B2B sales and marketing teams must learn how to get the C-Suite buy-in for continued success. But isn’t it easier said than done?
The sales and marketing teams are underperforming when it comes to engaging the C- level execs. It needs a higher level of communication to sell to the members of the C- suite.
The first step is understanding what the C-suite cares about. Selling to them means tailoring your communication to their preferences. Let’s get deep into it!
What the C-Suite cares about
The C-Suite of any company cares about strategy, vision, and turning ideas into reality. Strapped for time, they only want to share their precious time with people like them- not in terms of titles necessarily, but the mindset.
Establish yourself as an expert in your niche or domain. Build rapport with the connections of the C-level executive you’re trying to connect with and ensure people they trust know you.
It’s crucial to prepare right; know your target, their company and the industry, in and out. Rather than selling them from a place of exigency, connect with them from a place of great power.
The Strategy & Execution
Go in with a solid, well-thought-out plan. Chart out how you want the conversation to flow and the direction you’d steer it in to make considerable progress toward closing.
How will you segue from one point to another? What can be the potential objections, and how will you handle those? Could you possibly build a sphere of influence to accelerate the decision-making process?
These are some of the questions you must have answers to before you have a conversation with the C-suite. You can directly talk to your customer’ customers to better understand the end users and create an irresistible value prop.
Always send an agenda so they know who needs to be in the discussion, and always leave the meeting with clear next steps and CTAs.
Rapport Building
The most important thing to connect with the Chiefs of a company is showing you’re worth an investment. Decision-making is the key; it can be an asset or a cost to the balance sheet.
If you have the opportunity to talk to the C-suite- be an active listener. With your body language and verbal communication, show them you’re paying attention to each word they speak.
C-suite is a group of accountable, focused, and highly influential people. If you have to sell to one or more people from this group, determine the key players and their decision- making roles- engaging the whole buying committee.
The Editor’s Note
When you work hard and are strategic enough to crack a deal, go the extra mile and ask for referrals. Overdeliver and deepen your relationship with the C-suite executive.
Be someone they feel is at their level and share their wins and challenges with. Because, in the end, it’s all about relationships.
