Blog-Off II Entry: Winning Strategic Accounts: Permission + Self-selection= Referrals

Smaller  firms need major accounts because large companies are more likely to award multiple contracts year after year. However, getting past the barriers in Fortune 1000-sized companies can be daunting and time-consuming. How about doing something counter-intuitive?

Cold-calling senior executives is discouraged in many key account acquisition strategies.  Yet how do you crack into a Fortune 1000-sized firm who would be a perfect client for you if you have no "natural" network access?

Here is a 2-step process to getting an executive-level "green light" plus a referral to a member of their team. 

1. Making a "cold" call to an executive is very inefficient.  Sending an executive briefing BEFORE asking for an appointment improves your odds. By giving you an you email address and permission to send the briefing, you are using opt-in principles adapted from the internet.

Opt-in, permission-based interaction is not only king on the internet, it is the kind of good manners our aunts taught us at Sunday dinner.

If someone agrees to an appointment after reviewing an executive briefing or gives you a referral to someone on their team, that's a "green light. It means that the business challenge your firm solves is on that person's radar screen. This executive has self-selected to support a discussion with your firm.

2. A "green light" plus a referral can happen either after reviewing an executive briefing or after having had a discovery conversation.  In my experience, more than 40% of the time, an executive will suggest talking to another stakeholder in the decision-making process. 

Being sent to another stakeholder is not a brush-off.  It means that you have established credibility with that executive and they are willing to guide you to others whom they would involve in the decision.

If your objective is to become a preferred vendor enterprise-wide, You may have contact with as many as 36 stakeholders across several lines of business

 (eg. 6 lines of business/divisions x 6 people in each business unit)
 

Permission + self-selection = referrals: a winning formula for smaller firms who want to build stable, predictable revenue streams by becoming preferred providers to large companies.

Catherine Mcquaid is a Big Game Hunter in the Urban Jungle. Her clients are mid-sized business services firms who want to win consulting assignments with the Fortune 1000. Trained as a semiotician/literature critic, she now owns a key account development business. 

 Her strategies for getting into large companies and getting very senior executives to open the door to the C-suite can be used by big game hunters everywhere.  She writes on Major Account Acquisition strategies.

Connect / Follow: blog, Twitter, LinkedIn.
To contact directly: email,  phone, 416.923.0877; Skype cmcquaid

 

Comments

[Tim]

Catherine,

Great post once again. I read this book "Permission Marketing" by Seth Godin and it was a great read. Utilizes a lot of your strategies here. Keep up the great work.

[Mike Browne]

Catherine,

I was always told the difference between a peddler and a salesman is an appointment.

Nice post.

[Darlene Sabella]

Excellent article Catherine, most people might not get it if they we asked to talk to someone else, you see through all the junk to emerge on top. Way to go, thanks for sharing this. Also, when you find time take a look at my post.

[Catherine McQuaid]

If someone were to search for this type of service, what search words would they use?

[Catherine McQuaid]

If you were Googling to find a major account development provider what key words would you use?