The most difficult part of sales is getting the opportunity to deliver the message to the right person.\u00a0 I mean, you can be the best closer in the business, you can hone your delivery to a diamond polish, and you can understand the value proposition to the nth degree, but if you cannot speak to the decision maker, your income potential is, well, limited at best.\u00a0 Unfortunately, getting to Mr. X is still a big mystery for most.<\/p>\n
Dialing for dollars or its evil cousin, the unannounced \u2018drop in,\u2019 are definitely not helping things.\u00a0 If your M.O. includes the phrase, \u201cCan you tell me who is responsible for\u2026?\u201d we need to talk. Isn\u2019t it your responsibility to know whom you want to speak to?\u00a0 After all, if you don\u2019t know whom you are calling, how can you tailor a message that will resonate with them?\u00a0 What happens when they actually answer?<\/p>\n
Look, people are busy and successful people are too busy to focus on anything that is unrelated to their initiatives.\u00a0 When you do make contact, your discussion has to be on point.\u00a0 No one wants to meet you because you are the new rep in the territory.\u00a0 They also do not want you to drop off any material.\u00a0 Quite frankly, if you stop in, drop-off, etc., the material will quickly find its way into the recycling bin.\u00a0 Your introduction is self-serving and the brochure is irrelevant.\u00a0 For your message to resonate, you must speak of solutions to business issues that are relevant to your target.\u00a0 It is about the customer, not you or your company.<\/p>\n
Finding the Right Level<\/strong><\/p>\n To tailor your message, you have to do some research.\u00a0 Start with the size of the company.\u00a0 Company size will dictate which level of the organization you need to call on.\u00a0 I know, someone reading this is thinking, \u201cI always call on the C Suite.\u201d\u00a0 Let\u2019s put things in perspective, shall we?\u00a0 My wife works for a $16B medical device company.\u00a0 I can promise you this: no one in this C Suite is worried about their copiers, their MPS strategy, or even their digital workflow.\u00a0 The CEO is focused on driving the stock price, emerging markets and revenue growth.\u00a0 The CFO is focused on mitigating the profitability risk created by the ObamaCare medical device tax, divestiture decisions for underperforming business units, and acquisitions that would open new revenue channels.\u00a0 The CIO is focused on getting better information in the hands of the sales force and what infrastructure changes need to transpire to facilitate the company\u2019s initiatives.\u00a0 Do you still want to call <\/span>that<\/span> C Suite to discuss the fact that you have 0% financing? <\/span> \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Decisions in the business world are made based on risk.\u00a0 The higher the organizational risk the higher the level of approval.\u00a0 A $15K copier decision is a big risk for a small company.\u00a0 However, it would not get a second glance in the Fortune 500.\u00a0 Here are some guidelines for determining which level in the organization is right for your solution:<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 Size of Target Company\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Level of Approval Needed<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <$5MM\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 owner (C Suite)<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 $5MM – $15MM\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 owner or finance lead<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 (C Suite)<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 $15MM- $150MM\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 finance or IT lead<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 (C Suite or functional lead)<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 >$150MM\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 IT Director (functional lead)<\/p>\n The key is getting to the person who can say yes.\u00a0 In order for them to say yes, they must have budgetary responsibility and oversight for the project.<\/p>\n Doing Your Homework<\/strong><\/p>\n Now that we know who, let\u2019s talk about how \u2013 more research<\/span>.\u00a0 Personally, I think it is a waste of time to call someone and leave a message for them to ring me back.\u00a0 Frequently people are telling me that they simply ignore phone messages anyway \u2013 particularly in the IT community. Outside of establishing contact, one of the biggest hurdles you have to clear in setting an appointment is establishing credibility. The best way to clear the credibility hurdle is via a reference.\u00a0 Business people want to know that you have been successful providing similar solutions to like-sized companies; there is a perceived risk to being the first at anything.\u00a0 Statements like, \u201cWe worked with Dewey, Cheatem, and Howe to enable better access to their client data via mobile devices,\u201d go a long way to establish credibility.\u00a0 The best way, of course, is to have your client recommend you to your new target, either by use of a testimonial or directly through an email or conversation if they are acquaintances.\u00a0 Did you know that 60% of referrals result in an appointment?<\/span><\/p>\n Finally, understanding what is important to your target is critical to getting on their calendar.\u00a0 Al Gore did us all a huge favor when he invented the internet.\u00a0 You have a wealth of information at your fingertips.\u00a0 The trick is weeding through the minutia to get to bits of info that we can monetize.\u00a0 Obviously any press releases or articles about our target are relevant.\u00a0 Plant expansions, business relocations, and even downsizing are real reasons to get in front of people.\u00a0 Look for specific articles where your target is interviewed, awards earned, etc.\u00a0 These items will tell you where the person\u2019s priorities lie.\u00a0 They may also yield information about networking opportunities for you to meet with the person to deliver your pitch in person.\u00a0 You should also leverage what you know about your clients in the same industry as your target.\u00a0 Chances are problems you have solved for your engineering client are relevant to your engineering prospect.<\/p>\n Solving for X<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n Do the work to make sure your message is heard.\u00a0 Identify the correct person within the correct level of the organization to establish contact.\u00a0 Use referrals and references to clear the credibility hurdle and research your target to identify concepts they will find relevant.\u00a0 Remember the most prepared rep typically wins the day.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The most difficult part of sales is getting the opportunity to deliver the message to the right person.