Selling to Big Companies Blog

Dealing with the "Close a Deal a Week" Manager

Alex works for a company that sells to smaller accounts. He's confident that their service would fit well for larger clients and has started to pursue them. While Alex knows it takes a while to land bigger deals, his "close a deal a week" sales manager isn't happy - especially since he isn't on the phone as much as others.

So Alex wants to know: How do I build a business case to convince my boss that it's worth going after these big companies?

Jill's Response

Alex, I have no doubt that your service will fit well with larger accounts. And, you're absolutely right about it taking more time to crack into corporate accounts and get their business.

However, I'm not sure you'll EVER get your deal-obsessed manager to value of the preliminary work you're doing to get your foot in the door.

People who think that sales is all about smiling & dialing literally have no comprehension of the new way of selling. For them, unless you're making calls you're not doing your job. They think research, analysis, and preparation time is all wasted time.

If you talk with your sales manager about your ideas, he may agree to let you give it a try. However, when the sales don't come in quickly, they start to panic. Then they start putting pressure on you to make more calls.

Before long, they want you to abandon your corporate account entry campaigns and go back to sure deals with little firms. Unless, of course, you happen to strike it rich with a big company right away.

I suspect that's not what you want to hear. But that's what I see – over and over. Management is under intense pressure to deliver short-term results. If they don't, their own jobs are at risk. So fear prevents them from investing in the very strategies that could take their sales to the next level.

So where does that leave you? In my opinion, you have 3 choices:

1. Keep pursuing the smaller accounts. Do what you're expected to do.

2. Keep pursuing the smaller accounts, but target a few big companies to pursue in addition to your normal workload. Let your boss know what you're doing, but don't make a huge deal out of it. Be willing to invest personal time on research, etc. When you get the business, that's proof enough.

3. Leave the company. If you truly believe in the "Selling to Big Companies" approach to sales, you'll have a hard time working for a boss who thinks it's all about dialing for dollars. There are lots of companies out there who are desperately seeking a true consultative salesperson.

If any of you have ideas on how to convince the "close a deal a week" sales manager that pursuing big companies is a good investment of time - even if it takes a while to get results - please share them ....

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