2 Necessary Ingredients for Closing Executive Deals—Trust and Capability

To be successful selling to executives, you need to succeed at two levels—personal and business. The executive sales training folks we talk to are clear that sales success in the C-suite requires that a salesperson prove both that they are trustworthy and that they have the capability to provide a solution of value.

Personal Trust
Executives, like anyone else, are more apt to buy from someone they like. But what matters even more is whether or not they trust the provider. Full disclosure is a major part of demonstrating your credibility. There are always issues with complex sales. Make sure you are open and honest about any snags or problems you foresee. You will earn the executive’s respect and trust for your integrity.

Business Capabilities
Of course, no matter how strong your personal relationship, if you do not have the experience, skills, knowledge and credibility to both fully understand and solve the business problem, there will be no sale. Prove your knowledge and expertise in every interaction and provide relevant case studies that illustrate your capability to provide a solution that will work.

Learn more at: http://www.lsaglobal.com/executive-selling-training-coaching/

The Best Time to Engage Executives in the Sales Process

If you want to engage the executives at your client company, you need to time it right. Depending upon the complexity and visibility, they typically bow in and out of the buying decision. Your best chance of presenting to and influencing the senior decision makers is at the beginning and the end of the sale. Executive sales training professionals explain why your timing matters…

The Beginning of the Sales Cycle. Executives want to be involved at the beginning because that is when the objectives of the project are defined. They want to be sure that the project’s goals are fully aligned with the organization’s overall strategy. Only then will they be assured that an investment is warranted.

The Middle of the Sales Cycle. The middle of the sale process is usually handled by managers who are responsible for understanding and evaluating competitive options. They are the ones with a stake in the more routine vetting, management and negotiation of the sale. Any executive-level contact at this stage is only for those sales people with very strong executive-level relationships in order to better understand politics, size up the competition and navigate the buying process.

The End of the Sales Cycle. Executives often reappear near the close of the buying cycle. Their interest then is making sure that the final decision makes sense, the project is set up to succeed, the success metrics are clear and that the relationship is starting off on the right foot.

2 Critical Things You Should Know - Talking to Executives So They Listen

Selling to executives is perhaps the most difficult of all sales scenarios. Executives have so many demands placed upon their own time that they are, themselves, a very demanding audience. What drives them crazy and pushes you back out the door is when they think that you are wasting their time.

Take a few tips from executive sales training experts—many of whom have had to learn the hard way—on how to talk to executives so that they listen.

1. Capture their interest right away. Craft your message so that it is clear why you are there and why they should pay attention. Be concise and use simple language. Convince them that you have something that will help them further their specific strategy for their organization.
2. Tell them what you want of them. Set expectations upfront. Do not leave them guessing. What kind of decision do you want from them at the end of your discussion or presentation? 

Now they are ready for the “rest of the story.”

4 Go To Resources for Better Executive Sales Call Planning

Meeting with executives requires far more time in planning because they expect so much more of you so quickly. They want you to be well informed and do not want to spend their valuable time giving you background that is readily available elsewhere. So, where do you go to get the information you need?

Executive sales training experts point to the following sources of information:

1. The customer’s website. Read executive backgrounds, product descriptions, company locations, etc. and pay special attention to annual reports, the letter from the CEO, their 10K and press releases.
2. News articles. Look for recent news on the industry as well as the customer company so you can be aware of market trends and competition.
3. Online research. Use LinkedIn, Hoovers and whatever tools you have to learn more about the company and its major players.
4. Networks. Use your own firm’s network for others who may have called on the company. Check out trade magazines. Join relevant associations and read their newsletters.

Now you are ready to speak confidently at the executive level, address real concerns and present an educated and insightful point of view.

Sales’ Major Challenge – 3 Ways to Communicate Executive-Level Value

Over half of the Sales Account Managers interviewed claim that their Number One challenge is teaching their sales reps how to effectively communicate value to executive buyers…what is it that their solution and approach provides that sets them above and apart from the competition?

It no longer works to have a general description of your solution’s advantages. Today’s customers are far better informed, far more sophisticated and enter the sales process farther along than they used to. Salespeople have to be able to clearly and compellingly articulate the unique value their solution brings and how, specifically, their solution fits the buyer’s exact situation.

How can a VP of Sales prepare the team? Executive sales training pros recommend that you:

1. Prepare: Work together with your sales team to script talking points for conversations or emails that differentiate your solutions from the competition based upon the top 5 scenarios they are likely to face.


2. Track & Adjust: Monitor which messages are more effective than others in moving deals toward a successful close.


3. Be Customer-Centric: Be sure that the messages are relevant and specific to the customer’s interest and need.  They must resonate with their most pressing concerns and be believable.

The Key to a Successful Conversation in the Executive Office

Every salesperson seeks an appointment with the executive making the buying decisions. And almost every salesperson who enters the C-level suite is well-versed in have the “discovery” conversation. And most salespeople who get this far are smart and experienced. If you fit this category—good at questioning and business-savvy—take a tip from executive sales training experts. The only way to stand out in this stellar crowd is to differentiate yourself in a way that makes your executive prospect sit up and take notice.

Enter with a point of view. Don’t force your potential buyer to reiterate answers to questions they have been asked already. Executives are more concerned about what they don’t know than what they know. What can you teach them about an issue or problem that should bother them? How can you add value?

Executives don’t want to waste their time educating you. They want to learn themselves. Spend your time preparing for the executive conversation by talking with managers in the organization, gathering data and developing a new, unique and enlightening perspective.

A Not Very Well-Kept Executive Sales Secret

Most salespeople agree that when customers “like you” they are more apt to buy from you. And, though this is not always the case, the opposite is almost always true—if customers dislike you, they will look elsewhere for your product or service.

So smart salespeople try to build rapport with their customers early on. Executive sales training experts agree that likeability matters. The “secret” is how to do this quickly…in the very first meeting.

Find common ground. This will establish a level of shared trust according to psychologists. And the commonalities do not have to be all that unique. It could be that you are both from the East coast, or that you work out regularly, or that you play a musical instrument or that you love to read sci-fi novels. Do your best to ferret out information that has been freely posted on LinkedIn or Facebook to find that precious tidbit that will connect you to your customer and make you instantly likeable.

Don’t overdo it, but find common ground quickly.