Lots of changes leads to uncertainty of power

Everyone heard my talk about “no-po’s” in my training as I’ve coined this term to mean someone who has no power within an organization. My training participants are also adding this could mean “no purchase order” and “no potential” - sounds good to me. Well these guys are all over the place and as organizations continue to consolidate, merge, change leadership, there are more and more “no-po’s” out there than ever before.

A “no-po” is someone who has no authority or influence to make anything happen. They are a sophisticated gatekeeper and unlike the traditional gatekeepers who are very obvious about it such as receptionists and executive assistants, these “no-po’s” are very knowledgeable and are part of the committee or department. The problem is they don’t know how little authority or influence they actually have but what they know if talking with vendors is a way for them to believe they have some power.

We are all stuck on deals because we believe some “no-po” will actually make something happen for us. They have told us to stay away from calling around and above them and we have listened. Meanwhile, our forecasted opportunities are not closing and our begging efforts are going into deaf ears. Don’t wait to get betrayed by these people, be proactive and work the hierarchy to give yourself solid footing.