All of us know that sales are taking longer to close and often wind up
in "no decision". Just getting in to see an executive is an
accomplishment. If that executive is a decision maker it is because one
of three things happened:
- They know and respect you or your company
- Someone in their company recommended you
- You got lucky and happened to contact them at the exact moment when they were thinking about solving the problem you address.
The idea is to get in and have a conversation that enables you to get back in and to do that you have to:
- Know their business issues and drivers before you get there
- Bring insights beyond the obvious
- Relate your business value in financial terms they care about
Without these skills your conversations will be short.