…if it ever really did

I’ve said it before, but it's true…

…If you want to know why John Smith buys what John Smith buys, you’ve got to see the world through John Smith’s eyes…

Is that so hard to remember?

Did you think that just because the nameplate on door says “Jonathan P. (for “power broker&rdquo Smythe, CEO“ the rules have changed? Or did you just assume that you already know why and what a CEO buys based on some mashed-up caricature of Bill Gates, Gordon Gecko and Thurston Howell III? All you need to do is figure out how to work 8080 assembly language and LBOs into your sales pitch and then you’ll be all set for that three-hour cruise...

Its not that simple-- or that hard. Here’s the simple part.

Every CEO wants his or her business to succeed.

But what does that mean specifically? As someone who had spent the better part of the last 25 years selling to-- but more importantly being sold to as a C-level executive-- I can tell you that while it can be tricky, it's not a mystery either.

But I'll tell you one thing, there are a handful of specific tactics or approaches that are guaranteed to fail. Today I'll touch on three of them:

Don't Try to “Finesse” Me

There may be a place and a time to use all the little sales "tricks" you learn in your typical sales training. But when pitching a C-level executive, leave your tie-downs at home. Try to “bait and switch” or pull out your “one-time only end of the quarter special pricing” and you'll lose not only the sale, but any semblance of credibility. Your typical “show up and throw up” sales techniques won't work. At best, it’s a waste of time and at worst it’s an insult.

Don't Try to Be My “Friend”

Look, I'm a successful CEO. I've already got plenty of friends (thank you very much) and even more want to be (or at least pretend to be) my friends. I don't care about your golf handicap or your alma mater and frankly I wasn't planning on sharing mine with you either. I'm here for business. Believe me I'll warm up considerably AFTER you've demonstrated that you can help me grow revenue (double digits would be nice) or improve my EBITDA (how about by 5%?).

Don't Ask a Lot of Questions

“So, Mr CEO, tell me what keeps you up at night?”

Well it's NOT gleeful anticipation of meeting the next day with a psycho babble spouting junior sales rookie Zig Ziglar wannabe just to hear him ask irrelevant questions about my sleeping habits. (ouch!)

QBS (Question-based) selling, SPIN selling and even “consultative” selling don't work at this level. If you have unanswered questions, it's a little late to bring it up at this point. And it’s a waste of my time to educate you.

I know this may well contradict what you've heard before. That your goal is to become a “trusted business advisor." “Trust” me. Don't flatter yourself. I've already got plenty of trusted advisors, and I'm not looking for another one.

I care about strategic goals and financial goals. That’s it. You’re not qualified (or invited) to comment on my strategy, but you might be able to impact my financial results. And no matter what you think, I’m looking for two things and two things only from our relationship.

#1- increase my revenue.

OR

#2- lower my expenses.

Obviously, there are a lot of other more specific financial metrics that drive my decisions (more about that later), but as far as you’re concerned, if what you're bringing to the table can't be boiled down to either one or both of these objectives, you're likely to blow your big chance.

Tags John Smith