Getting to the decision maker in a sales call is often the toughest part of the entire process. The larger the company is, the more layers there will be to climb through from the receptionist to the boss who signs the checks. In any organization, whatever it might be, the more decisions the person makes, the less contact they will have to day-to-day matters in the organization. These layers of insulation are meant to protect the decision maker’s time because that person is who everyone, from job hunters to you, are trying to contact.
There are two ways to approach the problem of getting to the decision maker who can sign the order to buy your goods or services. The first way is what we like to call the “brute force” method. This is the least efficient, but often the most effective way to get through. It is, however, expensive, time-consuming, and wasteful. It involves persisting your way through each layer of the target company until you finally reach the top. Frankly, it works best with dealing with government bureaucracies and is usually unprofitable otherwise.
The other method is to find a champion. In a nutshell, your goal is to find someone within the client company who has an inside track to the decision maker and then use that person to bypass the insulation layers. This method requires finesse and professionalism, but is far more efficient than using brute force.
Most of the time, this champion will be in the accounts receivable or purchasing office – the department you’re most likely to have contact with anyway. Occasionally, the champion may be in the sales department as well, depending on how your relationship with the client operates. In any case, getting that person to help you is often the easy part. It’s being respectful of the time and effort they will have to expend on your behalf that is most difficult. Too little contact and they will think you must not be in a hurry and too much and they may turn away and tell you to find someone else.
Find a timing interval that is right for the business at hand. An urgent opportunity that may result in losses if not seized should be handled more aggressively than one that is just a normal sales attempt. In any case, always keep the conversation on-point and purposeful. Be truthful about what’s offered and how urgent things might be – exaggeration only hurts things. Be sure to always show appreciation for the person’s time spent on your behalf.
Sales aren’t usually as complicated as many make them seem. Most of the work is about diligence, integrity, and persistence. Many salespeople go beyond these points and become abrasive and annoying, but true professionals know that the straight forward approach works best and that finding a champion, and keeping them, is often the key to building lasting relationships and business.