AMA: Loom VP, Revenue, Nick Feeney on Stakeholder Management

I would start by asking yourself: What KPI drives this person? Why is that important right now/what’s the critical event driving those KPIs? How do they measure the success of those KPIs? What happens if those outcomes are not realized?  Every discovery has to be tailored to the persona you’re engaging with. A CFO’s definition of pain looks very different from a Head of Engineering’s. The key is to stay genuinely curious, using open-ended clarifiers like what, why, when, where, and how to keep p ...Read More

Start with the stakeholder’s context. Do your homework so your questions anchor to their use case, not a generic script. Then mix a few universal questions with persona-specific probes. Universal questions (works for any stakeholder): Top KPIs: “What are your top three KPIs this quarter, and why?” Prioritization: “How would you rank them, and what’s the tie-breaker when priorities collide?” Competing initiatives: “What could pull resources away? Who decides in that scenario?” Current state & ...Read More

Stakeholder turnover is inevitable, and the best sellers plan for it regularly. If you’re single-threaded, you’re exposed. That’s why you should always maintain a continuity pack: a concise but comprehensive record that captures the business case, mutual action plan, decision log, pilot framework, and success metrics. This ensures that if a new stakeholder steps in, they inherit a structured approach, not chaos. Equally important: don’t rely on a single champion. Multi-threading is risk mitigati ...Read More

Cadences shouldn’t feel binary; they should be anchored in value. You don’t meet with an executive simply because the calendar says it’s time; you meet because you’re either giving something of substance or getting something critical in return. Every interaction should have a clear give-to-get. For large, strategic deals, say six to eight figures, cadences should center around the customer’s go-live date, not your team’s quota. Use their language, their milestones, their urgency. That reframes y ...Read More

I encourage my team to use a “power-map” grid, where one axis represents influence and the other represents level of advocacy. I tell my team to map out the organization and place those contacts/roles across your map. Your team has to be crystal clear on who’s who in the deal. There’s a big difference between a champion and an influencer, or an economic buyer and a technical reviewer. And just because someone’s supportive doesn’t mean they’ve ever actually gotten a deal across the finish line. A ...Read More

You’re always going to hear that stakeholders have conflicting priorities, and honestly, that’s just a signal. It usually means we haven’t proven enough value or tied our solution tightly enough to what matters most to them. If stakeholders are misaligned, it’s either because: We didn’t go deep enough in discovery, or We’re not selling to the right persona. Every deal should anchor to business-level priorities, not just departmental pain points. For public companies, that means reading their 10- ...Read More

Before building or running an effective steering committee or QBR, start by defining the desired outcome. What are we trying to achieve? Is it alignment, investment, expansion, education? Poll your stakeholders in advance to understand what’s most important to them. This ensures the conversation is purposeful rather than performative. Too often, QBRs become “death by slides.” That’s not what great looks like. A successful session should feel interactive and high-value, not a readout, but a dialo ...Read More

When stakeholders disengage, let silence be direction, not frustration. A lack of response is a clear signal to pivot. Don’t chase endlessly; move strategically to the next potential influencer within the organization. For those who’ve gone quiet, place them on a low-touch nurture sequence with thoughtful, value-driven messages that share relevant content over time. Keep them warm without being intrusive. In parallel, restart momentum elsewhere. Rebuild from different entry points and personas: ...Read More

PLG and top-down enterprise sales actually follow the same core fundamentals: deep discovery, a challenger-based approach, multi-threading, and executive alignment. The difference lies in the entry point and proof of value. In a PLG-led motion, you’re using product usage signals to validate intent. You already have proof points, real user behavior, quantifiable outcomes, and data that you can elevate into an executive-level business case. It’s less about convincing and more about amplifying what ...Read More

Before you can measure stakeholder health or influence, you first have to define what those terms actually mean for your business. What does a healthy stakeholder relationship look like? What does influence mean across an account? Once you establish those definitions, you can measure objectively instead of anecdotally. From there, the fundamentals matter. Are there active, recurring touch points with your key stakeholders? Are there bi-weekly syncs, QBRs, or executive briefings on the calendar? ...Read More