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With President’s Day around the corner and sales quotas hovering over the heads of sales managers and their teams, it’s perplexing that most B2B companies plan to ignore the best time for a cold call blitz. Who’s going to be in the office to answer the phone on a so-called vacation day? CEOs, presidents and business owners typically will be alone in their buildings.
While these top dogs are trying to solve problems that stand between them and their business objectives, their secretaries, assistants and receptionists will be trolling the malls for President’s Day deals. That leaves these top dogs without the usual gatekeepers to stop you from getting through.
Sales representatives who know how to make money in a down economy won’t be spending it at the mall either. In their latest book, Five Minutes with VITO: Making the most of your selling time with the Very Important Top Officer, David Mattson, CEO of Sandler Training® and Anthony Parinello, founder of VITOsm Selling offer these strategies for meeting your Q1 quota and making VITO your ally.
Keep in mind that you and VITO have equal business stature.
VITOs want to talk with people who are just like them. Sales representatives who are measured, paid and retained based on their performance are VITOs’ mirror image. You’re both focused on goals and you’re both working on a holiday.
Talk about what matters.
Communicate how your solution saves or makes money, raises profit and productivity, or decreases defects, penalties or taxes. Be prepared with examples from your company’s customer base so VITO knows you are a proven performer.
Know where you want to go after this conversation.
Most VITOs have taken back the power to make purchase decisions, but typically their department heads or subordinates have information you need before you can craft a winning proposal. Be prepared to tell VITO which people, by name or title, you would like to call on next. Do it right after they return well rested, from what they thought was a vacation day.
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