David has been trying to reach the CEO for weeks...
He's been working on how to sound more senior.
It worked! Finally the gatekeeper's putting him through.
("Oh God - what am I gonna say!!?")
(the thought runs through David's mind - insecurity & fear sets in...he even considers hanging up, but it's too late)
"Hello...can I help you?" ... comes the rich tone of the CEO, self assured & direct.
This makes David feel even more inferior.
"Errrr...hi...it's David here & I'm calling from company X. Do you have a minute?"
His intro has gone out the window, he's in a state of panic & his emotions have taken over.
"Sure."
"Great, so we help companies become more efficient..."
"Right - I think we're covered on that front. But I appreciate the call..."
"Oh...Erm OK...sorry to have bothered you."
*call ends*
This very scenario happens every single day to salespeople.
They have no control over their emotions.
Their nerves kick in & they're left scrambling.
That pattern interrupt & problem statement they learnt on LinkedIn has gone out the window.
It's just so much harder in reality.
& they crumble under the intimidation of a senior level decision maker.
But why?
Because deep down they don't feel worthy.
They feel inferior.
And they lose control.
So how to fix?
- Imagine you're the CEO of your remit & you're calling on fellow peers in your industry.
- You're better informed than they are on this topic.
- They're the one with the potential problem.
There's a high probability it's not the right time or that they don't suffer from the problems you solve.
So accept that & treat every call as an opportunity to disqualify.
Taking all the pressure off.
Forget about booking a meeting.
You know what you're looking for.
They either suffer from the problems you fix or they don't.
But you will stick to your plan, ask good questions & get to the truth.
Then either move on or confirm the next step.
It's that simple.
But it takes courage.
And practice.
*The key in holding it together is by slowing down, breathing, and pausing so you retain full composure*
This is how you stop the train from running off the tracks, and it might sound something like this...
CEO: "Right - so I think we're covered on that front. But I appreciate the call..."
David: "Of course - it was always gonna be a bit of a long shot. (takes pressure off). But when you say 'you think you're covered' what exactly did you mean?"
CEO: "Well my CTO is responsible so I don't know the details exactly."
David: "Ah, I see. But you're aware you have a solution in place?'
CEO: "Yes and from what I know they've been pretty good..."
David: "Pretty good meaning perfect or just a bit above average...?"
CEO: "Well nothing's ever perfect..."
You're now in a short conversation uncovering nuggets of information...
Never accept surface level answers.
And don't let your emotions run away with you.
Manage them or they'll manage you.
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