Winning the Deal – Relational Strategy is Really 3D Chess

Winning the Deal – Relational Strategy = 3D Chess

When I recently wrote about becoming an “enterprise sales grand master,” I talked about how sales isn’t a simple, rule-based game. David Epstein’s *Range* uses the concept of "kind" versus "wicked" environments—a perfect way to describe the messy reality we face. Enterprise sales lives firmly in the “wicked” category. It’s unpredictable, complicated, and packed with variables you’ll only spot if you’re really looking.

This reminds me of a major account planning session with a global manufacturer selling a big-ticket system to a national airline. We started planning by mapping out the company’s org chart, figuring out the key players inside the airline. But because the airline was state-owned, it didn’t stop there. The real power to make a decision sat with a government ministry. And to make things even more interesting, that ministry was influenced by political party officials outside the company and the government. So, the team chased those threads too—tracking down the relevant party contacts who could sway the entire deal. By the end, our org chart was a 3D spiderweb.

That’s the reality of relational strategy for large deals. The usual two dimensions—function and level—aren’t enough. 

Relational Strategy: Three Dimensions, not Two

Most sellers put names in boxes, mapping two dimensions: across the organization to capture functions (finance, operations, marketing, sales), and up and down (C-suite, director, manager, specialist). That’s often very helpful, but it’s only part of the picture. The third (and often game-changing) dimension is all the people outside the official chart: partners, consultants, board members, regulators, and internal people in the organization with special influence that are outside the chain of command. Sometimes these folks never show up in sales meetings but  have outsized impact on the outcome. If you aren’t mapping them, you’re missing how the decision is made.

Bringing Your 3D Map to Life
Here’s how you can put this thinking into practice:

• Map function and level, but keep asking: “Who’s missing from this chart?”

• Push to identify external and informal influencers. Ask your champions direct questions about who else might shape the decision, even indirectly.

• Use your network. Who do you know that knows someone in the account? Industry events, LinkedIn, and customer references are keys here.

• Treat your map as a living document. Update it as alliances shift, teams reorganize, or new outside players appear.
  

If sales was a flat board game, we’d all have a lot fewer headaches. But it’s not. The biggest, most important wins come from seeing the extra dimensions—and getting ahead of them, before they blindside you.

I’ll dig into the other dimension of Winning the Deal—solution strategy, value strategy, and competitive strategy—in upcoming posts. Start by building the 3D map for your top deal. It will turn up new insights and give you an edge.