Leveraging calls Up To Executives
The fastest way to get a decision made is to speak directly with the decision-maker,
right? OK, so you knew that. Often times, the decision-makers are not easy
to get to. There are dozens of salespeople who would love to pitch to the
CEO, President, VP, or Department Directors if given the chance. And the purpose
of middle management is to filter communication to executives, and oversee
the execution of plans and policies so that the executives don't have to.
Executives make it hard for salespeople to get to them on purpose.
So what do you do when you get pigeon-holed down with a lower-level staff
person?
In a perfect sale, you would avoid talking to the low-level people from the
beginning. By going directly for the decision-maker, you will have the opportunity
to make the sale the fastest.
There are techniques for penetrating the executive ranks at the beginning
of your sale, but I am not going to discuss those today. Instead, I will answer
the question, "What do I do when I get stuck down with a low-level staff person?"
Here's the best strategy that's best most of the time: treat your contact
as an ally. Have him help you to get an appointment with your target decision-maker.
You can do this in one of three ways.
#1 - Make it a personal win for them.
Your contact has been "empowered" by her management to do a specific job.
To go higher in the account, you must make it valuable for her. Show her how
you can help her reach her business goals. If the business is considering
making a major investment in a new product of yours, you can be a big help
by offering to write a cost justification for them (or assist her in writing
it).
Now of course to do this, you will need to speak to the senior management
who will be impacted by this decision (which of course you'll be happy to
do). You will need to have a series of brief conversations with each of these
people, in order to determine the relevant factors in the cost-justification.
In offering to do this, you will be helping to make your contact look successful.
By framing your request this way, your contact will likely want to help you
get to her senior management.
#2 - Ask questions that they can't answer
Another way to secure a meeting higher up the food-chain is a variation on
the above technique. Low level people are good at answering "how" questions.
They can tell you all about how something works today, and how something should
work, and how something needs to work. These people know the nuts and bolts
of the business. Management knows the answers to the "why" the business does
what it does, and what the impact of change will be.
As you ask more questions about why a new purchase is important and what
the consequences of change or no-change will be, your lower-level people will
be unlikely to answer all of these questions. Be firm, and gently insist upon
answers to these questions as a condition of going forward with the sale.
When you know why they might buy, and what the consequences of this decision
are, you'll be best able to help them solve their problems. If you get challenged
as to why you need answers to your questions as a condition of moving forward,
then use the following line of reasoning. If you determine that your product
cannot help them solve their problems, then you will advise them to look elsewhere.
You will be doing them and yourself a favor.
#3 - Use your management
Sometimes the best way to leverage yourself up is the old standby of bringing
in your manager, Sales VP, or CEO to meet their executives. Your management
offers a perceived stature that we often don't have as salespeople. Also,
the greater the seniority of management that you bring in, the more he can
discuss issues like your company's strategic direction (which could be of
great value to your prospect).
Key tip - when you bring your CEO, President, or Sales VP in, do not to diminish
their authority by having them call on mid-level management. Save your most
influential people for the highest level meetings that you'll eventually need
to get.
|
Sales
Article 1 Reluctant to cold call?