To effectively document decision-makers and influencers for sales interactions, using Contact Roles on the Opportunity object is the best approach. Here’s why:

Role-Based Identification: Contact Roles allow you to specify the role of each contact in relation to an opportunity, such as Decision Maker, Influencer, or any other relevant role. This directly helps the sales team understand who to engage with based on their influence on the purchasing decision.

Standard Salesforce Feature: Salesforce’s Contact Roles functionality on Opportunities is designed to help track relationships between contacts and deals. It allows the assignment of multiple roles, providing flexibility to document various influencers and decision-makers effectively.

Salesforce Best Practices: Salesforce recommends leveraging Contact Roles for this type of tracking because it helps in segmenting contacts based on their impact on the sale. This makes it easier to focus on key individuals and prioritize sales efforts accordingly.