I asked the CEO of a fast-growing startup in Silicon Valley his approach to selling to other Executives.
His response was simple: “Executives are people.”
How so?
Executives are busy.
Executives are overwhelmed with requests for their time.
Executives are under pressure to deliver results.
Executives are responsible for setting the vision and making the toughest decisions.
Knowing these truths, he approaches each interaction with an Executive with deep empathy and extensive preparation.
What does this look like?
Executives are busy and overwhelmed, so he streamlines his agenda to give them back some time.
Executives are under pressure to deliver results, so he is precise with how his solution can provide the results the Executive cares about the most.
Executives are responsible for making the toughest decisions, so he does everything in his power to show how his solution reduces risk for the Executive.
To establish credibility with the Executive, he aligns with their vision and priorities.
Speaking of priorities, how do you know the priorities that matter most?
Research.
In KPMG’s interview of over 1300 CEOs, the company identified three key priorities for CEOs in 2019: 1) Make digital a personal crusade 2) Navigate through geopolitical headwinds 3) Find the right balance between data and intuition.
PwC’s global CEO survey identified approaches to Artificial Intelligence (AI) and navigating fissures in policy frameworks as the underlying trends shaping the US CEO agenda for 2019.
Research from Workday identified six priorities CEOs care most about which are: 1) Finding growth 2) Taking on risk 3) Managing regulatory changes 4) Leveraging technology 5) Pursuing innovation 6) People and culture
Gartner also recently published their survey of 473 CEO and senior business executives. The top 11 business priorities are 1) Growth 2) IT related 3) Corporate (structural development) 4) Financial performance 5) Workforce management 6) Customer 7) Product improvements 8) Cost management 9) Efficiency and productivity 10) Innovation and 11) Risk management
While these publications are informative and help inform an approach, nothing replaces asking the Executives directly to articulate their priorities in their own words.
Anything else?
Communication style.
Tell me more.
Having the right communication style comes with experience and repetition. It’s a skill that can be developed, but it requires practice, practice, and more practice. Your choice of words matter. Your self-confidence matters. Your tone matters. Your cadence matters. Your body language matters.
Communication at its core is the successful conveying or sharing of ideas and feelings. If your ideas and feelings are not getting across then you’re not communicating.
Also, authenticity matters.
Why?
Savvy, and somewhat cynical Executives can detect inauthentic communication in less than one millisecond.
So, be yourself.
Being yourself is the foundation for building trust. And trust is the anchor for all business relationships that last for generations.
Thanks to John Aisien at BlueCedar for inspiring this article.