the job hunt like a lottery. They wait for a posting, click Apply, and hope. The real power players? They operate before the game even starts. Here’s how you tap into the hidden job market, those 70–80% of opportunities that never reach broader public. 1️⃣ Get Clear on What You Actually Want The hidden market only reveals itself to those who are specific. “Something in leadership or strategy” is not a magnet. It’s fog. Write down: What kind of impact do you want to have? Which industries, company sizes, and challenges excite you? What problems do you solve that make people’s lives easier, faster, better, or safer? You need language that others can repeat when they talk about you. 2️⃣ Map the Landscape of Decision-Makers Forget HR. Go straight to the people who feel the pain you can solve. For example: if you’re a CX leader, find Heads of Marketing, Operations, or Transformation. Create a short list of 20–30 people who would benefit from what you do, even if there’s no opening yet. 3️⃣ Turn Visibility into Value Don’t “network.” Contribute. Comment intelligently on their posts, share their wins, add insights from your field. Show up as a peer, not a fan. Within weeks, your name becomes familiar — and familiarity builds trust faster than credentials. 4️⃣ Start Micro-Conversations Send short, human messages: “I loved your post about [X]. I’ve seen something similar in [Y]. Would love to exchange thoughts.” “Your team seems to be tackling [problem]. I’ve worked with similar challenges — happy to share what worked.” You’re not asking for a job. You’re building professional curiosity. That’s the currency of the hidden market. 5️⃣ Offer Insight, Not a CV When you get a chat or call, show up like a consultant. Ask sharp, insight-rich questions. Frame your achievements as solutions to their pain points. They’ll remember you as “the person who got it” — not “the person looking for a job.” 6️⃣ Stay Top of Mind (Gracefully) After every connection, send value: an article, a reflection, or a short note. People don’t hire talent they barely remember. They hire the one who made them think differently months before the role opened. 7️⃣ Connect the Dots Backwards Every conversation expands your map. Ask: “Who else would find this valuable?” Referrals multiply your reach quietly — and that’s how opportunities find you. The hidden job market isn’t a secret club. It’s a network of problems waiting for people brave enough to name and solve them early. Stop waiting to be discovered. Start building the conversations where the decisions are made. Own your power. Don’t audition for it.

2/3’s of your audience is invisible to you. You can’t see them, but they see you. It’s not that you are intentionally ignoring them. You just don’t realize that they are there in plain sight. Almost 2/3’s of your audience aren’t even active engagers. They are quiet consumers. ⎣__ DISCOVERING THE QUIET CONSUMER __⎦ Here's how I discovered this "hidden audience". In the past 90 days I’ve met with 10’s of people for coffee and zooms. ➾ During our meetings, I repeatedly heard the same thing. ➾ “I love your content. XYZ post was amazing." ➾ "I love your graphics too.” ➾ To them: “Thank you, I’m so glad”. ➾ To myself… “No likes, no comments, WTH?" ➾ Over and over this happened. The same story, time and time again. And here’s the funny thing. Most of these people were asking me for advice: ➾ They saw me as having authority. ➾ All of that daily content had built trust. ➾ They saw me as knowing more than them. ➾ Someone who could help them take the next step. ➾ If not for being a direct connection, they never would have messaged me. ⎣__ UNDERSTAND THE QUIET CONSUMER __⎦ The majority of your audience are these Quiet Consumers: ➾ Many of them rarely post. ➾ They scroll, but they don’t like. ➾ They read, but they don’t comment. ➾ They are interested, but they don’t let you know. ➾ They are part of your reach, but not part of your engagement. Surprised? I was too. Until I began to see things from their side. ⎣___ SEE THE QUIET CONSUMER __⎦ I realized I was onto something. Or should I say, I realized I had been missing something. ➾ I was so obsessed with gaining followers, I missed the value of creating connections. ➾ I was throwing out bait hoping the fish would bite. I think it's called "chumming". ➾ Tossing truth bombs into the water hoping fish would come to the surface. ➾ When I should have been finding out where the fish were. ➾ And once I knew, deliberately casting my line. ➾ Intentionally creating connections. ➾ Asking people into my network. ➾ So I could now see them. ➾ And they, see me. ➾ And could talk. ➾ Directly. ⎣__ ENGAGE WITH THE QUIET CONSUMER __⎦ So every day, I reach out to the Quiet Consumers. I search and find them through... ➾ Groups. ➾ Attending events. ➾ Using LinkedIn Search. ➾ And a few other tricks too. And for every 10 that I reach out to... ➾ 6-7 accept. ➾ 50% actually thank me. ➾ I am activating relationships. And to foster our relationship... ➾ I don't sell. ➾ I provide value in the invite. ➾ I also invite them to engage. ➾ And I now appear in their feed. ➾ I engage on their posts and I DM too. ➾ And some go from Quiet Consumers to Active Engagers. While most of my audience is still hidden, everyday more of them become seen. ⎣__ YOUR QUIET CONSUMERS __⎦ 2/3’s of your audience is invisible to you. What are you going to do [today] to find & activate YOUR Quiet Consumers?

