I sold technology for more than a decade. Often in my early years, I'd speak to a prospect in the C-suite who did not care about, or didn't understand, the technical aspects of my company’s solutions. Since I wanted to show how smart I (thought) I was, I would go into pitch mode, which included regurgitating technical jargon that I didn't truly understand. I thought my pitch went well until they would say, "You should talk to my network admin." I have nothing against the network admins, but I was trying to develop relationships higher in the organization.
I learned early on that you are relegated to the person you sound the most like in the organization.
Here are three rules I followed when engaging C-level Executives within an organization:
1. Know Your Audience and Their Company
- Do your research: Read the company 10-k/10-Q reports and any other public information so that you can ask intelligent business-related questions.
- Understand how the organization makes money. If a problem impacts their ability to hit their growth targets, the issue is likely to have some attention.
What is the person's DISC style? Don't bore a dominant and big picture thinker with all the details and processes unless they ask. - And of course, read their LinkedIn profile and know their background.
2. Ask Smart Questions
- No matter how incredible your tech is, if you lead with your product's striking features and benefits, you'll sound like every other tech rep out there. Their eyes will glaze over and, likely, just ask for a price.
- Focus on their business. Use your research and lead with questions to get beyond their surface-level pain. The answers they provide will lead them to their own self-realization, which is much more potent than anything you could ever tell them.
- You can't sell anyone anything; they must discover they want it! That takes place by asking great questions!
3. Limit self-orientation
- Customers buy for their reasons, not yours. If you use phrases with "I" or "we," then the focus is not on the customer. Be conscious about the language you use.
- Use 3rd party stories as a way to give a glimpse into how you can help, but doing so without talking about your product. Plus, people are more likely to admit they have a problem when they know others have the same issue.
- Adopt an enable mindset, as opposed to a convince mindset!
Bonus tip: Maintain equal business stature. All-day. Everyday.
Turning Sales Theory into Real-World Application:
If you rate your ability to engage with Executives on a scale of 1-10, what would that number be? These tips may be something you are already implementing consistently, so you might rate yourself a 9, which would be awesome. So, the question is, how do you go from a 9 to a 9.2 or 9.4? That incremental improvement could make a massive difference in your customer interactions and, ultimately, your sales opportunities.
Time and time again, the tried-and-true method of improving your customer conversations comes through deliberate practice and Pre-Call Planning. A great lawyer would never argue a case without preparation, and a successful actor would not recite the words of a script for the first time when they are on set, and the director says action. Yet, professional salespeople "wing it" in meetings every single day.
Pre-call Planning is your ticket to ensuring your meetings are successful. You can plan the questions you will ask, the potential questions the customer will ask, and then your responses, plus so much more.
Having a plan will not only improve your odds of things going smooth but improve your ability to actively listen, build credibility, and ultimately develop trust with the Executives with whom you engage.
Good luck, and feel free to contact me if you have any questions about selling and managing teams in the Software and Tech space or simply want to expand your network.
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