How to Find Decision-Makers with Sales Tools

Silvio Bonomi
5 hours ago
13 min read

In B2B sales, finding the right decision-makers is critical for success. These are the individuals who can approve budgets and make purchasing decisions. However, identifying them can be time-consuming and inefficient when relying on outdated methods like manual research. Modern sales tools solve this problem by using

AI-driven technology to quickly locate and connect with the right people, saving time and boosting results.

Key Takeaways:

Sales tools save time: Automating contact discovery eliminates hours of manual research.
Higher conversion rates: Access to direct work mobile numbers can increase conversions by up to 200%.
Increased efficiency: Tools like 6sense and Apollo.io have shown to boost qualified leads by 25%-50% and shorten sales cycles by 15%-20%.
Data accuracy matters: Platforms like ZoomInfo and Cognism ensure up-to-date contact details, reducing errors and improving outreach success.
Multi-channel outreach works best: Combining email and LinkedIn outreach triples response rates compared to using a single channel.

Using sales tools, you can define your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP), gather accurate contact data, and leverage multi-channel outreach to connect with decision-makers effectively. By integrating these tools with your CRM and ensuring compliance with data privacy laws, you can streamline your sales process and focus on closing deals.

How to Find Decision Makers and their Contact Information | Clay Sales Prospecting

What Makes Someone a Decision-Maker in B2B Sales?

In B2B sales, figuring out who really holds the power to make decisions is a game-changer. But relying solely on job titles? That’s not enough. True decision-makers are the ones who can approve purchases, control budgets, and shape business strategies. However, their influence isn’t always straightforward - it can shift based on the size of the company, how it’s structured, or even the nature of the purchase. Let’s break down what actually defines a decision-maker, beyond just their title.

One of the clearest signs of decision-making authority is budget control. If someone has the power to manage or approve budgets, they’re the ones who can green-light purchases and allocate funds. Sure, other team members might weigh in, but the final call often rests with the person holding the purse strings.

Titles like “CIO” or “CMO” can be helpful clues, but they don’t always tell the whole story. In some companies, a C-suite executive might need approval from other departments. For instance, IT purchases might require sign-off from both the CIO and the finance team, while marketing decisions could fall solely under the CMO’s jurisdiction. And when it comes to purchases that span multiple departments, it’s common to see buying committees where influence is shared among several stakeholders.

Another important factor is how closely someone’s role ties to the company’s strategic goals. Decision-makers are often the ones responsible for achieving key outcomes that align with the organization's objectives. This is why sales teams need to focus on individuals who are accountable for delivering measurable results.

It’s also worth noting that authority doesn’t always sit with the obvious players. Depending on the product or service, technical leads, project managers, or procurement officers can play critical roles in the decision-making process.

Thankfully, modern sales intelligence tools make navigating these complexities a lot easier. These tools provide detailed organizational charts, contact hierarchies, and real-time updates on personnel changes. Features like relationship mapping, AI-driven insights, and CRM integration help sales teams pinpoint and prioritize decision-makers faster, cutting down on manual research and offering direct access to the right contacts.

In the U.S., this process comes with its own nuances. While American businesses often have clear reporting lines and defined roles, decision-making can still be a team effort. Sales teams need to respect formal titles while also identifying informal influencers. Leveraging local data formats and understanding fiscal cycles can make outreach even more precise.

Ultimately, identifying decision-makers requires a well-rounded approach. By considering factors like budget authority, organizational structure, departmental roles, and alignment with strategic goals, sales teams can connect with the people who truly have the power to approve purchases and drive results.

How Sales Tools Help Find Decision-Makers

Sales intelligence tools have become a game-changer for B2B teams looking to quickly identify decision-makers. Instead of spending hours digging through LinkedIn profiles or company websites, these platforms use AI-driven algorithms to scan massive databases, organizational charts, and digital activity to pinpoint the right contacts. They analyze a variety of data points - such as company size, industry, revenue, technology stacks, and even behavioral signals like recent funding rounds or job changes - to create a detailed profile of potential decision-makers.

The results speak for themselves. Teams leveraging these tools are 3.7 times more likely to meet their quotas, with some platforms reporting a 23% increase in pipeline size. Additionally, 82% of top-performing sales professionals conduct thorough prospect research before reaching out, leading to stronger pipelines and better conversion rates. This data-driven approach forms the backbone of automated contact discovery.

