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5 Tips for Getting Meetings with Corporate Leader$ and Top Executives by Sam Manfer
Grabbing enough attention from a high level corporate officer to warrant a meeting is next to impossible unless you are strategically positioned. Most people get rejected because they lack credibility in all the right places. For those that are fortunate enough to get the meeting, most are never able to get invited back? Here are some concepts to consider.
ASK FOR HELP
1. Ask for help. People you know, know people. If you ask, they will help connect you. However, frame your request to be specific for what you want. You may have to ask more people to get close, but you’ll avoid random information from someone just trying to be helpful. For example “Would you help me? Do you know any senior level sales executives, in companies with business to business sales over $100 million dollars that have over 20 sales people in their organization, etc.? Are you close enough to this person to introduce me, or do you know someone close enough that you could introduce me to so that I could ask for their help?”
GOLDEN NETWORK
2. Use your Golden Network. These are the people that have benefited from working with you in the past or are believers of you in the present. You have developed credibility with them and they will feel comfortable helping you move-up. Once again you will have to ask for their help, but in this case they owe you, they know you, they trust and respect you. They will share this credibility with the next level up. Your Golden Network is your most useful avenue for getting you to the executive suite. 99% of surveyed executives respond that if someone they trust from their staff makes the introduction, they will host a meeting.
CREDIBILITY
3. Attain Credibility. It can be earned or it can be transferred. Earned credibility comes from doing something for someone and s/he benefits personally. It may be as simple as getting back to her/him with some information or getting her/him promoted through the work you did together. Credibility is transferred through a referral or through your reputation of delivering to others. Transferred credibility is very fragile. It is yours to lose the minute you open your mouth. At that point you have to start earning credibility by building respect, developing trust, and delivering results.
COMMUNICATION
4. Communication. Ask questions and listen to learn and understand what is of value and important to this individual. Target your presentations only to these values. What you think should be important, may not be. Executives hate risk so you must show you can deliver with minimum chance of failure. Learn what s/he fears. You must also show you can deliver what s/he values better than your competition. Value to the executive is the communication focus. If you miss this target, your meeting will be short and you will not be allowed back. Therefore you must interview to get critical information, clear up any ambiguities and confirm to be sure s/he knows you understand. Then structure your presentation. This hold for a first meeting as well as a conversation with a long-time partner.
FOLLOW UP
5. Follow Up. Getting invited back should be the goal of anyone trying to connect with high level people. This is when you start reaping the benefits. The only way back is if you deliver the results that reward the executive. This is now personal. The executive must have enhanced or protected his/her career by working with you. To insure this happens, test for satisfaction. However, the measurement you will be gauged against will be specific to the individual – not the company. Learn what constitutes success for her/him. How will you be measured. Track your results in that metric and report back to be sure that s/he is happy. If so, great. Ask for more business or referrals. If not, set a course together to correction. In all scenarios, set the stage for follow-up or else you’ll be stuck with subordinates.
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