Starting At The Right Level...duh

“If it was easy everybody would do it.” Wise words from a sales manager of mine. Let’s spend a moment on where we start in the sales process. Sure we’d all love to place a phone call, write an email to the key stakeholder in a company and secure an appointment. This would shorten the sales process getting us to a decision quicker so we can either close the deal or move on to the next one. But as my sales manager said time and again, "this ain’t easy." The sales leaders who forget the real world learn to regurgitate the phrase, “start at the top” without regard to what happens when we either can’t get to the top or we are pushed from the top to mid level or worse to the bottom. Let’s not waste valuable time talking about the perfect world scenarios of starting at the top and reaching it. Let’s spend time rather dealing with what happens enough of the time to be worth our time here.

First take the scenario of reaching the top and being pushed down. That’s not a bad thing necessarily. Often times the top stakeholder is wrapped up in projects that require their time and to deviate would not be prudent. By pushing you down a rung automatically gives you importance to the next level. You earned that importance because you reached the top and were directed to this next person. You now carry some stroke with this next contact and will make sure you get your fair share of their time because you were directed to do so. Enough said? You want to make sure this lower level player understands you will be reporting back to the top player and ideally in partnership with this person that you’ve both created something of value for the top to consider. 

Now for matters of a little more finesse. You’ve tried all the channels to reach the top. (Let me digress for a moment. I don’t quite believe this day in the connected age that we actually can’t get some type of access to a top player. We know who these people are now and the Kevin Bacon effect is ever more realistic through the socials.) Anyway, let me be a bit more forgiving. Assume you're able to get the attention of somebody at an organization even though it’s not the top. If you have to, take it. Now just like you climbed the ladder in your own organization or place in the world you will implement those skills to reach the level you want to be at.

Professionalism, charm, follow through and bonding on personal levels, etc. will nudge you where you want to be little by little. You’ll have to set the expectation early with whomever you are starting the sales process with that you ultimately are there to show them that you have a worthy product or service that this company should consider folding into their organization. With expectations set early and revisited every so often you have set yourself off and running. When you wanted a sales job you told your boss what you wanted from time to time and then had to prove yourself. Do the same here.

Stoked!