Automated Contact Discovery

Sales intelligence platforms take the guesswork out of finding decision-makers by automating the contact discovery process. For example, Seamless.AI offers access to over 1.8 billion business emails and 414 million phone numbers, making it easier to identify and reach key individuals quickly. Similarly, Artemis Leads, as of 2025, uses its technology to define Ideal Customer Profiles and locate decision-makers across a wide range of industries, including SaaS, consulting, recruiting, marketing, software development, and industrial manufacturing.

These platforms don’t just stop at providing contact details. They also offer AI-powered lead recommendations and real-time buyer intent insights, helping sales teams prioritize prospects who are actively showing interest in making a purchase.

Data Verification and Updates

In the fast-paced world of B2B sales, contact information can quickly become outdated. Platforms like ZoomInfo and Cognism tackle this issue with real-time data validation, pulling from multiple sources and using AI to keep their databases current. ZoomInfo, for instance, has earned a G2 rating of 4.4/5 from 8,654 reviews for its reliable data, while Cognism boasts a G2 rating of 4.6/5 from 751 reviews and provides access to over 70 million GDPR-compliant mobile numbers.

By ensuring contact details are accurate and up-to-date, these tools help sales teams connect with the right people at the right time.

Company Structure Mapping

Understanding how an organization is structured is just as important as having accurate contact information. Company structure mapping tools go beyond surface-level data to reveal internal hierarchies and relationships, allowing sales teams to identify both decision-makers and key influencers. This is essential for implementing a multithreaded engagement strategy. For example, Draup provides instant insights into decision-making processes, helping teams avoid wasted outreach.

One cybersecurity software provider effectively used this approach to identify a senior IT Operations executive as the key decision-maker. By mapping the organization’s structure and engagement signals, the team was able to target their outreach early, leading to successful deal progression.

But it’s not always about formal titles. In many companies, individuals like technical leads, project managers, or procurement officers play critical roles in the decision-making process, even if they don’t control the budget. Mapping these relationships allows sales teams to build consensus among stakeholders. Additionally, these tools often integrate seamlessly with CRM systems, streamlining data management and outreach efforts.

Step-by-Step Guide to Finding Decision-Makers with Sales Tools

Define your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP), conduct targeted searches, and gather multi-channel contact data to efficiently connect with decision-makers.

Set Up Your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP)

Your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) is the foundation for identifying the right prospects. Start by outlining key characteristics like industry, company size, location, and the specific job titles you want to target. Tools such as SalesIntel and ZoomInfo let you refine these attributes further with data like technographics (the technology companies use), firmographics (company details), and intent signals (buying behaviors).

The more specific you are, the better the results. For instance, instead of targeting all "healthcare companies", focus on "mid-sized healthcare organizations in the U.S. with 100–500 employees that use cloud-based EMR systems." This level of precision helps these platforms deliver highly relevant prospects.

Artemis Leads takes a hands-on approach by collaborating with clients to define their ICP. They dive deep into understanding each business, ensuring tailored strategies that resonate with the right audience.

Once your ICP is clearly defined, you can use advanced filters to pinpoint decision-makers.

Run Focused Searches

After setting up your ICP, advanced search filters become essential. Tools like LinkedIn Sales Navigator and Seamless.AI allow you to go beyond basic job titles. For example, if your target is IT directors at mid-sized healthcare companies, you can filter by industry (Healthcare), company size (100–500 employees), location (United States), and role (IT Director or similar). These tools then produce a verified list of contacts that meet your exact criteria.

Adding buying intent data takes this a step further. Tools track digital signals - such as visits to your website, content downloads, or news like funding announcements - to identify companies actively looking for solutions like yours. This helps you focus outreach on decision-makers who are more likely to engage.

Artemis Leads showcased the power of focused searches in their work with Ener2Crowd. Over nine months, they successfully reached niche audiences like Family Offices and Alternative Investment Funds, proving that even specialized markets can be effectively targeted.

Once you have your list, the next step is gathering comprehensive contact details.

Gather Multi-Channel Contact Data

To maximize outreach success, collect a variety of contact information for each decision-maker - email addresses, LinkedIn profiles, and, where possible, direct work mobile numbers. Tools such as SalesIntel and Cognism specialize in providing this level of detailed contact data.

Access to accurate, direct contact information can significantly improve conversion rates. For example, Cognism offers over 70 million GDPR-compliant mobile numbers and boasts a 4.6/5 star rating from 751 reviews on G2. These platforms also validate data in real time and integrate seamlessly with CRMs, reducing the risk of outdated information and eliminating manual data entry.

