5 Expert Tips That Will Help You Prepare for Selling to an Executive
By Jack McKissen
The Great Rationalization has arrived, and buyers are more risk-averse than they’ve been in a long time.
One effect of selling in a more challenging economic environment? Having to make your pitch to larger buying committees that include skeptical, budget conscious executives.
It’s a challenge facing almost every B2B enterprise seller – and it’s a challenge we’re here to help you address.
In her LinkedIn Learning course B2B Sales Strategy: How to Effectively Engage Executives, sales expert and LinkedIn Top Sales Voice Lisa Magnuson shares advice on how you can connect with the right executive sponsor early in the sales process – and, once you’re connected, how you can turn that executive sponsor into your executive champion.
Let’s see what she has to teach us.
Expert Tip #1: Flip-the-script and focus on impact, not finances.
Selling to small business owners is one thing. It isn’t necessarily easier to make the sale, but it is easier to identify who you should sell to.
Complex enterprise sales is another thing entirely. Most sellers start at the logical place.
“The conventional approach starts by identifying who controls the finances and budget for your products and services, and who’s the senior leader with the authority to decide,” said Magnuson.
But Magnuson suggests you flip-the-script. While Magnuson doesn’t suggest you ignore who controls the finances, she encourages sellers to identify and prioritize the executive most affected by your solution.
“The difference in the two approaches is subtle, yet incredibly powerful,” said Magnuson.
The difference lies in the seller’s ability to have a conversation focused on value rather than cost. The executive most affected by your solution will be the executive who best understands the potential return on your solution, rather than just the size of the investment.
“Executives will only make time for salespeople if they believe they will gain value during the meeting,” said Magnuson. “The flip-the-script approach will make it easier to secure a meeting with a person of influence.”
Expert Tip #2: Do your homework, so you can speak to their priorities (not your solution).
It can’t be said enough times: sellers close deals when they take the time to do their homework. That’s especially true when selling to executives.
“When your aim is to meet with a C-Suite executive, the stakes are high,” said Magnuson. “Your preparation must be meticulous, or you will not be able to secure time on their busy calendar.”
And if you do secure time on that calendar, you had better come prepared. Magnuson shared the following quote regarding sales meetings from one of her clients. Sara, the CEO of a mid-size professional services firm:
“I expect anyone who meets with me to know about me, my company, and my industry. I want to learn something new. If they ask me questions they should know the answer to from research, it will be a very short conversation.”
Magnuson suggests three areas you should focus on when doing your research:
Step #1: Learn more about the executive you want to connect with personally, including their personality, interests, and passions.
Step #2: Learn more about the executive’s professional achievements, affiliations, and place within their industry.
Step #3: Learn more about your executive’s professional relationships, and who might influence their thinking.
Preparation shows you respect the executive and their time. Magnuson conducted an informal survey of 15 business leaders and found that they had two priorities for sellers:
Don’t waste their time.
Make sure you center the conversation on the buyer’s priorities, not your solution.
In other words, do your homework, and understand what they care about. It’s the foundation that a truly deep sales approach is built on.
Expert Tip #3: Build out your team and prepare a value-added meeting.
You’ve found the executive most likely to be impacted by your solution. You’ve done your homework, and know a lot more about your executive target than you did before you started.
Because of this, your hard work landed you a meeting with the executive.
The next step?
Start working to ensure your meeting is value-added. Magnuson has a three-step process that will help you prepare.
Step #1 - Gather your account team.
“These are the people that have a vested interest in making sure the meeting goes well,” said Magnuson. “Your account team in this case includes the sales manager, account manager, and marketing manager.”
Step #2 - Remind your team that intent matters.
When engaging with an executive, your intent makes all the difference in the world. Keep in mind that your client wants to learn something new, not something they already learned on your website – and they don't want to teach you something you should already know. Set your intent to help them discover something they didn’t already know.
Step #3 - Design your meeting agenda around your client’s top priority.
You did your homework for a reason. Now use your research and your team’s collective insights to create an agenda anchored around the executive’s top priorities.
