Get any CEO to reply to you with these 5 tactics!

Abe Dearmer

Jan 23, 2019

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4 min read

Sales

When approaching a mid level employee in a company, it is easier to give your pitch and sell your services or products, but when dealing with a CEO the scenario is very different. When dealing with a CEO, you will most probably only have one shot, so you need to tweak your ask and lower your expectations. After all, the goal here is to get an initial response from them.

If you wish to get any kind of a reply back from the CEO you must tread lightly and make use of some strategies that can take you closer to signing a deal with them. Here are 5 tactics that can get CEOs to reply to you.

Send emails from your phone

CEOs are always moving around which means they don't have the time to sit at their desk and check their mail. They mostly read and reply to emails from their mobile phone, so you should make sure you're sending one that is optimised to be read on the phone screen.

There is a low chance that they would take time to read long emails sent from unknown people, so type your email on the phone. This will show you just how your text looks. No need to write lengthy lines in a quest to sound more intelligent.

Don't aim high

CEOs are busy so a sales person can't just straightaway ask for a phone call or a meeting, they have to make their way up. Instead of trying to think of the perfect line or statistics to entice them with, approach with a question regarding their organisation or company.

Show interest in their services and products and engage them in conversation. By doing this sales reps can little by little gain their trust and work towards a bigger ask. Once you've established a relationship and you know it's the right time you can pitch your sale and take it from there.

Don't call early

Most sales reps think that if they catch the CEO in the morning they can speak to them before they get busy but in fact it's the opposite. When CEOs first get to office they are probably not settled in yet and are still working through the tasks they need to get done during the day, which makes it the wrong time to call.

Sales reps should call later in the day between 5 pm and 8 pm to catch the CEO at an hour that they are more relaxed and not in the midst of things. If you think it would be bothersome to call at a later hour then what matters is what you have to say - if that's interesting enough to them, the CEO wouldn't be bothered at any time!

Create a connection

One thing that most CEOs are still very passionate about is the college they went to. Most of them are usually involved with their Alma Mater and it is easy to strike a conversation with them if you are from their college or know someone who went with them.

Reminiscing over old college days can get you much closer to your prospect CEO than talking about former or present companies you've worked at or other people you know in common. This gains their trust and then the conversation can quickly turn to your present work and sales.

Make systematic contact

When contacting a prospect you can't bombard them with calls and emails every day, especially not a CEO. Industry standards demand that you should get in touch with a CEO 5 times in 45 days and anything more than that can seem bothersome and annoying.

Make sure to follow a systematic schedule and call at appropriate times without trying to seem too needy or pushy.

These 5 tactics can definitely help sales reps close more deals with CEOs. They need to remember to have patience and that they need to deal with CEOs in a different way than they do with other prospects. Use these tips to gain the CEOs trust and create the right sales pitch.

For more information on FIVE CRM and telesales click here.

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