Sales managers are always insisting that sale reps should sell high, but that’s not always practical. Some organizations push buying decisions so far up the chain that nobody except a CEO is likely to get face-time with the guy who’s got the cash.
The most obvious example of this is the military, where the generals make the decisions but are supposed to be isolated from the contractors. There are also firms that surround the decision-maker with organizational walls, simply to make sure that sales reps don’t call on them.
When that’s the case, you may need to get your lower-level customer contacts to sell your offering for you. Here’s how, in six easy steps:
Step1. Make a decision. Sometimes getting to see the decision-maker is just a matter of persistence. Is really impossible to get a meeting? I mean, really??? Remember: the harder it is to get in to see somebody, the easier they are to sell. That’s why they’re making it difficult for you to get access. So don’t give up too soon or too easily.
Step 2. Locate the best champion. Chances that you’ve had the opportunity to meet with a few people in the firm before discovering that you’re not going to get to see the big Kahuna. So now you’re looking for somebody accessible who’s consistent and trustworthy, reasonably well-positioned to carry your message up the chain, and (important!) willing to learn from you how to sell your offering.
Step 3. Do extra research and homework. If you’re prepping up a customer contact to sell for you, you need to prepare far more thoroughly than for a regular sales meeting. Bring every kind of material that your champion might need to carry your message forward. Anticipate any kind of question or problem that the champion might encounter.
Step 4. Craft an incredible solution. This is where your communications skills come in handy. Ask probing questions, discover requirements, and build a solution in a collaborative way so that the champion feels ownership for it. Because your champion lacks your sales skills, the solution will need to exceed the requirements and pull the sale forward on its own merits.
Step 5. Coach your champion. Unless your champion has previous sales experience, you’re going to have to coach on how to sell your solution. Encourage the champion to think of presenting the advantages of the solutions through questions, while having all the right answers. (Sales 101a stuff.) Work with your champion on the presentation and notes to be used in the meetings with the decision-makers.
Step 6. Follow-through flawlessly. Your champion won’t be able to sell as quickly as you might like and may become discouraged in the process. You must continue to provide support and build the relationship both during and after the sales effort. Ideally, you’ll be able to cultivate a contact that can bring you business for years to come.
Pretty easy, eh? But I want to emphasize one more time: Do everything you can to get in to see the decision-maker yourself before trying this technique. If you can break through those roadblocks, you’re home free, because the bigwig is probably a pushover.
Why else would he be afraid to speak with a sales professional directly?