Once you have your meeting in place, Magnuson suggests three ways you can build value into your agenda:
Offer an introduction to a recent executive client who has traveled the same journey with your company.
Share any useful tips you have about how your team helped solve a similar challenge.
Align any discussion of your services with the executive’s top priority.
Now that you’re ready for your meeting, it’s time to work on your Win Themes.
Expert Tip #4: It’s all about the “Win Themes.”
A deal gets done when a seller understands their buyer’s needs, has a solution that addresses those needs better than anyone else, and can substantiate the claims made about that solution.
It sounds easy, but as simple a concept as it is, thinking in terms of “Win Themes” makes all the difference in the world.
“Win themes are the intersection of your executive’s priorities and your strengths,” said Magnuson. “That intersection, and the 2-to-3 areas of overlap, create a sweet spot of receptivity.”
It’s the opposite of a kitchen-sink approach, where sellers throw everything they can think of at the buyer, hoping that the buyer will spot the value in your pitch.
Magnuson uses a four-part framework to guide her creation of Win Themes:
Part #1: Dig deep to discover your prospect’s top 2-3 priorities.
Part #2: Find out why these priorities are important to your executive and the company.
Part #3: Connect their priorities to an exclusive strength of your company.
Part #4: Show you can deliver solutions that address your client’s priorities through supporting evidence.
Win Themes might be simple, but they work. Because once you get the conversation going toward their direction, you can confidently bring them home.
“Top performers understand Win Themes and how to use them to land 5X deals,” said Magnuson.
Expert Tip #5: It isn’t just about supporting your argument with evidence. It’s about supporting it with the right evidence.
“The right proof to support each Win Theme will substantiate your themes and make them memorable, which is especially important to differentiate your RFP response,” said Magnuson.
Specific examples of evidence that works include:
White papers
Case studies
Testimonials
Stories
Awards
Statistics
But the final stage of creating your Win Themes takes more than just throwing case studies at the problem.
Instead, you need to be strategic – and specific. In her course, Magnuson compares a generic response to a response developed using the Win Themes framework:
Generic Response:
“Our company has global support programs strategically placed throughout all major markets.”
Expert Tip #3: Build out your team and prepare a value-added meeting.
You’ve found the executive most likely to be impacted by your solution. You’ve done your homework, and know a lot more about your executive target than you did before you started.
Because of this, your hard work landed you a meeting with the executive.
The next step?
Start working to ensure your meeting is value-added. Magnuson has a three-step process that will help you prepare.
Step #1 - Gather your account team.
“These are the people that have a vested interest in making sure the meeting goes well,” said Magnuson. “Your account team in this case includes the sales manager, account manager, and marketing manager.”
Step #2 - Remind your team that intent matters.
When engaging with an executive, your intent makes all the difference in the world. Keep in mind that your client wants to learn something new, not something they already learned on your website – and they don't want to teach you something you should already know. Set your intent to help them discover something they didn’t already know.
Step #3 - Design your meeting agenda around your client’s top priority.
You did your homework for a reason. Now use your research and your team’s collective insights to create an agenda anchored around the executive’s top priorities.
Once you have your meeting in place, Magnuson suggests three ways you can build value into your agenda:
Offer an introduction to a recent executive client who has traveled the same journey with your company.
Share any useful tips you have about how your team helped solve a similar challenge.
Align any discussion of your services with the executive’s top priority.
Now that you’re ready for your meeting, it’s time to work on your Win Themes.
Expert Tip #4: It’s all about the “Win Themes.”
A deal gets done when a seller understands their buyer’s needs, has a solution that addresses those needs better than anyone else, and can substantiate the claims made about that solution.
It sounds easy, but as simple a concept as it is, thinking in terms of “Win Themes” makes all the difference in the world.
“Win themes are the intersection of your executive’s priorities and your strengths,” said Magnuson. “That intersection, and the 2-to-3 areas of overlap, create a sweet spot of receptivity.”
It’s the opposite of a kitchen-sink approach, where sellers throw everything they can think of at the buyer, hoping that the buyer will spot the value in your pitch.