\u00a0 I mean, you can be the best closer in the business, you can hone your delivery to a diamond polish, and you can understand the value proposition to the nth degree, but if you cannot speak to the decision maker, your income potential is, well, limited at best.\u00a0 Unfortunately, getting to Mr. X is still a big mystery for most. Dialing for dollars or its evil cousin, the unannounced \u2018drop in,\u2019 are definitely not helping things.\u00a0 If your M.O. includes the phrase, \u201cCan you tell me who is responsible for\u2026?\u201d we need to talk. Isn\u2019t it your responsibility to know whom you want to speak to?\u00a0 After all, if you don\u2019t know whom you are calling, how can you tailor a message that will resonate with them?\u00a0 What happens when they actually answer? Look, people are busy and successful people are too busy to focus on anything that is unrelated to their initiatives.\u00a0 When you do make contact, your discussion has to be on point.\u00a0 No one wants to meet you because you are the new rep in the territory.\u00a0 They also do not want you to drop off any material.\u00a0 Quite frankly, if you stop in, drop-off, etc., the material will quickly find its way into the recycling bin.\u00a0 Your introduction is self-serving and the brochure is irrelevant.\u00a0 For your message to resonate, you must speak of solutions to business issues that are relevant to your target.\u00a0 It is about the customer, not you or your company. Finding the Right Level To tailor your message, you have to do some research.\u00a0 Start with the size of the company.\u00a0 Company size will dictate which level of the organization you need to call on.\u00a0 I know, someone reading this is thinking, \u201cI always call on the C Suite.\u201d\u00a0 Let\u2019s put things in perspective, shall we?\u00a0 My wife works for a $16B medical device company.\u00a0 I can promise you this: no one in this C Suite is worried about their copiers, their MPS strategy, or even their digital workflow.\u00a0 The CEO is focused on driving the stock price, emerging markets and revenue growth.\u00a0 The CFO is focused on mitigating the profitability risk created by the ObamaCare medical device tax, divestiture decisions for underperforming business units, and acquisitions that would open new revenue channels.\u00a0 The CIO is focused on getting better information in the hands of the sales force and what infrastructure changes need to transpire to facilitate the company\u2019s initiatives.\u00a0 Do you still want to call that C Suite to discuss the fact that you have 0% financing? \u00a0 Decisions in the business world are made based on risk.\u00a0 The higher the organizational risk the higher the level of approval.\u00a0 A $15K copier decision is a big risk for a small company.\u00a0 However, it would not get a second glance in the Fortune 500.\u00a0 Here are some guidelines for determining which level in the organization is right for your solution: \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 Size of Target Company\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Level of Approval Needed \u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <$5MM\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 owner (C Suite) \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 $5MM – $15MM\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 owner or finance lead \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 (C Suite) \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 $15MM- $150MM\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 finance or IT lead \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 (C Suite or functional lead) \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 >$150MM\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 IT Director (functional lead) The key is getting to the person who can say yes.\u00a0 In order for them to say yes, they must have budgetary responsibility and oversight for the project. Doing Your Homework Now that we know who, let\u2019s talk about how \u2013 more research.\u00a0 Personally, I think it is a waste of time to call someone and leave a message for them to ring me back.\u00a0 Frequently people are telling me that they simply ignore phone messages anyway \u2013 particularly in the IT community. Outside of establishing contact, one of the biggest hurdles you have to clear in setting an appointment is establishing credibility. The best way to clear the credibility hurdle is via a reference.\u00a0 Business people want to know that you have been successful providing similar solutions to like-sized companies; there is a perceived risk to being the first at anything.\u00a0 Statements like, \u201cWe worked with Dewey, Cheatem, and Howe to enable better access to their client data via mobile devices,\u201d go a long way to establish credibility.\u00a0 The best way, of course, is to have your client recommend you to your new target, either by use of a testimonial or directly through an email or conversation if they are acquaintances.\u00a0 Did you know that 60% of referrals result in an appointment? Finally, understanding what is important to your target is critical to getting on their calendar.\u00a0 Al Gore did us all a huge favor when he invented the internet.\u00a0 You have a wealth of information at your fingertips.\u00a0 The trick is weeding through the minutia to get to bits of info that we can monetize.\u00a0 Obviously any press releases or articles about our target are relevant.\u00a0 Plant expansions, business relocations, and even downsizing are real reasons to get in front of people.\u00a0 Look for specific articles where your target is interviewed, awards earned, etc.\u00a0 These items will tell you where the person\u2019s priorities lie.\u00a0 They may also yield information about networking opportunities for you to meet with the person to deliver your pitch in person.\u00a0 You should also leverage what you know about your clients in the same industry as your target.\u00a0 Chances are problems you have solved for your engineering client are relevant to your engineering prospect. Solving for X Do the work to make sure your message is heard.\u00a0 Identify the correct person within the correct level of the organization to establish contact.\u00a0 Use referrals and references to clear the credibility hurdle and research your target to identify concepts they will find relevant.\u00a0 Remember the most prepared rep typically wins the day. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":31,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1649,1814,1879],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9057"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/31"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9057"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9057\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9059,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9057\/revisions\/9059"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9057"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9057"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9057"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}