C-Level, Relationship Selling Blog

C-Level Selling - Large Account Plans Require Both Parties’ Participation

Most sales people make two key mistakes when building a large account plans or as I like to call them relationship plans.  First they build the plan by themselves or with the help of their teammates instead of with the inputs from the C-levels and influential people of the large account.  Second, they don’t hold themselves and the large account’s people accountable for the actionable ideas generated.

If you manage your large account plans the way your financial department manages your budgets, you’ll have great results.  Learn how to build and manage large account plans in this article.

Read-On C-Level Selling - Large Account Plans Require Both Parties’ Participation

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C-Level Selling Tips – Keep Competition Out of Your Key Accounts

The only way to keep competition out of your key accounts is to be perceived as the top benefit provider for that key account.  Your competition wants those accounts and they will eventually penetrate unless those accounts fear losing the benefits you and only you can provide.  This article will show how to make sure that happens

C-Level Selling Tips – Keep Competition Out of Your Key Accounts

C-Level Selling - The Great Customer Experience Happens When the C-Level Executives Are Satisfied

How much time do you spend with the senior staff of you customers?  I’ll bet not much – not good.  I’ll also bet that if by chance you do know them, you check-in to only say hello and see if there is anything they can give you – not good again.  And if you don’t know them, you only try to gain access to them when there’s something you want – really not good.

The Great Customer Experience requires making C-level executive constantly feel you are helping them succeed.  Learn what’s required in this C-level selling article

C-Level Selling - The Great Customer Experience Happens When the C-Level Executives Are Satisfied

Read It, Learn It, Implement It and I guarantee your selling will improve

C-Level Relationship Selling – How to Differentiate When Selling

Differentiating is a good talking point, but it doesn’t close sales.  Showing you’re competent does. 

In the greater scheme of things, your products or services are similar to competitors’.  But, in the finite scheme of things every competitor is different. 

However, differentiating is not what closes a sale.  Showing you’re the best alternative of the various choices does.  Best is decided by the ultimate decision-maker and those that influence him or her. Best does not mean the most different.  Best means .......

Read what counts at C-Level Relationship Selling – How to Differentiate When Selling

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C-Level Relationship Selling – 4 Style Checks to Exude Trust and Believability

Most people approach a prospect or a customer in their usual style/manner and expect that person to like them or at least effectively interact with them.  This works if their style gels with the other person’s style.  But if it doesn’t, it sets up a barrier to trust and believability.  The higher the rank of a person the more style impacts initial credibility and subsequent dialogues.

Learn a simple 4 step check to make all types of prospects immediately feel comfortable with you.  To be successful in sales, one must be able to adapt his or her style to effectively interact with everyone. 

Learn how at C-Level Relationship Selling – 4 Style Checks to Exude Trust and Believability

 

 

Selling to C-Levels - 8 Interviewing Tips to Easily Close Sales

Interviewing questions open up C-levels and other prospects to reveal the triggers that will cause them to buy from that interviewer.  Interrogative questions turn-off people like a light switch. So to win-over prospects and C-levels, follow these 8 suggestions.

8 Interviewing Tips: Selling to C-Levels - 8 Interviewing Tips to Easily Close Sales

 

Unbeatable Cold Calling Techniques for Telemarketing and Out Going Call Centers

Attain unbeatable cold calling success. Grab prospects’ attention within 7 seconds while establishing credibility with every word using this advanced telemarketing technique.

With cold calling, you have to develop interest within the first 7 seconds.  When the prospect first answers, this is not the time to tell who you are or where you're from.  You may think this important and strange not to introduce yourself, but the prospect on the other of the phone doesn't care who you are or where you're from.  You are interrupting and all s/he cares about is "What can you do for me?"    So this is the moment to push benefits (not features) to pique the prospect’s curiosity. 

Read how at Unbeatable Cold Calling Techniques for Telemarketing and Out Going Call Centers

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C-Level Relationship Selling – Establishing Credibility - The Magic of All Sales Relationships

Credibility comes from respect: the prospect respects your approach, your company, your appearance, and/or your mannerisms. Credibility comes from trust: the prospect trusts what you have to say; trusts your company; trusts you.  Credibility comes from delivering wanted results: the prospect believes you can deliver what s/he wants; the prospect sees from your presentation s/he will get desired results; or your past performances suggest you’ll deliver wanted results again.  Failure in any one of respect, trust and/or results and you’ll have little to no credibility.