Artemis Leads ensures complete audience coverage by combining personalized email campaigns with LinkedIn outreach. This dual-channel approach ensures no potential lead is overlooked, focusing on generating high-quality, meeting-ready leads instead of just building contact lists.

Using Multi-Channel Outreach to Reach Decision-Makers

Once you have accurate contact data, the next step is figuring out how to cut through the noise and reach decision-makers effectively. One of the most reliable methods? Multi-channel outreach. By combining email and LinkedIn, you can boost your chances of connecting with busy executives who are often swamped with messages.

Why Multi-Channel Outreach Works

Relying on just one communication channel limits your reach. Decision-makers don’t stick to a single platform - they switch between email, LinkedIn, and other tools based on their role, industry, and personal habits. By using both email and LinkedIn, you create multiple, natural touchpoints, making it easier to grab their attention without coming across as overly aggressive.

Multi-channel outreach has been shown to increase response rates by up to three times compared to using a single channel. The numbers back it up: sales teams that use AI-powered, multi-channel tools are 3.7 times more likely to meet their quotas and can grow their pipelines by up to 23%. Add intent signal technology into the mix, and companies report a 25% jump in sales-qualified leads and a 15% shorter sales cycle

. On LinkedIn specifically, Sales Navigator users who integrate multi-channel outreach see up to 150% quota attainment.

To make this work, start with a personalized LinkedIn connection request. Once the prospect accepts, follow up with a tailored email that speaks directly to their needs. This strategy not only feels personal but also leverages LinkedIn connections and well-timed emails to build trust and engagement.

Artemis Leads: A Multi-Channel Outreach Success Story

Artemis Leads has taken full advantage of multi-channel outreach to help their clients connect with decision-makers in niche markets. Their strategy combines LinkedIn and email to ensure every interaction feels personal and authentic while covering the entirety of a client’s ideal customer profile.

"Via multichannel outreach, using email and LinkedIn, we reach these prospects to set up sales calls for the service you offer. We make sure each interaction feels authentic and personal. With multiple touchpoints, we increase the chances of success."Artemis Leads

A great example of their success is their work with Ener2Crowd. Over nine months, Artemis Leads helped the company break into highly specialized markets where single-channel outreach had previously failed.

"Our audience isn't easy to reach: Family Offices, Asset Management Companies, Alternative Investment Funds, Private Equity funds, Utilities, Energy Service Companies, Independent Power Producers, and HNWIs. We had tried outbound campaigns in the past without much success. Over these past 9 months, Artemis has proven it can be done. While we focus on improving our conversion rate, we can rely on a steady flow of high-quality leads, even in very specific niches."Paolo Baldinelli, Executive Chairman, Ener2Crowd

Artemis Leads achieves these results by having real team members send outreach messages using their personal LinkedIn profiles and matching email accounts. This approach builds trust and ensures higher response rates. The result? High-quality leads who are ready for meetings, guaranteeing that clients reach 100% of their ideal customer profile without missing opportunities.

Legal Requirements and Best Practices for Sales Tools

When using sales tools to identify decision-makers, it's critical to follow legal guidelines and maintain data accuracy. Data privacy laws are strictly enforced, and failing to comply can lead to steep fines, legal trouble, and a tarnished reputation. By adhering to best practices, you can ensure responsible data use while avoiding enforcement issues. These legal standards provide a clear framework for ethical prospecting.

Data Privacy Laws and Compliance

In the United States, two key laws govern how businesses handle decision-maker information. The California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) grants California residents control over their personal data, including the right to access, delete, and opt out of its sale. Meanwhile, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) applies to European contacts, requiring businesses to have a legal basis for processing data, maintain transparency about its use, and respect data subject rights.

With new state-level privacy laws emerging, staying informed is more important than ever. To remain compliant, ensure you:

Obtain the necessary consent before collecting data.
Clearly communicate how the data will be used.
Promptly honor requests to opt out or delete information.

Collect only the data you genuinely need for business purposes, and make compliance a routine part of your operations. Many sales intelligence tools come equipped with features like opt-out mechanisms and tools for managing data access and deletion requests, making it easier to meet these obligations.

Keeping Contact Data Accurate

Accurate data isn't just a technical detail - it’s essential for compliance and effective outreach. Using outdated or incorrect contact information can lead to legal violations, such as reaching out to individuals who have opted out or whose data should have been deleted. These missteps could result in penalties under laws like the CCPA.

