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C-Level Relationship Selling – 3 Steps to Handle the “Too Busy” Selling Objection

Guest post by: Sam Manfer

Article Overview: Learn how to handle the sales objection, “The executive is too busy to see you.” Contacts use this excuse to block you. Yet bosses free-up time for necessary information to make their final decisions.

C-Level Relationship Selling – 3 Steps to Handle the “Too Busy” Selling Objection

How many times have you heard the executive who'll make the final decision is too busy to meet with you? C-Levels and top executives have so many things to do. Well, something is wrong here because at some time the C-Level will have to take the time to learn before s/he makes the final decision. It's not to say that C-levels and other executives aren't busy. However, if this sale is a go project, it will affect this C-level and his status with the company. Therefore, he will want to know what's going on to be sure his expectations are going to be fulfilled. He will make the time before he decides and someone will be delivering the information. That someone should be you. So too busy to see you is an excuse. Someone is blocking you. That is, keeping you from getting to this C-level executive for their own selfish reasons. You need to be there to learn, understand and promote your cause to win-over this C-level leader.

Here's how to prepare you for this common situation.

1. For your next prospect or bid ask yourself:

a. How and where will the chief executive get enough information to make an intelligent decision?

b. Then ask your contact or someone on your Golden Network how she will learn about your offering? I.e. In a staff meeting, a special presentation, from a trusted subordinate, or from you, the sales person?

2. Test your contact's knowledge of the decision criteria. Ask:

a. "What is the C-level's business reason for buying of doing the project?"

b. "What questions will s/he be asking you about your recommendation?"

c. "What are her fears, worries, concerns? What specifically will resolve these?"

d. "Who will be held accountable for success or failure?"

e. "How will the chief decision maker measure success or failure?"

These answers will determine whether or not your contact really knows what's up or is just winging it.

3. Ask yourself:

a. What's important enough for an executive to make time to see you?

b. Why would this top level person want to see you?

c. Who can tell you?

d. Who can help you get into the exec's schedule?

As an Example

I was asked to make a presentation for a sales consulting contract. I wanted to talk with the CEO to learn what he wanted to hear in the presentation, and I was told by the training coordinator that he was too busy. However, having met him previously through someone in my Golden Network, I called his admin and asked if I could talk with him, by phone, about his expectations of the meeting. She put me through to his voice mail where I left the same message. He called me back and explained his concerns and what he wanted me to cover. So I prepared my presentation for the meeting around what he told me. After the meeting, he told me privately I had the contract because he felt I really knew what he wanted and I showed him how he could get it. He then canceled the competitor's presentations. Had I not been persistent in talking with him before the presentation, I could have been off the mark and not very convincing.

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Article Tags: CLevel Selling, Gatekeepers, Getting to CLevels, Handling objections, Relationship Selling, sales consulting, sales management training, sales training



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