In a complex and lengthy email thread, it may be difficult to keep track of the various salespeople and executives looped into the communications. It is often hard to know who is the dealmaker, who is passing along information to senior employees, and who is simply listening in on the conversation.
Additionally, the number of participants in your thread may be a useful indicator of the prospect's confidence in the deal in certain situations. The Participants in Thread analytic can help you understand how many people, on average, are looped into your deal-related conversations.
With this tool at your disposal, you can begin to consider the subliminal messages that may be conveyed through the number of participants in the thread.
The chart above displays three categories of participants that are tracked by Q.
My side
This includes anyone on your team that has been sent or CC'd onto the emails. This could be managers, associates, or other dealmakers.
Prospects side
This includes anyone on the prospect's side who has been sent or CC'd onto the emails. This could include senior level associates, the CFO, or other dealmakers.
Unknown
This includes any third party that has been sent or CC'd onto the emails. This could include lawyers, accountants, or consultants.
The Participants in Thread analytic is useful in understanding the dynamics of the negotiation. If the prospect's side has significantly more participants, it could mean that they may be taking the deal more seriously in certain situations. Nevertheless, it is important to keep track of the participants on each side of a negotiation and the subliminal messaging that is being sent by each party.