Selling to C-Suite - 3 Ways to Establish the Kind of Crediblity that gets you Asked Back.

Many of us in B2B sales know how important it is to develop and maintain relationships with CEOs, CFOs, CIOs and the new CDOs (Chief Data Officers) but often many sales people obtain initial access but then to their surprise, never receive a return phone call or email again. What's the best way to make the most of the time you have in front of the C-Level exec? Here are 3 pieces of advice for establishing a good relationship and making a good impression: 1. Bring value to the conversation that the C Level exec can't get from his own staff. Most employees get stuck in their own little Idahos and don't have the outside perspective that you bring to the table. Bring and deliver good market and competitive insights to the meeting. 2. Establish credibility by giving examples of your success with players in recognizable spaces. Talk about the value you delivered without revealing every secret and method of what you did to deliver the solution. Curiosity is a good thing and mentioning specific success with similar organizations accomplishes just that. 3. Be future focused in your conversations. A long time ago in a galaxy far far away I like many of my friends at Xerox learned how to sell by probing for people's problems. Although that always worked just fine, a better approach more suitable for today's economy focuses the conversation on painting a wonderful future for the prospective buyer. Delivering hope and possibility is always a good thing. Want to learn more? Have me in to talk to you about the "Selling to the C-Suite" unique sales training program and I'll bring you the free book pictured above. Check out our website at www.triplewinsales.com or email me at laura@triplewinsales.com. We also have a great sales tip flipboard at: Successful Selling in Today's Economy http://flip.it/LZGXr via @flipboard Here's to great selling!

Three Easy Ways to Build Excellent Rapport

Here are the three easy ways in a nutshell: Be yourself, Be yourself and Be yourself! Authenticity is a one of those words that we read about in books, hear in sales trainings (at least mine!) and use when giving advice. Its when its put into active daily practice that the benefits of adhering to this great way of being really pay off. We are always meeting new people. In business and in life its critical to make that great first impression. Why is it that being your true self is your most important rapport building skill set? Read the three reasons below: 1. Over a year ago, Maureen Ennis and I attended a great leadership summit sponsored by Inc. magazine featuring my old Xerox friend Bill McDermott the current CEO of SAP as keynote. One of the great takeaways from this event was remembering this: Without being authentic, you can never be credible, and without being credible you can't have integrity, and without integrity you can never be a leader. A great leader. One that we aspire to. 2. When you can be yourself in any situation and learn to take yourself not so seriously, you can incorporate self deprecating humor into your conversations. When people are able to laugh at themselves and make themselves more human, people around them instantly feel more comfortable and exude the same confidence. Laughter and comfort are contagious. 3. One of the great things about getting older is that we recognize quickly the kind of people we DON'T want to be around. I don't know about you but I can't take it when people are constantly dishing out "baloney" about themselves or their situation and pontificate endlessly. When you are not worried about putting on airs, you tend to listen more than you speak. Listening...true listening...is one of the greatest ways of building true rapport. Its always better to focus on the other person speaking more than the words coming out of your own mouth. What's your best example of being truly authentic? Let us know or reach out to us at www.triplewinsales.com.