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Selling to the C-Suite
Book

Selling to the C-Suite

What Every Executive Wants You to Know About Successfully Selling to the Top

McGraw-Hill, 2009 подробнее...


Editorial Rating

7

Qualities

  • Applicable

Recommendation

If you are in sales, getAbstract thinks you’ll like this book by Nicholas A.C. Read and Stephen J. Bistritz, who offer solid advice on how to sell to senior-level executives. They start by helping you identify and gain access to the “C-Suite” denizen – that is, the Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer, Chief Information Officer or other chiefs – you want to approach. The authors base their suggestions on hard data: the results of surveys conducted by Target Marketing Systems, Hewlett-Packard, the business school at the University of North Carolina and other institutions. Hundreds of senior-level executives answered survey questions about how they work with the “buying cycle” and with sales professionals. The authors derive useful lessons from this research to help salespeople transform themselves from “Commodity Suppliers” to “Trusted Advisers.” They explain the best tactics for getting to know executives, establishing credibility and making sales as an insider who has earned the boss’s confidence. The question is whether you can get upstairs the way they advise – by cultivating mid-level managers who can make that crucial suggestion to the top boss: “I know a salesperson you should meet.”

Take-Aways

  • To sell your product, target the executive suite leader with the most influence.
  • Ideally, your first step is to identify a top-level executive who needs your product.
  • Build the relationship in five more steps: Strategize your approach, do research, prepare for a meeting, prove your integrity and tell the client what you’ve done.

About the Authors

Nicholas A.C. Read, winner of the 2005 Independent Business Awards’ “Best Sales Trainer” recognition, leads a sales consulting firm. Stephen J. Bistritz, Ed.D., who has more than 40 years of sales experience, heads a sales training firm.


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    F. S. 9 years ago
    Although most salespeople know that discussing features and functions does not win a deal, many fail to paint a bigger picture and sell strategic value instead of products. I liked the book!
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    J. A. 9 years ago
    Many salespeople don't advance their sales cycles properly because they are not engaging C-level contacts. I agree with the summary and found the book very relevant.