How to Sell More: Tools and Techniques from Harvard Business Review

Turn a C-Level Customer into Your Most Valuable Reference

By Bill Lee

Bill Lee is president of the Customer Reference Forum, Executive Director of the Summit on Customer Engagement, and author of The Hidden Wealth of Customers: Realizing the Untapped Value of Your Most Important Asset (HBR Press, June 2012).

In any industry, selling to a C-level executive buyer is often a cause for celebration. Senior executive customers tend to have larger budgets, are less price sensitive, and more focused on value. But closing the sale is no time to relax. That’s when the real work—the real opportunity—begins. C-level buyers are often highly ambitious, eager to learn, enjoy the spotlight, and have wide-ranging peer networks, all of which can ...