How Multithreading in B2B Sales Can Help You Close More Deals

To close more sales deals, you need to understand who you’re really selling to. Spoiler alert: it’s rarely just one person.

This may sound familiar if you’ve worked in B2B sales before. However, if you’re new to B2B and wearing multiple hats, this approach can make the difference between a deal that moves forward and one that drags on. Understanding the full decision-making unit (DMU) and building relationships with the right people across the business will help you close faster and with far fewer surprises.

What is the Decision-Making Unit (DMU) in B2B Sales?

The decision-making unit, or DMU, refers to the group of stakeholders involved in a buying decision. These are the people who shape, influence, delay, or approve the deal. In B2B, purchasing decisions are almost always made by a group.

While the structure will vary by company and deal size, here are the most common roles you’ll encounter in a DMU:

Decision maker role	Their role in the decision	Typical job titles
Initiator	Identifies the problem or need	Operations Lead, Director, IT Manager
User	Will use the solution or service day-to-day	Customer Support Manager, Product Owner, Technical Lead
Influencer	Advises on selection. Often provides technical or strategic input	Solution Architect, Finance Manager, Department Analyst
Buyer	Manages procurement, budgeting, and vendor selection	Procurement Lead, Commercial Manager, Purchasing Officer
Decider	Has final sign-off authority	Director, VP, COO, Managing Director
Gatekeeper	Controls access to information or people	Executive Assistant, Admin Lead, IT Admin
Legal & Compliance	Reviews contracts and manages risk	General Counsel, Compliance Officer, Risk Manager

You may find that some people fit into more than one decision maker role. The key is to understand how influence works inside the business and how decisions are actually made.

Why You Need to Map the DMU Before You Sell

You can’t engage the right people if you don’t know who they are. Start with your ideal customer profile (ICP). Your ICP should be aligned within the revenue team. Collaborate with RevOps, marketing, customer success, and align with the C-suite and product teams.

Once you know who fits your profile, look at the internal roles involved in similar deals. Use your past wins to identify patterns. Who was on the calls? Who asked the hard questions? Who slowed things down? Tools like LinkedIn, your CRM, or Gong can help you fill in the gaps. However, simple research and conversations can often yield better results.

By mapping the DMU early, you can avoid surprises later. You'll plan your approach, tailor your message, and engage the right people at the right times without incident.

How Many People Are Involved in a Typical B2B Deal?

Most B2B sales involve more people than you might think. According to Gartner, the average buying group has six to ten stakeholders. In enterprise deals, it’s often more.

Recent studies show that salespeople expect to deal with approximately three people, but in reality, they interact with over six. This discrepancy leads to missed opportunities, stalled timelines, and inaccurate forecasts. A good rule of thumb is that any moderately sized deal will involve five to seven people. They may not all be vocal, but everyone has an opinion and influence.

What is Multithreading in B2B Sales?

Multithreading refers to building relationships with multiple people within the same account. Instead of relying on a single contact to push things through, you engage the entire decision-making unit.

This approach doesn’t mean contacting everyone at once. You should know who matters, why they matter, and ensure their needs are addressed. You can achieve this through direct conversations, shared content, or targeted messaging. Each key person should see value and feel included.

Why Multithreading Helps You Win More Deals

Multithreaded deals are less fragile. If your main contact goes silent, the deal won’t collapse. If someone raises an objection, you’ll have built trust with others who can assist in addressing it.

Furthermore, you gain a clearer view of what is happening. Each stakeholder perceives the deal through a unique lens. Legal concerns itself with reducing risk. Finance is focused on returns. Users want their jobs made easier. Without understanding these diverse considerations, you cannot adequately address them.

Additionally, you'll appear more credible. You’re not merely trying to close a deal; you are taking the time to grasp how the business operates and what success means for different stakeholders.

Effective Strategies for Multithreading

1. Establish a DMU Map: Initiate a basic map of who is likely to be involved based on your ICP. Don’t wait for your champion to introduce you to everyone. Take initiative.

   
   

2. Tailor Your Communication: As you strengthen relationships, customize your approach. The inquiries of a CFO differ significantly from those of a product manager. Address their unique concerns.

   
   

3. Align Your Teams: Ensure that sales and marketing target the same stakeholders with consistent messaging. If you are running Account-Based Marketing (ABM), your campaigns should help warm up the individuals you wish to engage.

   
   

Best Practices for Multithreading

• Before the Call: Record the meeting and review it later. This helps with individual follow-ups and allows you to catch details you may have missed.

• After the Call: Within 24 hours, send a follow-up to all participants in a single email thread. Recap what was discussed, agreed upon, and what the upcoming steps are. Then, individually follow up with each person. Take note of their questions or concerns. Provide relevant, specific responses. If someone mentioned a key pain point or success metric, reiterate it and offer something useful to keep the conversation moving forward.

• Conduct Individual Follow-Ups: If five people were on the call, that means five follow-ups. It takes additional time, but sellers consistently report that this improves deal velocity and boosts closed-won rates.

  
  

Does it work? Yes, it does. Anecdotally, I’ve seen this method contribute to a 56% increase in close rates and significantly shorten sales cycles.

Conclusion: This is Just Good Sales Practice

Engaging with the right people and following up effectively isn’t an advanced strategy; it’s a standard best practice. This approach helps you build trust, spot issues early, and keep deals on track.

It’s not about doing more for the sake of it; it’s about executing the right actions with the right individuals. If you’re experiencing a long sales cycle or handling larger accounts, this methodology can lead to substantial improvements.

If you need assistance implementing this approach across your team or evaluating how it could operate within your pipeline, please don't hesitate to get in touch.