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Article 12: Contact Research SOP — How to Identify Decision Makers and Influencers

Purpose:  This article shows you how to research a Contact before you call, email, qualify, or create a Deal in HubSpot. 

Your goal is to understand who the person is, what role they may play in the payment decision, and how you should approach them. 

Not every Contact is a decision maker.

Some Contacts approve decisions.
Some influence decisions.
Some provide information.
Some are gatekeepers.
Some are referral partners.
Some may not be relevant to the opportunity at all.

Your job is to understand the Contact’s role before you treat them like the final buyer.

1. Start in the Contact Record

Before researching anywhere else, start inside HubSpot.

Go to:

CRM > Contacts

Then search for the Contact by:

  • Email
  • First and last name
  • Phone number
  • Company name

Open the Contact record and review what is already available.

You should check:

  • Name
  • Email
  • Phone number
  • Job title
  • Contact owner
  • Associated Company
  • Lead status
  • Lifecycle stage
  • Last activity date
  • Notes
  • Emails
  • Calls
  • Meetings
  • Tasks
  • Associated Deals
  • Source or import list, if available

Do not skip this step.

HubSpot may already contain context that changes how you should approach the person.

2. Confirm You Are Looking at the Right Contact

Before outreach, make sure you are working the right person.

Check:

  • Does the email match the Company?
  • Does the domain match the business?
  • Is the Contact associated with the correct Company?
  • Is there another Contact with the same or similar name?
  • Is there an existing owner?
  • Is there prior activity?
  • Is there an existing Deal?

This matters because duplicate or mismatched Contacts can cause bad outreach and bad reporting.

If something looks wrong, do not create another Contact immediately. Search first and report potential duplicates if needed.

3. Confirm the Associated Company

Every Contact should be associated with the correct Company whenever possible.

From the Contact record, check the associated Company.

Ask yourself:

  • Is this Contact tied to the right business?
  • Is the Company name correct?
  • Does the email domain match the Company?
  • Are there other Contacts at the same Company?
  • Is there an active Deal tied to the Company?
  • Is another AE already working this Company?

If the Contact is not associated with a Company, use the email domain, notes, or research to identify the correct business.

Do not create a duplicate Company if one already exists.

4. Identify the Contact’s Likely Role

Your next job is to determine what role this person likely plays.

Contacts usually fall into one of these categories:

  1. Decision maker
  2. Influencer
  3. User
  4. Gatekeeper
  5. Referral partner
  6. Technical contact
  7. Finance contact
  8. Operations contact
  9. Unknown

The more accurately you understand the role, the better your outreach will be.

5. Decision Maker

A decision maker can approve or strongly influence the final buying decision.

Common decision-maker titles may include:

  • Owner
  • Founder
  • CEO
  • President
  • Managing Partner
  • CFO
  • Controller
  • Practice Owner
  • Principal
  • Director of Operations
  • VP of Operations
  • Head of Finance

If you are speaking with a decision maker, your conversation should focus on business impact.

Good topics include:

  • Cost
  • Payment friction
  • Customer experience
  • Reporting
  • Growth
  • Risk
  • Operational efficiency
  • Current provider issues
  • Switching process
  • Long-term value
6. Influencer

An influencer may not make the final decision but can shape the decision.

Common influencer titles may include:

  • Office Manager
  • Practice Manager
  • Operations Manager
  • Billing Manager
  • Admin Lead
  • Department Manager
  • Partner Coordinator

Influencers are important because they often understand the day-to-day pain better than the owner.

If you are speaking with an influencer, ask questions like:

  • How are payments handled today?
  • What slows the team down?
  • What do customers complain about?
  • What reporting is difficult?
  • Who else would need to review payment options?
  • Who owns the final decision?
7. User

A user is someone who may use the payment process but may not influence the vendor decision directly.

Examples may include:

  • Front desk staff
  • Admin team member
  • Billing assistant
  • Customer service representative
  • Office staff

Users can still provide useful information.

They may know:

  • What customers experience
  • What systems are frustrating
  • What manual steps exist
  • Who handles billing
  • Who handles payment questions
  • Who the AE should speak with next

If you reach a user, use the conversation to learn and route yourself to the right person.

8. Gatekeeper

A gatekeeper controls access to the decision maker.

Examples may include:

  • Receptionist
  • Executive assistant
  • Office coordinator
  • Administrative assistant
  • Front desk manager

Do not treat gatekeepers like obstacles.

Gatekeepers can help you understand who handles payment decisions and how to reach them.

Good gatekeeper questions include:

  • Who usually handles payment processing decisions?
  • Who manages billing or vendor relationships?
  • Is there an office manager or owner I should speak with?
  • What is the best way to get information to the right person?

Be respectful. Gatekeepers can either open or close the door.

