Behind the assistant or behind that dark, solid door, behind the voice mail or behind the wheel of the car rolling out of the parking lot, a decision maker sits—not wanting to waste time on your sales call.
Is that fair? Is that polite? Maybe not, but bosses, CEOs, and owners don’t have a lot of time for people who just want something from them. How do you get a piece of their time, then? How do you get the decision maker’s attention? How do you prove you are worth listening to?
How Do Decision Makers Spend Their Time? — A small survey of CEOs recently suggested that decision makers would rather read up to four articles or papers on a product or service than sit through an advertising pitch. Apparently, decision makers do have plenty of time for self-directed research and thinking. They want someone who answers their questions or gives them directions to where they can find solutions. After all, how often do salespeople hear, “When I’m ready, I’ll call you?”
Put simply, decision makers want to drive. At the very least, they don’t want you to drive, unless they trust you behind the wheel.
Pitch vs. Participate — Before dreaming up ways to hop into their passenger seat or ease them out of the driver’s seat, consider the conversation already happening with the authors of those articles or papers. Who is involved in that discussion? If an article is on a public blog, others can join that conversation. A decision maker might listen more to someone participating in the discussion around the equipment and processes involved.
In today’s information age, sales aren’t born out of “maybe.” Decision makers want to buy certainty. They may ask, “Are you qualified to sell me this?”
Getting the decision maker’s attention involves more than just getting face time or pitching an offer. Prove you are worth hearing out. Participate in the larger conversation with information that changes how they look at you. Show that you are worth their time.
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Pine Press Printing, Mailing, Marketing & Business Solutions
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