Read more at C-Level Relationship Selling – Establishing Credibility - The Magic of All Sales Relationships

C-Level Relationship Sales Tips – Increase Sales by Stealing Competitors’ Accounts

Increase your sales by using these simple sales tips to steal your competitors’ accounts while developing C-level relationships.

Read article at: C-Level Relationship Sales Tips – Increase Sales by Stealing Competitors’ Accounts

C-Level Relationship Selling – Lower Levels Can Sell Easily to C-Levels

This article will help show selling to C-Level is not about title.  It’s about the ability to deliver results. Sales people are typically intimidated by C-level executive and feel they are not the appropriate person to be approaching them. 

 

Here’s a common situation.  You feel you’re too low on the totem pole to reach out to some senior managers.  Here's what to do.

Read: C-Level Relationship Selling – Lower Levels Can Sell Easily to C-Levels

Let me know your how you feel.

 

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C-Level Selling - Handling Purchasing, Committees, and Delegated Authorities

Committees, purchasing and low level delegates don’t decide. They only recommend. Even if you win them over, it doesn't mean you get the sale.  However, if you lose them, that doesn't have to mean you lose the sale.  In other words, don't get stuck with purchasing, committees and delegated subordinates.

Use these proven C-level selling actions to work your way through purchasing, committees and delegates to win more sales.  Read these powerful sales actions at:

C-Level Selling - Handling Purchasing, Committees, and Delegated Authorities

Good Selling, and let me know your feelings.

 Bonus Tip:  FREE E-book  Getting Past Gatekeepers and Handling Blockers .  If you can’t get to the powerful decision makers, you’re depending on others to do your selling at the high levels.  The problem is you won’t know what they say, if they say anything at all. 

C-Level Relationship Selling – 3 Steps to Handle the “Too Busy” Selling Objection

Learn how to handle “The executive is too busy to see you.”  sales objection, Contacts use this excuse, yet bosses free-up time to get information necessary to make their final decisions.

So click this link for some easy actions to overcome this common selling objection.
C-Level Relationship Selling – 3 Steps to Handle the “Too Busy” Selling Objection

Bonus Tip:  FREE E-book "Getting Past Gatekeepers and Handling Blockers " .  If you can’t get to the powerful decision makers, you’re depending on your contacts to do your selling at the high levels.  The problem is you won’t know what they say, if they say anything at all.  Click this link 

C-Level Relationship Selling – Use Your Golden Network for Leverage

There are people you know who can coach you along to win sales, and/or cross-sells, and/or point out high quality leads. 

 

Sales people are reluctant or uncomfortable to ask others to make introductions for them – no matter how tight their relationship.  In many selling situations they may even feel it’s unnecessary to move beyond their primary contact.  What happens is the sales person gets stuck – stuck with a gatekeeper, or stuck with only one of the many decision makers.  The results are limited information as to how to win the sale, loss of control to this contact, and no chance to make an impact on the other executives involved with the selection process.

 

So here are some tips to change this situation.

 

C-Level Relationship Selling – Use Your Golden Network for Leverage

 

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Networking Magic for C-Level Relationship Selling

Networking produces leads, contacts, and C-Level relationships better than anything.  So use your resources.  You know people that know people who can get you to where you want to be.  However you have to stop and think about this for a minute because you’re not used to using these contacts.  Once you start to think about who you know, you’ll be amazed at how many resources you have.

 

Common Situations - Cold Calling or Trying to Get to Hard-to-See Executives

 

Most people suffer the rejection and futility of cold calling admins because they hate to ask people they know for help.  What happens is they get nowhere slowly. Even worse, the constant rejection causes them to totally avoid prospecting for new opportunities and clients. As a result sales slump which makes salespeople feel worse.  They become desperate and make more cold calls and the downward rejection cycle continues.

 

Now here are some tips to get your networking process going.

 

Click here to read Networking Magic for C-Level Relationship Selling article

 

and/or

 

Watch Sam Manfer's Networking Your Way to Selling Success Video

C-Level Relationship Selling - Identifying the Ultimate Decision Maker

 

Determining the final decision maker and other high level influencers is one of the most challenging tasks for a sales person. Sales people usually assume their primary contact or the next level of command beyond will make the decision.  Sometimes there’s a a committee and it’s believed they make the decision.  But who assigned the committee and who gets the committee’s recommendation.

 

Many people influence B2B sales (especially those over $10,000). These people are up an out from the direct purchasing path.  However, their inputs are heard by the ultimate decision maker.  If the sales person hasn’t talked with these influencers and the leader, he will be at a severe disadvantage and lack any control.  So here are some tips.

