Primary Roles
BDR/SDR, AE
Secondary Roles
AM, CSM, Sales Manager
Hire With
Curiosity, analytical orientation, customer empathy, resourcefulness
Train For
contact sourcing, org mapping, reporting-line inference, prioritised outreach planning
Certification Definition
A certified rep identifies the right contacts to pursue and infers how they sit within the account so outreach is directed towards the people most likely to create access, validate the problem, and move the opportunity forward.
Why It Matters
Good messaging sent to the wrong person still fails. Contact selection and reporting-line judgement improve connect rates, reduce wasted touches, and make multithreading more deliberate from the start.
What Good Looks Like
- The rep identifies likely users, managers, decision-makers, and influencers relevant to the problem and the sales motion.
- The rep uses public data and account context to infer reporting lines or working relationships instead of treating title alone as enough.
- The rep prioritises contacts based on fit, influence, access, and timing rather than exporting everyone from the account.
- The rep documents why each contact belongs on the plan and what role they may play.
- The rep uses the contact map to sequence outreach and create alternate paths into the account when the first path fails.
- The rep updates the map when replies, referrals, bounced emails, or discovery change the likely path to decision.
- The rep leaves a contact plan a manager can inspect quickly and another rep could execute if ownership changed.
Red Flags
- The rep chooses contacts mainly because they are senior, visible, or easy to find in Sales Navigator.
- The rep cannot explain why a named contact matters to the motion or what hypothesis that contact will help test.
- The rep does not infer any reporting or influence structure beyond title matching.
- The rep builds long contact lists without prioritising them or defining a first path into the account.
- The contact plan is too vague for another seller or manager to use.
- The rep leaves obvious gaps in the account map and does not test likely adjacent stakeholders.
Evaluation Scorecard
| Area | Standard |
|---|---|
| Contact relevance | The rep selects contacts that make sense for the problem, motion, and likely decision path. |
| Relationship inference | The rep infers plausible reporting lines or influence paths from available evidence. |
| Prioritisation | The rep ranks contacts sensibly rather than treating all names equally. |
| Multithreading logic | The rep uses the contact plan to create multiple paths into the account. |
| Documentation | The contact map or list is clear, usable, and supported by rationale. |
| Adaptability | The rep updates the contact plan when discovery changes the picture. |
Real-World Scenarios
Small account
Sparse public org data
Builds a practical contact plan using titles, LinkedIn signals, website cues, and likely workflows, then tests the first path quickly.
Mid-market account
Multiple departments are involved
Separates user, manager, operator, and buyer roles clearly enough to guide outreach and proof-point selection.
Enterprise account
Many possible stakeholders
Produces a focused, prioritised contact map rather than an unstructured export of names.
Existing champion thread
Need to expand access
Uses inferred reporting lines and peer relationships to identify the next logical stakeholder path.
Assessment Approach
Review 2 live account contact maps or prospect plans that show selected contacts, inferred relationships, outreach priorities, and the evidence behind the choices.
Alternatives
- Review 1 live account example plus 1 realistic manager-led scenario when live account access is limited.
- Use 2 scenarios only for early ramp, then confirm the certification in the next live account planning review.
Verification Examples
- Account org chart / stakeholder map with roles and relationships
- Documented plan/artifact reviewed against rubric
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