Who is the real decision maker at an organization?
We read a great article in the Manta blog recently, where Dale Carnegie training instructor Larry Prevost answered a reader’s query regarding the best way to get in contact with a decision-maker at a company. He states that, truly, there are many decision makers at a company…it’s important to be able to find the one who can make the decision on what you are trying to sell:
Presidents and CEOs sound like they are more valuable decision-makers than directors, and directors sure sound better than managers. We won’t waste our time with the staff and especially the gatekeepers because they don’t make decisions–right?
The truth is, they do make decisions. They make decisions every day that in some way affect the operation of the company.
Prevost presents a simple but effective solution:
Your best bet for contacting the people that own the problem is to start describing the problem. If you are selling copiers, call into your target company’s sales department and put the other person in a problem situation. Tell the sales rep on the other end: “I could really use your help. If your network printer-copier had a meltdown today, who would get the most heat for getting that thing back up and operational?”
Getting in touch with that person can certainly get a dialogue started quicker…and may lead to chance to present your solution to those who can sign the contract!