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C-Level Relationship Selling – 4 Steps to Generate High Quality Sales Leads

1. Learn What C-Level and Senior Management Perceives As Issues, Threats and/or Problems in Your Area of Expertise

My clients hire me because they all want to increase sales.   So, my first consulting concept for them is look to you existing customers.  But go beyond your main contact and start focusing on getting to and interviewing the C-levels and other top executives.  You’ve got to learn top management’s real time issues that you can help with. These leaders can take action if they perceive a problem and you have viable options, ideas and solutions.  Don’t fret about money.  They have the power to create budgets and sanction ideas. 

However, getting to and engaging the C-Levels in meaningful conversation will require advanced selling skills. To learn more on this look to my website http://www.takemetoyourleaders.com   where you’ll find books, CDs, articles and more. 

2. Renew Old Acquaintances  and Start New Ones

My next consulting concept is spend time with your old customers or those you’ve lost to competitors.  Start with old contacts to again learn real time issues that you might be able to help with. If you win them over, network them to their bosses and/or other associates. 

Next, set up meetings with competitors’ customers you’ve never sold and finally set-up meetings with those prospects that do it all themselves – the self ops. 

3. Selling Is Not Allowed Until Someone Wants to Be Sold

With all of these people your primary goal is to learn real time issues in your areas of expertise.  Try not to sell or promote in these initial visits.  You know it’s not a one-call sale.  So make it a rich experience rather than an “up and out”.  Non-selling is so critical, especially in this recessionary period because everyone will say they can’t afford to do anything and if you get someone to that point, you’re dead in the water.  For now all you really need to know is whether or not there’s potential.  In other words, do the senior people have issues that your services can handle?  Forget about budget for now.  As mentioned above, if they see an answer to what they perceive to be a problem, threat or issue, they will find money.

Now during these conversations, if they don’t mention areas you think should be of interest, offer ideas, but test only to see if they feel it’s a problem.  Be careful here.  It’s not relevant that you feel they should be interested.  Don’t push.  Later you’ll use this information to prioritize and set-up a game plan. 

Always end the meetings by confirming the issues they discussed and then saying something like, “We have a lot of capabilities in this area and have helped others similar to you.  So if you’re interested, I’d like to prepare some ideas and come back to show how we can help you with….”  “Would you be interested in hearing more on this?”  Be sure they say they want you to come back.  If not, don’t push.  You only want those that realize they have a problem and want to learn more about solving it.  You’re not there to generate new problems for them or use proposals to generate interest. 

4. Know the Components of Your Market - Size and Share – Before Pursuing It

From the above meetings with your existing, old or lost customers, your competitors’ customers, and the self-ops, you’ll get an initial idea of the real potential of your market, how much of the market you sell, how much your competitors sell, and what’s unsold for all your products and services -  by region and by customer.  This will then become your focus.   

This exercise and these meetings may sound like too much work and unnecessary, but you have to know what’s out there today before you can effectively pursue it.  If you read my previous article on Generating More Sales, you’ll remember I said to spend 50% of your selling time on existing customers, 30% on old or lost and 20% on new prospects.  These meeting are most of what you should be doing with that time. 

In my next article, I describe how to qualify and prioritize to build your matrix of high potential opportunities.  Following articles will show how to set-up action /energy plans for the most probable pursuits.  But if you can’t wait or you missed the previous, see my feature article series C-Level Selling Means Generating More Sales at this link or the one above.

And now I invite you to

Bonus Tip:   FREE E-Book “Getting Past Gatekeepers and Handling Blockers”.  Just click this C-Level Relationship Selling Link .   Sam Manfer makes it easy for any sales person to be successful and feel comfortable connecting with and relationship selling C-Level leaders.