9. Referral Partner

A referral partner is someone who may introduce ChainIT Pay to prospects, merchants, customers, or business relationships.

Referral partners may not be the buyer, but they can create sales opportunities.

When working referral partner Contacts, document:

  • Who they know
  • What type of businesses they may refer
  • Whether they expect updates
  • Whether they are connected to a partner program
  • Any introduction they made
  • Any promised next step

Referral relationships should be handled carefully because they affect trust and future opportunities.

10. Finance Contact

A finance Contact may care most about cost, reporting, reconciliation, fees, and cash flow.

Common finance titles may include:

  • CFO
  • Controller
  • Finance Manager
  • Accounting Manager
  • Billing Manager
  • Bookkeeper

Good questions for finance Contacts include:

  • How are payment fees reviewed today?
  • How do you reconcile payments?
  • What reporting do you need?
  • Are there issues matching payments to customers?
  • How much manual work goes into payment tracking?
  • Are chargebacks or disputes a concern?

Finance Contacts may be critical when pricing, statements, or reporting are part of the sale.

11. Operations Contact

An operations Contact may care most about workflow, speed, handoffs, customer experience, and support.

Common operations titles may include:

  • COO
  • Operations Manager
  • Practice Manager
  • Office Manager
  • Director of Operations
  • Admin Manager

Good questions for operations Contacts include:

  • What does the payment process look like today?
  • Where does the team lose time?
  • What is still manual?
  • What creates customer friction?
  • What would make payment collection easier?
  • How does your team handle payment questions?

Operations Contacts can help you understand the real day-to-day pain.

12. Technical Contact

A technical Contact may care most about integrations, systems, security, data flow, and implementation.

Common technical titles may include:

  • CTO
  • IT Manager
  • Systems Administrator
  • Product Manager
  • Software Lead
  • Platform Owner

Good questions for technical Contacts include:

  • What systems need to connect to payments?
  • Are you using a payment gateway today?
  • Do you need API or platform support?
  • What security or compliance questions should we address?
  • Who manages implementation?
  • What technical requirements matter most?

Do not guess on technical questions. Confirm internally when needed.

13. Unknown Contact

Sometimes you will not know the Contact’s role.

That is normal.

If the role is unclear, your first outreach should be discovery-based.

Good questions include:

  • Are you the right person to speak with about payments?
  • Who manages payment processing or billing decisions?
  • Who handles vendor relationships?
  • Who should be included if we review payment options?
  • Is there someone else on your team who owns this area?

Do not assume every Contact is the buyer.

Use the first interaction to understand their role.

14. Research the Contact Outside HubSpot When Needed

If the Contact record is incomplete, you may need to research outside HubSpot.

Useful sources may include:

  • Company website
  • Staff or leadership page
  • LinkedIn
  • Public business listings
  • Professional directories
  • Prior emails
  • Referral context
  • Company domain
  • Search engine results

Your goal is to understand the Contact’s role, not to collect unnecessary personal information.

Keep research professional and business-related.

15. Check for Other Contacts at the Same Company

Before outreach, check whether the Company has other associated Contacts.

Ask:

  • Is there a better decision maker already listed?
  • Has another Contact responded before?
  • Is there an office manager and owner listed?
  • Is there a finance Contact?
  • Is there an active Deal tied to someone else?
  • Has another AE worked this account?

This helps you avoid contacting the wrong person or duplicating outreach.

16. Map the Buying Group

For stronger opportunities, you should understand the buying group.

A simple buying group may include:

  • Owner or executive decision maker
  • Finance reviewer
  • Operations influencer
  • Admin or office user
  • Technical reviewer, if systems are involved

You do not need all of these for every opportunity.

But as the Deal gets more serious, you should know who matters.

17. Decide Your Outreach Approach

Your outreach should match the Contact’s role.

If they are the owner

Focus on business value, cost, customer experience, and growth.

If they are finance

Focus on fees, reporting, reconciliation, and cost clarity.

If they are operations

Focus on workflow, manual effort, support, and customer experience.

If they are admin or office staff

Ask who handles payments and what process they use today.

If they are technical

Ask about systems, integrations, security, and implementation requirements.

Your message should feel relevant to the person receiving it.

18. Prepare Role-Based Discovery Questions

Before contacting the person, prepare two or three questions based on their likely role.

Owner questions
  • What would you improve about how payments are handled today?
  • Are you happy with your current provider?
  • Is cost, support, or customer experience the bigger issue right now?
Finance questions
  • How do you currently review processing fees?
  • Is reconciliation easy or manual?
  • Do you have visibility into payment reporting?
Operations questions
  • Where does the payment process slow your team down?
  • What customer payment issues come up most often?
  • What part of payment collection is still manual?
Admin or gatekeeper questions
  • Who usually handles payment processing decisions?
  • Who manages billing or vendor relationships?
  • What is the best way to get information to the right person?
19. Document Contact Research in HubSpot

If you learn something useful, add a note to HubSpot.

