C-Level Sales Training Tip 15 - Create Confidence Necessary to Win-Over C-Level Executives



Posted: Tuesday, January 26, 2010

by Sam Manfer
Sam Manfer, Sales Consultants

Confidence is what C-level decision-makers want to see in their selling partners. Yet, it's uncomfortable selling to influential leaders. Big ego's come with big titles and these people can be intimidating. Therefore a salesperson's biggest asset is confidence.

If you're confident you exude credibility. Confidence leads to believability and trust, and credibility, believability and trust, respect and results are key ingredients necessary for selling to powerful and C-level executives. However, do not confuse confidence with arrogance or boasting. Confidence is stealth and very pervasive.

The best way to become confident is to prepare. Here's how. Learn about the situation or the executives before the engagement. Ask anyone you can about the situation and executive for information. If you open you're mind, you'll think of a lot of people who can help you. Ask yourself what you want to know. Then prepare questions to get this info. Prepare questions for your contacts and for the executive. Have questions to confirm information and to gather new information. Before meetings call the executive and other participates to learn their expectations of the upcoming meeting. These and other preparations will get you ready and instill a feeling of confidence.

Visualize a positive outcome. Most people are intimidated and feel uncomfortable visiting powerful people. This is called fear in one sense or another. Fear is just the visualization or projection of a negative outcome. Why do you lock you doors? You worry someone will steal your belongings or hurt you. Why do you slow-up when you see a police car? You fear getting a ticket. You're visualizing the worst.

The same is true when thinking about officers of a company involved in the decision making for your sale. This nervousness goes to rationalizations ( I really don't need to meet with the top people ) and/or uneasiness once you decide it is necessary. It is all negative projection - they don't want to meet with you, or others will block you or feel badly if you go to their bosses, or you worry the meeting will go badly and you'll lose the deal. This is all negative speculation.

You don't know how it will go. You don't know that you'll get robbed if you leave your car unlocked. You don't know if you meeting will go well or badly. However, when you think negative, you lose confidence and come across as weak and ineffective.

Confident people feel comfortable asking pointed, penetrating questions ones to learn the executive's real issues, threats and opportunities, and they get the information without interrogating. They feel comfortable following-up with more questions to clear ambiguities and to understand the deeper meaning of words and phrases - often buried issues. Most importantly they posture themselves to listen intently. These actions make leaders feel confident about the individual so that they can project positively about the upcoming deal.

Common Situation

You're Anxious and Uncomfortable Calling on Top People

You enter the room feeling uneasy and slightly intimidated. You're hoping the exec will be cordial and talkative. You're nervous. You start talking about your company and services. You ask none or very few penetrating questions.

Resulting Problem

You Get No Where with Your Sale

Executives want to feel confident about you delivering what they want. Otherwise they want to get rid of you. You've got to show them you care about their concerns and you can deliver solutions better than any alternatives. It takes confidence to dig out the real issues and preparations to deliver targeted presentations.

Check Yourself

Score: 4=Always; 3=Most Times; 2=Usually; 1=Sometimes; 0=Never.

1. Do you strategize before a meeting? I.e. prepare a sales call plan. ____

2. Do you discuss your meeting plans with your team or manager before meetings? ____

3. Do you have a standard presentation about your company that you open with? ____

4. Do you ask pointed questions to learn what's going on behind the executives decision before you make you presentation? __________

Scoring: 1 + 2 + 4 3 = ?

__ + ___ + __ - ____ = ____

7 and above is good. Less than 7 means read and work this section.

And now I invite you to learn more.

BONUS TIP: Grab your FREE BONUS E-Book "Getting Past Gatekeepers and Handling Blockers" PLUS: Learn 7 more confidence building strategies and tactic to use immediately; plus 4 actions to prepare you to Take It to the Streets in your own style; plus an 8 page narrative describing how to build confidence in more details in this E-Book: Confidence A Sales Person's Biggest Asset. Learn what to do, how to do it and how to feel comfortable doing it. http://sammanfer.com/manual/15.htm

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