Best tips for Connecting with Difficult-to-Reach Decision-Makers
- Jitender Lakhani (JL)
- February 22, 2022
- Category: Sales Leadership, Sales Organisation Development
Only a few salesmen ever grasp the art of reaching a decision-maker. It’s more difficult than ever to contact high-level decision-makers. Consider NOT SELLING to the most senior individuals in huge corporations if you want to build great relationships with them. Make an effort to connect with them initially. Bring them value on a level playing field and see if a business possibility arises.
Here are six approaches for making contact with decision-makers-
Get to Know the Players
Investigate the company’s leadership structure and perform some preliminary research on their website and LinkedIn. This will not only assist you in determining who the decision-maker is, but it will also provide you with further insight into the leadership dynamic and the sort of effect other individuals may have on buying choices.
Make a strategy
You should have a valid business reason before attempting to contact them (VBR). Your VBR is the reason THEY WANT TO SPEAK TO YOU RIGHT NOW, and it never mentions you, your product, your pricing, or even your brilliant ideas.
“I know about YOUR BUSINESS, here’s HOW I can assist, and here’s why we need to meet RIGHT NOW,” your VBR states.
Don’t be afraid of the Gatekeeper
A gatekeeper isn’t someone you need to be afraid of. The question is How do you get past the scary ‘’gatekeeper’’ then? The first thing you need to do is stop seeing them as your competitor and begin to see them as valuable supporters.
It’s typically simply a very kind individual who’s been advised by their supervisor not to put through salespeople. To get them to let you through, be confident, courteous, comfortable, and personable, and attempt to get them to laugh or chat as soon as they respond.
Leave Useful Voicemails
When you leave a voicemail, one of three things will happen: they will never hear it, they will ignore you and erase it, or they will call you back.
They’ll know you’re selling anything if you leave your name, company, and complete VBR, and they’ll have enough information to decide if they want to contact you back. Remember that as soon as they realize you’re attempting to sell them anything, their defenses will rise and your chances will drop.
- Make a Special Effort
By putting up a little more effort in your research and communication, you may easily stand out from the crowd.
Even in such a competitive field as B2B sales, most salespeople don’t spend any time or effort learning about their prospects or adapting their approach before giving up. Spending a little more time, conducting a little more follow up, and showing your genuine desire to assist can help you have a greater impact and be more effective.
- Gatekeepers can be your allies
They are taught to filter all calls for spamming sales attempts, yet they still want to be treated well and to feel valued. You may persuade people to support you if you use the appropriate approach.
Having a gatekeeper on your side is beneficial not just in terms of getting through to the decision-maker, but also in terms of closing the transaction, upselling, and keeping an account pleased in general.
If you become friends with a gatekeeper, you can fight the battle together. What a valuable buddy to have on your team!