Selling to Executives – 7 Key Questions to Prepare

With C-Level Executives, first impressions can make or break a deal.

Within minutes, most executives determine if they trust you to help them succeed.

Before you try to sell to the Executive Suite, make sure that you have clear answers to the following questions. Executive buyers expect it, and you cannot afford to make a bad first impression.

1. External Factors: What are the key external factors that are out of your customer’s control that are having a major impact on their business?


2. Top 3: What are your customer’s top 3 business goals, strategies, and priorities?


3. Success Metrics: What key financial performance metrics does your customer use to measure success?


4. Key Challenges: What are your customer’s key business challenges / issues?


5. Potential Solutions: What products/solutions would be appropriate for you to provide to solve the key challenges?


6. Value: What are the specific strategic and financial benefits of your solution?


7. Differentiation: What is your competitive advantage in winning business at this account?

The days of having discovery calls with executives to ask them “what keeps them up at night” are long gone. If you do not walk into the C-Suite prepared, you will be gone as well.