 

 Prepare Yourself

 

1.   Top people are the profit center leader and those that report directly to him.  Look at an org chart, and ask people who’s really in control of what happens.

2.    Spread like a virus.  Keep asking you contact for introductions to others at the same level and above. 

3.   Ask yourself, “Will the person I feel is the final authority discuss this project with anyone above him before he gives his approval to buy?” 

4.   Who are the other people this leader meets with regularly - his sphere of influence.  Have you met these people, yet?

5.   Be careful of who signs.  Lawyers and purchasing managers sign, but get their directions from others.  Realize also that budgets are not authorizations for spending.

6.    Don’t ever believe someone is only a rubber stamp.  That stamp wants assurances before he stamps. 

7.   Don’t underestimate what affects the top– and not just financially. 

8.    Will your sale or this contract be discussed at a staff meeting? As a rule, anything over $10,000 will be. 

9.   Ask others who approved similar purchases of equal magnitude and impact. 

 

Take This To The Street

 

Select an existing account.  Who are your contacts?  Who’s up and out?  If you don’t know or haven’t met with these people mark them as big red flags. It’s your alert to dig deeper.  If you don’t know who’s calling the shots, you’re in jeopardy. 

 

To Read a Case Study and the expanded article click this link:

C-Level Relationship Selling - Identifying the Ultimate Decision Maker

 

Relationship Selling to C-Level Executives – How to Use Entertainment for More Sales

Most people conjure up socializing when they here the term relationship selling.  In business relationships are all about helping each other survive and prosper in his or her job.  Socializing should be a byproduct of good relationship selling. 

If I’m a C-Level executive decision maker, a relationship would mean providing me with solutions to problems such as, taking care of my employees, saving me money, helping me beat competition, making it easier for more sales, etc.  If you can deliver, and I see it’s you that makes it happen, then I want to continue working with you and possibly socialize with you.

Socializing can be great fun, but unless ....  Read on at

Relationship Selling to C-Level Executives – How to Use Entertainment for More Sales

or Watch the Video at

Video Relationship Selling to C-Level Executives – How to Use Entertainment for More Sales

C-Level Relationship Selling - 6 Steps to Avoid Selling Suicide

“I’ve got a great product, and I know this prospect can use it, but I can’t get this person interested.”  Sound familiar.  Well the problem to this dilemma is not competition, your price, etc.  It's the word “I”.  Look how many times “I” is used. 

A great product/service can die on the vine if the sales person assumes s/he has the answers to the prospects problems. Here are some tips to activate prospects’ interests.

Read this short but poignant article at C-Level Relationship Selling - 6 Steps to Avoid Selling Suicide

7 Sales Management Training Drill for Handling “I’m Interested, but I’ll get back to you.”

Prospects lose interest in your pitch for many reasons.  So before they do, use it to meet more and higher level people to generate shared interest.

 

Prepare Yourself

 

1.   Your attitude has to always be, “Get to the leaders.”  A prospect’s interest doesn’t mean much if you haven’t talked to the leader.  Subordinates can be helpful, but don’t expect them to sell your offering to their bosses.  It requires effort and risk for a questionable reward for them.

2.   Whenever you approach an opportunity or prospect, ask (in your own words), “Who else will be involved and who do those people report to?” You can’t depend on your contact to generate interest in all the other people who will have a say in the purchase.  If your contact is interested, get him or her to introduce you to the other people.

 

 For the rest or this article click here:  7 Sales Management Training Drill for Handling “I’m Interested, but I’ll get back to you.”

6 Sales Management Drills for Relationship Selling to CEOs and Top Executives

Practice is not something one does when their good.  Practice is what makes one good.

Here are 6 drills on how to train your sales peoples to get to the top and make a selling difference.

6 Sales Management Drills for Relationship Selling to CEOs and Top Executives

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Sales Management - 7 Selling Tips on Handling Price, Price, Price

Price is tricky.  Price could be what s/he wants if everything else is the same. Price could be what someone tells you when they want to get rid of you.  Price could be for a resell and the final seller only knows how to sell low price.  Price could be what a subordinate thinks the boss wants, as in, “Get us the best deal.”  Price could be in this range, or within my budget, or what I can afford.  Price could be, “We’re big and we know we can squeeze you.”

Well, here's 7 ways to handle price objections and demands for the lowest price....

Sales Management - 7 Selling Tips on Handling Price, Price, Price

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