Winmo

Reach the Decision Maker Like a Sales Ninja

The guide "Reach the Decision Maker Like a Sales Ninja" emphasizes the importance of identifying the true decision maker—often IT rather than the functional head—in large companies, building personal, value-driven relationships with senior decision makers through consistent, relevant engagement and CRM use, and recognizing when prospects are not yet ready to buy to nurture them effectively for future sales opportunities.

If there’s one trait the most successful sales professionals share, it’s that they know how to reach decision makers. This guide reveals some highly effective tactics to avoid repeatedly running into the gatekeeper for senior level decision makers.

Make sure you’re reaching the right decision maker

Most large companies have several people with decision making authority. If you’re trying to sell a piece of software, no matter which function the software benefits (it could be accounting software or a new CRM), the ultimate decision maker is often not the head of that function. It’s the IT person. Large corporations need their software to integrate and work well together, so it doesn’t matter how good your solution is or how much the function head likes it—if the IT person says no, you’re going to be unsuccessful. Save yourself time and energy by getting to the right person fast.

Create personal relationships with senior decision makers

There are a few things you can do to create personal relationships that increase your chances of making a sale:

  • Add more value than you take from the relationship. If you have valuable and relevant intelligence for them every time you talk, they’re going to want to hear from you.
  • Maintain information about your prospects in a CRM. Whether it’s remembering birthdays and anniversaries to add a personal touch to your outreach, following their career as they change jobs, or commenting on their LinkedIn updates, understanding and engaging with your prospects makes them see you as a real person, not just a voice at the end of the phone asking them to cut you a check.

Stop selling to decision makers who aren’t ready to buy

Not every prospect you interact with is ready to buy. Learning how to quickly identify those who don’t have the need or budget right now, but may have both in the future, is a key skill for filling your sales pipeline.

For those prospects, deliver usable intelligence, prove yourself as an ally without expecting anything in return, and when they are ready to make a purchase, your selflessness will lead them to you.