Purpose:
Establishing credibility and expertise in the executive office is critical to selling complex solutions. Much of the current literature and training by B2B corporations surrounding the executive office focuses only sales skills (e.g., challenger sales or solution selling). Effective selling in the executive office is a more complex, concept-oriented process that merges original Ideas with the sales organization’s understanding of how to leverage the Ideas to garner interest. By focusing on Ideas, you shift focus away from evaluating the sales representative’s abilities or the company’s brand, to the power and possibility of the Idea.
Benefits: By learning how to sell in the executive office, you can:
- Initiate and shorten sales cycles,
- Increase revenue, margin, and the number of deals,
- Better understand the customer’s issues and situation,
- Distinguish your company from competitors,
- Reduce sales costs by adopting “paid-for” selling mechanisms through the Service Chain SM construct,
- Position yourself as a subject matter expert, and
- Begin the journey of True Intimacy and Renewable Differentiation.
Critical Success Factors:
Selling in the executive office requires dual focus on what you want to offer — ideas, integrated solutions– and where you want to offer these solutions — segments, subsegments, target executives, and accounts — to provide meaningful conversation above the Line of Safety SM. It is important to work across your organization — consulting, sales, and account management must collaborate to be successful.
Tools:
Executive Mindset, Idea Selling SM, Idea Meeting, Stakeholder Meeting, Service Chains SM, True Solutions SM