Myth Busting

Big Companies are run by people.

That's the common thread you have with the top C.E.O. of the account that you want to land.

Check this out from SalesDog.com:

Learning to Speak "Executive"
by Leslie Buterin

If you want to close deals, you need to sell to top executives. To sell to them, you need to learn how to speak their language. Leslie Buterin shows you how.

Cold calling high-level decision-makers takes a shift in thinking, a rewiring of your brain. Why? Because according to our experience with thousands of sellers, more than 87 percent of sales professionals still hold onto, and take action based on, three beliefs that actually sabotage cold calls made to executive levels.

Drop the announcements
First, the majority of salespeople think they need to announce the name of their company as a way of gaining credibility when cold calling a prospect. This is simply not true. This is unnecessary information for executive-level decision makers. In fact if the prospect has had an unpleasant experience with your industry your company name will only serve to conjure up the bad feeling associated with that experience.

Talking as fast as you can
Second, many sales professionals believe they must speak as fast as they can, to make their point about what product or service they have to offer the prospect within the limited time they have them on the phone. They hope to get a phrase or two out that will hook the prospect and keep them engaged in the call. Again, not true.

Prospects really do not care about what product or service you have to offer. If they have any familiarity with your product or service at all, they will use this information to pigeonhole you and send you down the hall to the person who handles "that sort of thing."

Avoid the long road
Third, many sales pros still persist in taking the long road. With ferocious tenacity they cold call low levels of an organization and painstakingly look for in-house introductions to those at the top of the company.

Wrong again. This does not work because most of those low-level decision-makers walk in fear and trembling of the high-level decision-makers. They do not know the words to say, let alone have the intestinal fortitude to approach those guys. In the unlikely event they do get into the executive suite, those low-level decision-makers want to use that time to make their own case with top decision-makers, not yours.

So, what's a cold calling sales pro to do? Think about the words of Kevin Davis in his book Getting Into Your Customer's Head, "The traditional self-focused selling approach is no longer effective because today's new buyers are unwilling to follow you. They don't want to be 'sold'. They want to make educated decisions. To make a sale, you must join them on the buying path."

Answer executives' key questions
Here's how top selling professionals apply Davis' big thought to cold calling. They know it is of utmost importance to learn the language spoken by those in the executive ranks. The way to speak in terms that are meaningful to top decision-makers is by answering one or more of their top three questions, which are:

How can you increase their revenues? How can you decrease their expenses? How can you improve their communications?

So, how do you speak to executives and get them to listen to you? Come up with a rock-solid value proposition. Sales pros know this one phrase is an important key to getting in the door. Trouble is they just don't know how to come up with one statement that differentiates them from the competition and at the same time compels prospects to say, "Let's meet."

Take a lesson from your happy clients
To develop your value proposition, start by taking the time to interview your happy clients. They are your most important source for the words that will get your cold calls opening doors to the executive suite.

How is it that the words of your happy clients hold so much power? Because, your clients' words are the very words that are most meaningful to your prospects. Let's break this big thought down with a brief example. What follows are changes in language made as a result of coaching calls with clients. As you read, ask yourself which you would be most interested in hearing about:

"Sales training" or "Doubling your sales revenues with three changes to your cold calling practices" "Reducing your combined telecommunications costs" or "Cutting your monthly telephone and internet connections expenses by 50 percent or more" "Life insurance" or "A reduction of your tax liability by more than 20 percent"

What makes these phrases so successful? The value propositions are crafted using words of happy clients, and they stay away from industry-speak. The psychological triggers that work frequently become clear only after you've identified the phrases that work and separated them from the phrases that do not.

Stifle your industry speak
Here's what one of my clients learned using this process. He sells telecommunications products and services. His clients who use and love his services want Wal-Mart like, everyday low prices on phone and internet connections. When these clients heard the word "telecommunications" they confessed that one word alone conjured up images of time and labor consuming implementation programs; heavy investments in equipment; and big, dollar signs. As soon as the big dollar word, "telecommunications," was uttered, they were not interested, their brains shut down. They never even heard him say his purpose was to reduce their expenses!

Turns out, the phrase "telecommunications cost" is pure industry-speak; unwelcome language that triggers negative connotations in prospect's minds. Of course this is not at all what my client intended to convey. How did he find this out? By interviewing clients and learning that everyday decision-makers think and speak in terms like telephone and internet connection expenses.

Talk to your clients and you will find that they will highlight certain benefits. Do not be surprised if they come up with benefits that never crossed your mind or easy to understand language that demystifies what you are selling. Then, use their words to craft your very own killer value proposition that will get you in the door for face-to-face meetings with decision-makers.

Learning executive speak is not a massive undertaking and building comfort with the lexicon of high-level decision-makers is well worth the time you invest. Why? Because, you can attract their attention and stand far above your competitors when you take the time to learn the language of your prospects.

With a paralyzing fear of cold calling and a $140,000 investment of her services, Leslie Buterin developed a system to reach high-level decision-makers as a regular course of doing business, not a matter of chance. You can have sustainable, predictable, cold-calling success and double, triple, even quadruple your results. Find "Secrets to Scheduling the Executive Level Sales Call" and more at www.ColdCallingNetNews.com.

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