economic-buyer-identification
Economic Buyer Identification
The economic buyer (EB) is the person who can say yes to spending the money. Not the person who evaluates the tool. Not the person who uses it daily. The person with the authority and the budget to approve the purchase. In MEDDPICC, this is the "E." It's also the most commonly misidentified role in B2B sales. Reps think they've found the EB because the person on the call has a VP title. But "VP" at a 30-person startup is different from "VP" at a 3,000-person company. Authority comes from budget control, not from the org chart.
The principle: the EB is identified by what they can DO (approve spend), not by who they ARE (their title). A Director with discretionary budget is a more real EB than a VP who needs C-suite sign-off. Test authority by asking about the approval process, not by reading the title.
How to Identify the Economic Buyer
The 3 identification methods
Method 1: Ask the champion directly
| Question | What it reveals |
|---|---|
| "If your team decided to move forward, who would sign off on the budget?" | The person with final approval authority |
| "Who approved the last tool purchase in this price range?" | The actual EB from a real precedent (most reliable) |
| "Is there a spending threshold above which someone else needs to approve?" | Whether your deal exceeds the contact's authority |
| "Does this come from your team's budget, or does it need separate allocation?" | Whether budget exists or needs to be created |