By Gary Walker, EVP of Channel Sales & Operations, CustomerCentric Selling®
“When prospecting, is there any advantage to being delegated down?”
I just recently conducted two Prospecting & Business Development Work Sessions, one in Seattle and another in Atlanta. This particular question came up in both sessions while we were discussing who salespeople should be targeting, attempting to engage with (remember, you can’t sell to someone who can’t buy) and how difficult it is.
If you can speak with the senior person you’re targeting and attempting to engage with, that is a WIN. If in attempting to reach that senior executive you get delegated down to someone else within the prospect organization, you should also consider that a WIN. Why? Because the #1 reason given by senior executives for engaging with a salesperson they don’t know is: A referral from someone within inside the company. 84% of executives surveyed indicated they would accept a meeting/call when the referral comes from someone within their company.
By calling high and getting ‘delegated down’ you have in effect created your own ‘referral’. Unfortunately, most salespeople don’t know what to do next. I’m instructing you to send a Request a Meeting to the person you have been delegated to. In the subject line and body of the Request a Meeting, indicate who referred you to them, along with the high probability issue or triggering event you would like to discuss. Pre-call planning goes a long way here.
If the person declines or ignores your Meeting Request, you have the right to go back to the senior executive who delegated you down/referred you initially and ask them to intercede on your behalf.
I hope you found this tactical Sales Thought helpful. Give it a try and let me know how it works for you: gwalker@customercentric.com
