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C-Level Sales Training Tip 14 - Credibility Is the Magic for Selling to C-Level Executives

Guest post by: Sam Manfer

Article Overview: Credibility is paramount to sell, and develop professional relationships with C-levels and other powerful people. This article will explain the simple process to establish and enhance your credibility with C-Level executives, doctors, and other influential people.

C-Level Sales Training Tip 14 - Credibility Is the Magic for Selling to C-Level Executives

Credibility is the key ingredient to gain someone's support and to get you what you want from that person. If you've got it with someone, you'll have easy access to that person and s/he will readily share information with you. If you don't, you'll get excuses, put-offs and go nowhere slowly. Credibility is between you and the other person. Having credibility with one person doesn't mean you automatically have it with others in his or her company, department or group. It must be attained, individual by individual. Many people I coach feel that since they have good credibility with their main contacts, they have credibility with others. This is a big mistake and usually leads to bad surprises and lost orders,

The essential elements for credibility are respect, trust and results. These must be your focus to develop credibility with someone. Does the person respect you? Does s/he trust you? Can s/he believe you will deliver the results s/he wants? If so you will have credibility with this person and their support for that area of credibility. If not, you'll have a tough time working with this person. Then, you'll have to determine how you'll get that person to respect you, trust you, and believe you can deliver desired results if you want his or her support?

Since credibility is the basis behind a sale and a relationship with someone, you must strategize beforehand how to gain respect, develop trust, and show you can deliver results starting with the first hello. Although this sounds rigorous it can be very easy and go quickly. For example, to gain respect; be on time, dress appropriately, briefly explain your education/experience, be attentive. To develop trust; ask questions about the individual, listen, repeat back what was said, use references. To show you can deliver result; show you understand, provide focused answers to their questions, do what's asked, show similar results you've delivered for others, no hedging, take responsibility. However, these are not one-size-fits-all tasks. You must decide how you will behave, respond and deliver for the specific individual you will meet. This requires thinking, gathering info, planning and/or preparing before your visits.

Credibility can be transferred to you from someone who has credibility with the executive, etc. you want to meet. This is the best and easiest way to get started with someone. However, transferred credibility can get you in the door, but it is yours to lose the minute you open your mouth. So prepare your approach in order to gain his or her respect, earn trust, and show you can deliver results.

Transferred credibility is very powerful, especially with C-Levels and powerful people. It is far easier to transfer downward to subordinates and outwards to associates than to go upwards to bosses. This is why developing C-level relationships is so important. With it you'll be able to get-to anyone you'd like. But to get-to the leaders, you'll have to ask the subordinates to introduce you to their bosses, i.e. transfer their credibility. There is a process for this to work smoothly. Otherwise, it can easily backfire.

Transferred credibility is the fast lane to developing credibility and high level relationships. Get those on your Golden Network to set-up your meetings. Ask them to also help you prepare your strategy to gain respect, trust and show results with this new executive or influential person. Then work your plan. Once you've succeeded, ask this new executive to network you to others and repeat the cycle over and over and over.

Along this line, your company's credibility is another form of transferred credibility. It can possibly get you in the door, but again, company credibility is yours to lose the second you open you're your mouth. Again, to succeed you'll have to develop your own credibility.

There are 6 stage of credibility.

1. Meet with you,

2. Answer your questions,

3. Listen to you,

4. Believe you,

5. Buy from you,

6. Use you as a resource?

Failure to reach a stage means you fell short in respect, trust or results at the previous level. For example, if they listened to your presentation, but are not believing it enough to move on, you did something (or not) to either lose their respect, not trust you, or to cause concern that you can deliver their desired results, -- or some combination of each. Therefore, you'll have to figure out what you did or didn't do, and then go back and try to correct it.

Common Situation

A Weak Professional Opening

Most people are shy about establishing credibility up-front or asking someone to use their credibility to set-up an introduction. Credibility does not happen automatically and most will not make a bold effort to build the respect, the trust and the results necessary to develop credibility.

Resulting Problem

Losing the Exec at Hello

Your prospect is skeptical, yet polite, and blows you off, never calls back, or doesn't help you move forward with the sales process.

Check Yourself

Score: 4=Always; 3=Most Times; 2=Usually; 1=Sometimes; 0=Never

1. When you meet a powerful executive, are you anxious to present the capabilities of your company? _________

2. Do you probe extensively before you present to learn and understand problems, concerns and the situation before you present? __________

3. Do you feedback to show you understand their desires before you present and use references of satisfied customers? ___________

Score:

2 + 3 - 1

5 or more is good. Less that 5 means you need to work on respect, trust and results.

And now I invite you to learn more.

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Article Tags: Credibility, sales, Sales Management Training, Sales Training, selling, Selling to CLevel Executives



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