Selling to C-Suite Executives Module 2: Gaining Access and Establishing Credibility

In Module 2, participants learn about the significance of achieving direct or indirect access to executives and the need to create a specific plan to contact the relevant executive. 

This module also reviews roadblocks that may be put in place by executives in client organizations to avoid meeting with salespeople and what the salesperson can do to address specific roadblocks.  

Understanding why roadblocks exist are reviewed, along with two key questions that salespeople have to address before considering circumventing a roadblock.  Those questions are:

• What are the risks associated with attempting to gain access to the relevant executive by circumventing the roadblock?
• What are the risks (both short- and long-term) of not getting to the relevant executive at this point in the sales campaign?

Participants learn that they need to demonstrate both capability at the business level and integrity at the personal level to operate in the client’s value zone and become perceived as a trusted advisor to the executive.

Three levels of learning are reviewed; namely, the client’s industry, the client’s company and the client executive. Participants learn that, by doing their homework on the client in that manner, they will have gained a thorough understanding of the client’s business environment.  

Participants are then introduced to the comprehensive Guide to Client Discovery, (a module handout) which helps salespeople navigate through the client research process in an efficient fashion. 

Participants also learn the steps involved in planning and executing an initial face-to-face call on a client executive, as well as expected outcomes of that first call, again using the JKEA case study.