Win The Sales Battle By Capturing The Leader Not By Defeating An Entire Army

Writen by Dr. Gary S. Goodman

It was a beautiful situation.

I was pitching my idea to the CEO, the President, and to two Senior Vice Presidents.

The President and one Sr. VP sided against me, and the CEO and the other Sr. VP were with me.

Guess who won?

Of course, I won, because the CEO backed me and the others, having seen this, backed down.

As it turned out, everything I predicted came true, we did a great program, and all prospered.

Once you have "captured" the leader, the followers generally fall into place.

You absolutely must remember this when you're selling. If you've won the heart, mind, or power of the top person, as a general rule you're in good shape, unless he's a wimp.

So, the question looms: How can you win the influence of top people?

Sure, you can play golf with them, if you can afford the membership at the right country club.

But the easier way is by calling them on the phone.

Oh, don't I know that the anti-cold callers are going to quiver and quake at the mere mentioning of reaching out to sell someone. But you can and really, you must if you hope to gain traction for your proposal.

They're surprisingly accessible, but like those that climb Mt. Everest, the only ones that get to the top are those that try.

Do you know why CEO's and Presidents are more likely to pay attention to your overture than, say, a mere VP?

They aren't called that often, and periodically, they actually appreciate hearing from the outside world. If you contact their secretaries the right way and go through some preliminaries, you might earn fifteen minutes with the big gun.

That time is worth more than meeting with infinite numbers of middling managers.

Most of them can only say no. The top person can say yes, and inscribe a signature on your check.

Cowards and the ignorati try to use less direct means to succeed. Don't emulate them.

Take the road less traveled, right to the top!

Best-selling author of 12 books and more than 900 articles, Dr. Gary S. Goodman is considered "The Gold Standard"--the foremost expert in sales development, customer service, and telephone effectiveness. Top-rated as a speaker, seminar leader, and consultant, his clients extend across the globe and the organizational spectrum, from the Fortune 1000 to small businesses. He can be reached at: gary@customersatisfaction.com.