Are all CEO's the same?

What makes them different?

In our past Friday morning workshop, we discussed what makes salespeople great. One participant said that a great salesperson can compellingly engage with the janitor, the CEO, or anyone else about things that matter to them.

To do this, we must ask ourselves how this person wants things done. Some people are brief and to the point, while others like to build rapport and become more comfortable with people before doing business. We must pay attention to the person we are working with and then ask ourselves two questions. One, what is the pace of this person? Are they moving faster or slower than me? Two, is this more of a task-oriented person or a people-oriented person? Then, we must adjust how we do things to align with how our customers or prospects want things done.

We must also consider what customer or prospects perceive as risk and work to reduce their perceived risks. We must consider their position in the company and focus on the best risk-reducing ideas. For example, when speaking with executives, you probably want to focus on the financial benefits of what you sell. When you work with floor personnel or people in the shop, focus on convenience or ease of use. Operations are probably interested in installation and maintenance.

In short, the idea is to focus on what is essential to the person you are dealing with.

Doing this may sound easy and natural, but it’s not! We have found that most salespeople tend to do things the same way for everyone, even though we are all different.