Do CEOs really want to meet salespeople?

This is a story told in one of our trainings by the Location Head Rajasthan of a large tile company. "We had a service complaint from the account, it was a large construction company. The order value was over Rs 40 Lakhs and we did not know the Evaluator, nor had we bothered to meet the User Buyers. This account, through sheer lethargy, was being handled by the distributor only, no company sales person had bothered to map the account, research its needs, etc. We did not even know the King here.

After going through the sales training where the concept of "Capturing a High position" was discussed, we thought - instead of our traditional method of meeting the Evaluator (purchase department), why not we meet the King straightaway?

We did that. And you know what was the first comment by the King? "You guys always come too late"

Too late, he said. we thought - we don't come at all, do we.

"Sir, why are we late?", we asked. He said "we not only need to discuss this shipment but there is a large project that I am starting in the next month which is ten times larger than this one, that is what I wanted to discuss with you."

I almost had a heart attack!!!!. Ten times!!!

Here was living proof that CEOs want to meet salespeople. Not all salespeople of course. Only the knowledgeable, matured ones. The ones who research the customer, identify needs, are knowledgeable about their own products and practice consultative selling.

.............discussion contributed by Dinesh Vyas, Location head, (Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Chattisgarh) for a large tile, kitchen and bath manufacturer.