eMarket2 Blogs

Hello there,

We were discussing the importance of building business development relationships at C-level and how, although it can require a significant commitment of time and resources, it’s an investment well worth making. Today, in this final part of my thoughts on the subject, I want to offer some practical advice on dealing with senior level prospects.

Technology marketing – selling higher – some tips (and traps!)

Put a B2B sales and marketing relationship management programme in place.

The first and commonest of all lead generation traps is to make a single phone call, or send one letter, or one email, to a target prospect before writing it off as no-win and moving on to the next prospect. This way madness lies.

Instead you must dedicate your marketing team to a demand generation programme.  This means developing a multichannel marketing strategy of ongoing and systematic contact with your target list. Send relevant articles about your product or service, email them client case studies, invite prospects to events, do some networking, ask for introductions from mutual contacts, send recent PR clips in the post, etc.  By this method you install your brand, company or product firmly in the psyches of your target prospects.

The first secret of going straight to the top and selling at senior levels is to put yourself psychologically on the same level as the executive you want to sell to. If you are going to sell to a CEO then you’ve got to see yourself as a CEO, or at least as important as the CEO you are talking to.

Don’t make apologies for taking up a prospect’s time by contacting them. This will put you at an instant disadvantage. You have got to appreciate that your reason for contacting the prospect is to their advantage, as opposed to an interruption to their busy schedule.

Don’t shoot the gatekeepers

Gatekeepers are your friends! Many business to business salespeople and marketers complain about PAs and secretaries preventing them from making contact with decision makers. Now, while there is some truth in this accusation, it’s also the case that these same people can be your best ally in reaching your prospect, but only if they are approached correctly. Acknowledge the gatekeeper’s power to influence what their boss sees and hears and help them to understand the value of your message. Accept that by screening you from their boss (at least in the first instance) the gatekeeper is simply doing their job.  Offer to send useful information about your product to your prospect via the gatekeeper’s email. OK, let’s be realistic: much of the time your email may never see the light of day but, applying the law of averages, you’ll be surprised at how often your material will get through to your target prospect. And from here it’s only a short step to asking for a meeting or telephone appointment.

Finally, take a tortoise and hare approach. Look beyond the latest commission cheque. Although most complex sales cycles can take six months or even longer, the relationships that form them take even longer to build. Your investment in these relationships is the key to your long term prosperity.

That’s it on this topic.

Thanks for reading.

And always to a higher response!

Norman

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