How to Call on a CEO

Sales managers often press reps to call high, since the big money decisions are typically made in the CEO’s suite. Unfortunately, pitching to a CEO is easier suggested than accomplished. It’s not impossible, but it does require rethinking who you are and what you do.

Let’s look at the challenges in detai...l.

First, there’s the challenge of access. Your typical CEO would rather stick a penknife in his or her ear than sit down with a sales rep. Second, there’s the challenge of communication. Most sales reps haven’t a clue what to say to a CEO even when they get access to one. Third, there’s the problem of personality. Most CEOs (and I’ve literally met hundreds of them) suffer from “CEO disease,” an ailment characterized by an enlargement of the sphincter until (in the largest firms) it covers the CEO’s entire body, with a consequent itchiness only assuaged by frequent underling osculation.

Let’s handle these challenges in reverse order.

Personality. The way to deal with CEO disease is to never, never, never act like an underling. If you’re going to sell to a CEO, you need to believe that you are that CEO’s equal in every way. Because you’ve got something that will make that CEO more successful (else you wouldn’t calling, right?), you’re the most important person that CEO is going to meet that day, that week, even that year. If you can’t convince yourself that those statements are completely true, and adopt body language and speech patterns congruent with that belief, don’t even bother talking to the CEO, because you’ll just get bounced downstairs where you belong.

Communication. What you say to a CEO has to be of interest to a CEO. CEOs don’t care about product features. (Save it for the engineering VP.) CEOs don’t care about ROI. (Save it for the CFO.) What CEOs care about is: “will this increase the value of my company?” and “will this make my company easier to manage?” If you’re not selling something that’s going to impact one of those two elements, don’t bother trying to sell it to the CEO, because you’ll just get a one-way ticket to his admin’s blacklist.

Access. Finally, the way you get access to a CEO is, well…, read the two paragraphs above. If, when you meet with underlings, you exude the authority and confidence they associate with a CEO, and are selling something that can impact the company in a way that would make a CEO sit up and take notice, you’ll get escorted into the CEO’s suite, probably sooner rather than later.