Magnuson uses a four-part framework to guide her creation of Win Themes:
Part #1: Dig deep to discover your prospect’s top 2-3 priorities.
Part #2: Find out why these priorities are important to your executive and the company.
Part #3: Connect their priorities to an exclusive strength of your company.
Part #4: Show you can deliver solutions that address your client’s priorities through supporting evidence.
Win Themes might be simple, but they work. Because once you get the conversation going toward their direction, you can confidently bring them home.
“Top performers understand Win Themes and how to use them to land 5X deals,” said Magnuson.
Expert Tip #5: It isn’t just about supporting your argument with evidence. It’s about supporting it with the right evidence.
“The right proof to support each Win Theme will substantiate your themes and make them memorable, which is especially important to differentiate your RFP response,” said Magnuson.
Specific examples of evidence that works include:
White papers
Case studies
Testimonials
Stories
Awards
Statistics
But the final stage of creating your Win Themes takes more than just throwing case studies at the problem.
Instead, you need to be strategic – and specific. In her course, Magnuson compares a generic response to a response developed using the Win Themes framework:
Generic Response:
“Our company has global support programs strategically placed throughout all major markets.”
Win Themes Response:
“We understand your priority to expand globally in a systematic way. We heard you when you shared that this priority is crucial to the growth of your company. We can positively impact your expansion with our global support teams who have developed proven systems and procedures that our clients have been using for the past ten-plus years.
As a point of reference, one of our clients who embarked on an aggressive global expansion plan provided this endorsement: ‘We want to thank you for the expert assistance we received from your global support teams. It made all the difference in our global roll-out.’”
Generic responses talk-the-talk. Win Themes responses walk-the-walk by showing that you can deliver by providing actual evidence.
You’ve identified the executive you need to target. You’ve learned everything you can about them. You’ve created a value added agenda, identified Win Themes, and gathered supporting evidence.
Now go show your executive prospect that you really understand that a deep sales mentality is just how you get a deal done.
Especially when you’re selling to the C-Suite.
Summary and Takeaways
Selling to the C-Suite isn’t easy, but LinkedIn Top Voice Lisa Magnuson provides expert advice on how you can prepare to make a pitch to the buyer who sits in the corner office.
Remember:
Flip-the-script, and focus on building a relationship with the executive most affected by your solution, versus the one who controls the finances.
Deeply research the executive to understand what their top priorities are.
Gather your team and create a value-added agenda focused on addressing your buyer’s most important priorities.
Think through your Win Themes before you go into the meeting by tying those priorities back to your unique strengths.
Support your claims with specific, targeted evidence that helps your buyer see you can solve their problems and address their biggest priorities.
“We understand your priority to expand globally in a systematic way. We heard you when you shared that this priority is crucial to the growth of your company. We can positively impact your expansion with our global support teams who have developed proven systems and procedures that our clients have been using for the past ten-plus years.
As a point of reference, one of our clients who embarked on an aggressive global expansion plan provided this endorsement: ‘We want to thank you for the expert assistance we received from your global support teams. It made all the difference in our global roll-out.’”
Generic responses talk the talk. Win Themes responses walk the walk by showing that you can deliver by providing actual evidence.
You’ve identified the executive you need to target. You’ve learned everything you can about them. You’ve created a value-added agenda, identified Win Themes, and gathered supporting evidence.
Now go show your executive prospect that you really understand that a deep sales mentality is just how you get a deal done.
Especially when you’re selling to the C-Suite.
Summary and Takeaways
Selling to the C-Suite isn’t easy, but LinkedIn Top Voice Lisa Magnuson provides expert advice on how you can prepare to make a pitch to the buyer who sits in the corner office.
Remember:
Flip-the-script, and focus on building a relationship with the executive most affected by your solution, versus the one who controls the finances.
Deeply research the executive to understand what their top priorities are.
Gather your team and create a value-added agenda focused on addressing your buyer’s most important priorities.
Think through your Win Themes before you go into the meeting by tying those priorities back to your unique strengths.
Support your claims with specific, targeted evidence that helps your buyer see you can solve their problems and address their biggest priorities.