Useful Contact research notes may include:

  • Likely role
  • Decision-making authority
  • Relationship to Company
  • Best outreach angle
  • Other stakeholders
  • Referral relationship
  • Current provider, if known
  • Payment pain, if known
  • Next step

Example note:

“Contact appears to be the office manager. Likely influencer for payment workflow and patient payment questions. Recommend discovery around current payment process, reporting, and who owns final provider decisions.”

20. Update Contact Fields When Appropriate

If you are authorized and the information is accurate, update relevant fields such as:

  • Job title
  • Phone number
  • Associated Company
  • Lead status
  • Contact owner
  • Lifecycle stage
  • Buying role, if available
  • Notes

Do not guess or enter fake values.

If you are not sure, add a note or ask Sales Ops.

21. What to Do If the Contact Is Not the Right Person

If the Contact is not the right person, do not treat the outreach as wasted.

Use the interaction to identify the right person.

Ask:

  • Who should I speak with about payment processing?
  • Who handles billing or vendor decisions?
  • Is there an owner, office manager, or finance contact I should contact?
  • Can you point me in the right direction?

Then document the result in HubSpot.

22. What to Do If the Contact Has Left the Company

If you learn the Contact is no longer with the Company:

  1. Update the Contact status if available.
  2. Add a note.
  3. Search for a replacement Contact.
  4. Check the Company website.
  5. Create a task for follow-up if appropriate.
  6. Report data cleanup needs if needed.

Do not delete the Contact unless you are authorized.

23. What to Do If the Contact Is a Fake or Internal Test Record

Sometimes imported lists may include internal, fake, or monitoring Contacts.

If you identify one:

  1. Do not work the Contact as a normal prospect.
  2. Add a note if appropriate.
  3. Confirm whether it should remain in the system.
  4. Notify Sales Ops if it affects reporting or outreach.
  5. Do not delete unless instructed.
24. What to Do If the Contact Is a Referral or Friendly Monitor

Some Contacts may be business associates, friends, leadership contacts, or friendly monitors who want to see outreach.

If so:

  1. Do not treat them as standard prospects.
  2. Document the relationship.
  3. Confirm whether they should receive campaign emails.
  4. Avoid moving them into pipeline unless there is real commercial opportunity.
  5. Ask Sales Ops if you are unsure how they should be categorized.
25. When Contact Research Should Lead to a Lead

A Contact may become a Lead when there is a valid reason for sales follow-up.

Examples:

  • They fit the target profile.
  • They are assigned to you.
  • They responded to outreach.
  • They are part of a campaign.
  • They were referred.
  • They appear to influence payment decisions.
  • They requested more information.
  • They are tied to a target Company.

A Lead means you should actively work the Contact.

It does not automatically mean you should create a Deal.

26. When Contact Research Should Lead to a Deal

A Contact may support Deal creation when there is real commercial opportunity.

Examples:

  • The Contact asked for pricing.
  • The Contact agreed to a demo.
  • The Contact discussed current payment provider.
  • The Contact shared payment pain.
  • The Contact confirmed decision-maker involvement.
  • The Contact asked about onboarding.
  • The Contact wants next steps.

Do not create a Deal just because the Contact has a strong title.

You need engagement and opportunity.

27. Common Contact Research Mistakes to Avoid

Avoid:

  • Assuming the Contact is the decision maker
  • Ignoring the associated Company
  • Not checking prior activity
  • Creating duplicate Contacts
  • Creating duplicate Companies
  • Not documenting useful role information
  • Pitching before understanding the person’s role
  • Asking finance questions to an admin contact
  • Asking technical questions to a non-technical contact
  • Treating email opens as real engagement
  • Creating Deals before the Contact is qualified
28. Contact Research Checklist

Before outreach, you should know:

  • Contact name reviewed
  • Email reviewed
  • Job title reviewed
  • Company association confirmed
  • Prior activity checked
  • Existing Deals checked
  • Contact role estimated
  • Other Contacts at the Company reviewed
  • Outreach angle selected
  • Discovery questions prepared
  • Notes added if useful
29. Final Standard

You are not just contacting names.

You are identifying the right people, understanding their role, and building a path into a real business conversation.

The ChainIT Pay Contact research standard is:

  • Start in HubSpot.
  • Confirm the Contact.
  • Confirm the Company.
  • Review prior activity.
  • Identify the likely role.
  • Match your outreach to the role.
  • Ask discovery questions.
  • Document useful findings.
  • Create Leads and Deals only when appropriate.

Better Contact research creates better outreach.

Better outreach creates better conversations.

Better conversations create better qualification and cleaner pipeline.