The New Power Base Selling: Master The Politics, Create Unexpected Value and Higher Margins, and Outsmart the Competition

Step 4: Conduct a Meeting

In general, you should set four objectives when preparing for an executive meeting in order to move up the Sales Value Chain and determine how to provide Unexpected Value. If you are dealing with an Opponent, fold the advice provided in Chapter 7 into the preparation and execution of the meeting.

1. Establish your credibility early in the meeting by using your intel.

2. Demonstrate that you are able to contribute as a thought leader, suggesting unconventional possibilities to advancing the customer’s business.

3. Initiate a relationship; talk about what you and your company believe in to establish a cultural fit, if it exists. If it does not, look for common personal ground where you may have overlapping interests.

4. Gain the executive’s explicit sponsorship and support to work together to further develop your draft Value Statement and then form the right set of assumptions that will lead to a sound Value Proposition.

There is no “one best way” to run an executive meeting; much of it hinges on the type of access you achieve and your ability to react in real time to what the executive says to you. For example, if you are able to secure a five-minute meeting at an industry conference, you need to get to your point quickly. Conversely, if you are able to arrange a one-hour briefing, you will be able to proceed in more detail. Keep in mind that some of the best encounters can be brief and unplanned!

You need to demonstrate your interpersonal skills, ...