One of the rules we often see calls for us to make a presentation to a committee. The comedian Milton Berle said, "Committees are groups that keep minutes and lose hours." We can all appreciate that quote. The only thing worse than selling to a committee is being on one!

Many sales cycles or RFPs have a rule that calls for a presentation to be made to a committee that "supposedly" makes the decision. "Supposedly" because committees rarely make decisions, they make recommendations. More to the point, they seem to make decisions as long as it's the decision that the real decision maker wants to move forward with.

Before blindly agreeing to make our presentation, here are a few questions we can ask (ourselves and our coaches):


Who sits on the committee?
What roles do the participants play?
Who leads the committee?
If the committee were a jury, who would be the foreman?
What coalitions and rivalries exist?
Do we have a coach or coaches on the committee?
Who are we aligned with, and how influential are they?
What relationships do our competitors have with committee members?
Who put the committee in place?
How visible is this group?
What are their objectives, strategies and concerns?
What is the charter of the committee?
What is the track record of the committee?
Is it a standing committee or a one-time effort?
Will the decision maker attend our presentation?


Once we know the answers, or at least can make educated guesses, we are in a much better position to decide if presenting to the committee is in our best interest and a good use of our time, or one more rule to break.