The loudest signals aren’t always the ones you need to hear. In B2B decision making, the true intent of potential customers often hides beneath the obvious questions and direct requests. On platforms like LinkedIn, subtle patterns emerge: silent observers turning into repeat viewers of your content, multiple team members quietly engaging, or hesitant stakeholders researching your presence. These quiet, often overlooked signals can be the earliest indicators that a company is moving closer to a decision. Ignoring them means missing the window to influence, align, and accelerate their buying journey. For C-level executives, the imperative is clear: build systems to track these nuanced signals and encourage your teams to actively decode patterns beyond simple engagement metrics. This means going beyond counting clicks and comments. Look for consistent, multi-layer interaction and the shift from passive to active interest. The question isn’t just whether buyers are signaling. It’s about whether you’re listening with the right sensitivity and responding with agility. Start by mapping your current engagement data for those quiet champions and silent influencers, then tailor your outreach to turn observation into dialogue. Unlocking these hidden signals will position you ahead of the competition and deepen customer relationships. How are you "reading" the signals to drive revenue growth in your business? #CustomerSignals #ExecutiveLeadership #BuyerIntent #LinkedInStrategy #B2BDecisionMaking

If selling is all about connecting with people, how do you know *which* people to connect with? In every enterprise deal, there’s an invisible network at work — a web of people, politics, and quiet power. I’ve learned (sometimes the hard way) that if you don’t understand that web, you’re flying blind. We tend to think about selling as a sequence of steps: discovery, demo, proposal, close. But big deals aren’t linear. They’re political. They’re emotional. They’re human. And that’s where influence maps come in. A Map of How Decisions are Really Made! An influence map is a living sketch of how decisions actually get made — not how the org chart says they’re made. It’s a way to see who really holds sway, who whispers in whose ear, and where quiet resistance might be hiding. When I first started mapping influence, my deals changed. I dramatically reduced time spent with “friendly” people who couldn’t move the ball and started focusing on the ones who could make big things happen. I began seeing where to make deposits into the Relationship Bank Account — small, intentional actions that build credibility with the right stakeholders. And I started coaching my teams to look for the unmapped influencers — the compliance officer, the risk manager, the behind-the-scenes advisor who can make or break a deal. Influence maps are also a mindset exercise — part of the larger game of selling. They force us to stay curious, humble, and patient. They remind us that we don’t win by charm or luck, but by clarity — by seeing the system as it really is. I just published an article that outlines: 👉 A simple six-step method to build and use influence maps 👉 A story of two deals — one won because of mapping, one lost because the mapping wasn't thorough 👉 Practical coaching advice for managers and enablement leaders 👉 A ready-to-use template to start mapping your own opportunities If you’re chasing complex enterprise deals, you cannot rely on instinct alone. Build your influence map. Bring the hidden web into the light. Because when you can see the real decision-making network, everything about your strategy gets sharper — from who you meet with next to where you invest your Relationship Bank Account deposits. I've provided a link to the full article in the comments below.

Me: What does your internal decision-making process look like? Prospect: Oh, it’s just me. The reality is, that this is never the case. Even when they are the final decision maker, they’re still consulting others. And they tell you, “it’s just me” b/c: 1. They don’t think of stakeholders as decision makers 2. They’re not involving you in internal politics 3. Or they just don’t realize who else will get pulled in later So the problem becomes obvious: 
You know there are other influencers on the deal, you just don’t know who they are. This actually happened to me recently. Here’s how I ended up identifying the other stakeholders and multi-threaded without guessing titles or firing off risky cold messages. Step 1: Assume stakeholders exist, even if you can’t see them yet If the company has (1) Multiple “Head of X” roles, (2) a non-trivial budget, or (3) any kind of approval process… there are multiple stakeholders. The worst thing you could do is guess based on titles. Its a quick way to lose trust with your main contact. (Sadly I’ve learned this the hard way) When visibility is low, step 1 isn’t outreach. It’s signal gathering. Step 2: Use behavior, not job titles, to surface influence Instead of guessing who should care, look for who actually cares. One of the cleanest ways is watching what content from your follow up gets attention. In my case it was an ROI calculator and pricing/cost-of-inaction breakdowns. When someone else besides your main point of contact is engaging with those pieces of content, that’s an evaluation signal from your hidden stakeholder. Much safer than trying to make an educated guess. Step 3: Multi-thread indirectly Once you’ve uncovered another buyer in the decision process, don’t rush to loop them in. Instead, adjust what flows through your main point of contact. In my case, that meant: 1. Doubling down on cost of inaction 2. Clearly outlining time-to-ROI expectations 3. Answering the questions a second buyer would ask, without naming them You’re essentially feeding your champion better ammo while speaking to the room you can’t see yet. When done right, the hidden stakeholder often surfaces themselves. Step 4: Let the second buyer self identify When influence is real, it surfaces naturally. Once the right questions are answered, the other stakeholder jumps in or your champion brings them along. At that point, you can multi thread without risking trust or going around your main contact. Multi-threading isn’t about blasting messages across LinkedIn. It’s about: * Allowing buyers to reveal themselves * Reading engagement instead of guessing about org charts * Communicating to unseen stakeholders without blowing up trust Tools like Aligned show you who’s engaging with what content and make this so easy, but the strategy works even without tools. Use Aligned for free: https://lnkd.in/gjMJKYN5