Tweet

C-Level Sales Training Tip 15 - Create the Confidence Necessary to Win-Over C-Level Executives

Guest post by: Sam Manfer

Article Overview: Confidence is what C-level decision-makers want to see in their selling partners. The best way to become confident is to prepare. Here’s how.

C-Level Sales Training Tip 15 - Create the Confidence Necessary to Win-Over C-Level Executives

Confidence is what C-level decision-makers want to see in their selling partners. Yet, it's uncomfortable selling to influential leaders. Big ego's come with big titles and these people can be intimidating. Therefore a salesperson's biggest asset is confidence.

If you're confident you exude credibility. Confidence leads to believability and trust, and credibility, believability and trust, respect and results are key ingredients necessary for selling to powerful and C-level executives. However, do not confuse confidence with arrogance or boasting. Confidence is stealth and very pervasive. The best way to become confident is to prepare. Here's how. Learn about the situation or the executives before the engagement. Ask anyone you can about the situation and executive for information. If you open you're mind, you'll think of a lot of people who can help you. Ask yourself what you want to know. Then prepare questions to get this info. Prepare questions for your contacts and for the executive. Have questions to confirm information and to gather new information. Before meetings call the executive and other participates to learn their expectations of the upcoming meeting. These and other preparations will get you ready and instill a feeling of confidence.

Visualize a positive outcome. Most people are intimidated and feel uncomfortable visiting powerful people. This is called fear in one sense or another. Fear is just the visualization or projection of a negative outcome. Why do you lock you doors? You worry someone will steal your belongings or hurt you. Why do you slow-up when you see a police car? You fear getting a ticket. You're visualizing the worst.

The same is true when thinking about officers of a company involved in the decision making for your sale. This nervousness goes to rationalizations (I really don't need to meet with the top people) and/or uneasiness once you decide it is necessary. It is all negative projection - they don't want to meet with you, or others will block you or feel badly if you go to their bosses, or you worry the meeting will go badly and you'll lose the deal. This is all negative speculation.

You don't know how it will go. You don't know that you'll get robbed if you leave your car unlocked. You don't know if you meeting will go well or badly. However, when you think negative, you lose confidence and come across as weak and ineffective.

Confident people feel comfortable asking pointed, penetrating questions - ones to learn the executive's real issues, threats and opportunities, and they get the information without interrogating. They feel comfortable following-up with more questions to clear ambiguities and to understand the deeper meaning of words and phrases - often buried issues. Most importantly they posture themselves to listen intently. These actions make leaders feel confident about the individual so that they can project positively about the upcoming deal.

Common Situation

You're Anxious and Uncomfortable Calling on Top People

You enter the room feeling uneasy and slightly intimidated. You're hoping the exec will be cordial and talkative. You're nervous. You start talking about your company and services. You ask none or very few penetrating questions.

Resulting Problem

You Get No Where with Your Sale

Executives want to feel confident about you delivering what they want. Otherwise they want to get rid of you. You've got to show them you care about their concerns and you can deliver solutions better than any alternatives. It takes confidence to dig out the real issues and preparations to deliver targeted presentations.

Check Yourself

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

1. Do you strategize before a meeting? I.e. prepare a sales call plan. ____

2. Do you discuss your meeting plans with your team or manager before meetings? ____

3. Do you have a standard presentation about your company that you open with? ____

4. Do you ask pointed questions to learn what's going on behind the executives decision before you make you presentation? __________

Scoring: 1 + 2 + 4 - 3 = ?

__ + ___ + __ - ____ = ____

7 and above is good. Less than 7 means read and work this section.

And now I invite you to learn more.

Related Articles
  Sales Training Courses that Bring Lead Generations to Life
  A-Z of sales
  Sales Training for Senior Manager Performance Improvement
  Training Will Increase Sales
  C-Level Relationship Selling – Gaining the Confidence Required for Selling High

Article Tags: confidence, Sales management training, selling tips, Selling to Clevel executives



Related Forum Posts
6 Simple Ways to Be Taken More Seriously - 1. Eye Contact 2. Be Assertive 3. Speak Clearly - Don't beat around the bush 4. Better to be the king the the court jester - only make jokes when apropriate. If your not serious then don't expect people to take you seriously 5. Confidence 6. Confidence (yes, confidence again!)
Boosting Confidence - Confidence is something all of us women could stand to have infused in our blood 24/7! It’s one of those areas that many struggle with the most. Through my coaching practice, I’ve discovered an underlying thread that seems to undermine confidence in some women. It has to do with confusing true confidence with pride or arrogance. Confidence is being sure of who you are and what you are able to do in a way that does not compare yourself to others. It is not dependent on value because every one of us women is valuable. Pride or arrogance is when someone lifts him or herself above others as if they are more valuable than others. It also seems to be related to "approval addiction" where the self esteem must continually be fed by others or they don't feel good about themselves. Thus, some arrogant people put others down so they can see themselves as above. Confidence is simply being all of the great woman you already are. You want to create a great business and you want to do your job well. It is not prideful to be confident in what you are doing. I invite you to give yourself permission to really let your abilities come forward and see what happens to you and your business as a result. I’d also love to hear what methods you have for boosting your own confidence.
7 words or less for Structogram - Some "7 words or less" (more or less) for Structogram for your comments: Training to get your message across(6) Secrets to get your message across (6) Training so people will listen to you (7) Helping you get your message across (6) Training to learn to get your message across (8) Communications training for yourself and your team (7)
Online Sales and Marketing vs Traditional - Hi Evan, I am noticing that many of the posts in the Sales/Marketing section deal with online marketing, SEM and and SEO and Affiliates. I was wondering if it might be a good idea to separate that section into two; 1) Online Sales and Marketing; 2) Traditional Sales and Marketing
Re: Online Sales and Marketing vs Traditional - [quote="ltrahan":31w9r2iz]Hi Evan, I am noticing that many of the posts in the Sales/Marketing section deal with online marketing, SEM and and SEO and Affiliates. I was wondering if it might be a good idea to separate that section into two; 1) Online Sales and Marketing; 2) Traditional Sales and Marketing[/quote:31w9r2iz] I second the request...


Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.

Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.

Tweet

Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!

Name:
Email:

Popular Articles

Designing Employee-Enhancing Training Programs

LISTENING SKILLS IN COACHING

Getting The Media Attention You Deserve

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.