To avoid such pitfalls, regularly update your contact data. Automated tools that refresh data in real time or validate changes in job titles and company roles can help reduce errors. Instead of relying solely on manual updates, consider automated data enrichment to keep your records current. Integrating these tools with your CRM system ensures consent records and suppression lists are always up to date. Using permission-based access to contact information also promotes ethical data handling, fostering trust with your prospects.

Key Points for Finding Decision-Makers with Sales Tools

Sales intelligence tools simplify the process of identifying decision-makers by using AI-powered contact discovery and real-time data validation. This eliminates the need for tedious manual research, allowing you to focus on building relationships and closing deals.

Reaching prospects through multiple channels increases your chances of making meaningful connections. By engaging with people on the platforms they use most, you can ensure your outreach efforts are comprehensive and aligned with your ideal customer profile.

Data quality is a game-changer when it comes to outreach success. The best sales tools now offer email accuracy rates of up to 95% and include real-time validation features. Having access to direct work mobile numbers can increase conversion rates by as much as 200% compared to relying on switchboards. Simply put, the accuracy of your contact data can make or break your campaign.

Beyond automated contact discovery, advanced filtering options refine your targeting efforts. By leveraging technographic data, buying signals, and company characteristics, you can zero in on accounts that are most likely to convert, instead of wasting time on a scattershot approach.

Compliance is non-negotiable when using sales tools. With increasingly strict data privacy laws across the U.S. and beyond, features like opt-out options and built-in consent mechanisms are essential to staying compliant with regulations such as the CCPA and GDPR.

Integrating sales tools with your CRM ensures accurate and up-to-date information. When these tools sync seamlessly with your existing systems, contact data is automatically updated, eliminating manual entry errors and keeping your team aligned with the latest information. This also makes it easier to track interactions and maintain consistency across your sales processes.

A great example of this in action is Artemis Leads. They combine personalized email campaigns with LinkedIn outreach to help their clients reach 100% of their ideal customer profile. By using compliant, multi-channel strategies, they deliver meeting-ready leads that drive results.

Ultimately, success comes down to choosing tools that offer extensive data coverage, multi-channel outreach capabilities, and strong compliance features. When used effectively, sales intelligence tools don’t just help you identify decision-makers - they help you connect with them in meaningful ways and build long-term business relationships.

FAQs

How can sales teams identify the actual decision-makers instead of being misled by job titles?

To connect with the right decision-makers, it’s important to look past job titles and dig into what the person actually does and how much influence they wield within their company. That’s where Artemis Leads comes in. They specialize in combining tailored email campaigns with LinkedIn outreach, creating direct connections between businesses and key decision-makers. This method ensures your leads are not only precise but also ready to engage, cutting down the workload for your sales team and boosting your chances of success.

What features should a sales tool have to work seamlessly with your CRM?

To make sure your sales tool works seamlessly with your CRM, it’s important to choose one that offers CRM compatibility with widely-used platforms. This allows for effortless syncing and updating of data. Tools with automation features are particularly valuable, as they cut down on manual tasks by automatically logging emails, calls, and meeting notes right into your CRM.

Another key feature to look for is customizable workflows, which let you tailor the tool to fit your sales process instead of having to adjust your process to the tool.

Also, consider tools that offer real-time updates and data enrichment capabilities. These features ensure your CRM stays accurate with the latest contact details and insights, saving time and equipping your team with the right information to engage decision-makers effectively.

How can businesses stay compliant with data privacy laws when using sales intelligence tools to find decision-makers?

To stay on the right side of data privacy laws, businesses using sales intelligence tools should stick to a few essential practices:

Know the rules: Get familiar with privacy laws like GDPR, CCPA, or any other regulations relevant to your region. These laws outline how personal data should be collected, stored, and used.
Be responsible with data: Collect only the information that’s absolutely necessary for legitimate business needs. Avoid gathering excessive or sensitive data that could lead to compliance issues.
Get proper consent: If the law requires it, make sure you have clear permission before reaching out to individuals, particularly for marketing or sales purposes.
Choose compliant partners: Use sales intelligence tools and services that take data security seriously and follow privacy standards. For instance, Artemis Leads connects businesses with decision-makers using ethical and compliant practices, ensuring reliable and trustworthy leads.

By sticking to these guidelines, businesses can use sales intelligence tools effectively while respecting privacy laws and earning the trust of their prospects.