Article Contributed by Dexter Siglin
For anyone in sales, winning the favor of the C-Level executive you’re pitching is the Holy Grail in sealing the deal. Everyone has a story of the months – and sometimes, years – they spent trying to get a foot in the door at a client’s company. And everyone has at least one tale of the heartache of finally making contact with a C-Level, only to be shut down. Aside from praying for divine intervention, what can small business owners do to establish good connections with their C-Levels prospects?
1) Establish Credibility
Build your credibility by assuming nothing and working for everything. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that because your company has credibility, that it automatically rolls over to you in the eyes of a prospective C-level client. One step further – don’t make the mistake of ‘assuming’ that your company has credibility! Be willing to start from scratch with a C-level prospect: don’t ignore the C-level’s staff by going around them. And you know what they say about “assuming”…. don’t assume that because they spend money with your company they like you, and don’t assume because you had one o.k. meeting that you can ‘friend’ them on Facebook.
2) Don’t be desperate – Be different
The best piece of dating advice I ever received from my father; “Son, there is no bigger turn off to a woman than a man who acts desperate.” This advice can also be applied to the sales dynamic in working toward the C-level executive. People that act desperate to get a ‘lunch date’ or to give away concert tickets – just to get face time in the ‘courting’ stage, come off as having no value except that which they can buy in the form of entertainment. Most C-levels see this all the time and are numb to it. Save those trinkets for when you already have a good relationship and can use to build on and expand it.
3) Net-work it
It amazes me when I talk to sales professionals who’ve been in the business for several years, yet have no solid professional turned ‘friendly’ executive relationships. By friendly, I mean the kind that you can call on their mobile anytime to talk about football and business. If you want to build long-term credibility and value, relationships need to be fostered and developed over time so you have a ‘network’ to rely on when you need it. Go to events, attend calls that execs might be on, add value without being annoying. Sometimes the most impressive people are the one’s that can show they ‘listened’ instead of talked too much. Once you make a connection – add them to your network (see #4 below) immediately and foster them over time by giving more than taking.
4) Social Media
When I was a sales leader looking to hire a sales professional, the first thing I looked at was a candidates LinkedIn profile. I was always dumbfounded when I saw someone who purported to be a ‘people person’ and yet have 50 ‘connections’ on LinkedIn (that’s a D in my book), and no Twitter account (grade F). For most industries, if you are in sales and trying to expand your prospect network and not in the social media game – you are playing in the minors. Using my social network – within minutes, I can provide value to person in my network just by connecting them with another in my online posse – or a friends network – and it takes not time at all (once you have the network that is).
5) Add value
Adding value is not ‘volunteering’ your latest white paper or spamming your LinkedIn network with irrelevant updates and webinars your company is holding. True value is offering an idea or a resource when it’s needed, and asking for nothing in return. Example – when you find out that a C level is looking for something – could be a resource to hire, advice on technology, etc…go get it for them in your own network – make the connection, and go away! The beauty is, if you do this enough,
eventually you become a colleague with professional value – not just a ‘taker’.
About the Author
Dexter Siglin is the community manager of xPeerient.com, the world’s first social IT exchange, who’s mission is to “create a world without cold calls.”