Interview with Jill Konrath, Selling To Big Companies (Part 1 of 2)

Are you looking for practical strategies to get into big companies?  I recently had the pleasure of discussing techniques for approaching major corporate accounts with Jill Konrath, author of Selling to Big Companies.  Jill is an internationally recognized sales strategist and speaker. She helps salespeople crack into corporate accounts, speed up their sales cycle, and win more contracts!

You'll see the interview in two segments.  This week, we'll cover:

1.  The Key Concepts for Selling to Big Companies
2.  Targeting the Right Accounts
3.  Creating Interest With Potential Clients
4.  Leaving Effective Voice Messages

Let's jump right in!  Here is how the first part of our conversation went...


What are some of the key concepts for Selling to Big Companies?

Most sellers are caught in the old "dialing for dollars" mentality.  When you're selling to the corporate market today, that's just about the stupidest thing you can do.

Corporate decision makers are so swamped these days.  Their workload is continually increasing at the same time their deadlines and resources are shrinking.  So, they need a pretty darn good reason to invest their precious time with a salesperson.

There is literally a "price of admission" to corporate accounts today.  Decision makers expect you to be knowledgeable about their business prior to letting you in the door.  And, you need to let them know that you've done this.  Otherwise they'll just think of you as another product-pushing peddler or self-serving salesperson.

Finally, keep your focus on the difference you can make for your customers.  That's all they care about.  Not your product, service or solution.  Those are only tools to help them achieve their goals and objectives.


How do you go about targeting the right accounts?

Many ways.  Certainly the easiest place to start is with vertical segments so you can develop an expertise in a particular area.  Corporate decision makers love to work with sellers who understand their needs, issues and concerns.

You can also analyze where your offering might have the biggest impact.  For example, I spent many years focused on technology companies because I knew that they loved their techie stuff too much and it was hurting their sales.

Another key consideration is culture.  I much prefer to be working with fast-paced, growth-oriented organizations because they're much more aligned with who I am and what I bring to the table.

What advice would you give a sales person who is frustrated because nobody is calling them back?
 
The very first thing I'd suggest is that they listen to their message as if they were their customer.  Most salespeople are appalled when they actually hear how they sound.  That's when they realize that their message is all about their company, their services, their products.

Next, I'd remind salespeople we live in a "Delete" world.  They are 5 seconds away from being deleted at any time.  Unless their message is to-the-point, timely and relevant, they will get deleted.

Then I'd suggest that they invest time researching their targeted prospect and develop an enticing voicemail message that is totally customer focused. This is incredibility hard for most sellers.  Their bad habits keep creeping back in.

When I work with clients, I always have them read my book, Selling to Big Companies, prior to my training programs.  Yet despite the fact that they now know what they're supposed to do intellectually, putting it into practice is much harder than they expect.

They literally have to re-think their entire approach and come at it from a whole different angle. 

What types of voicemail messages work best?
 
Well-researched ones that demonstrate knowledge of the prospect, his/her issues and concerns, strategic initiatives and newsworthy happenings.

For example, in my local business journal, I read an article about a technology company that had just received $15 million in venture capital funding.  With this investment, they were focusing on helping their channel partners move upstream to get them calling on bigger, more profitable companies.

Here's a message that would have worked:

"Bob. Jill Konrath calling.  651-429-1922.  I was just reading about your recent round of VC funding which is being dedicated to helping your channel partners move upstream and calling on bigger companies.  I have some ideas on how you can help them crack into corporate accounts and shorten their sale cycle.  Let's set up a time to talk.  Again, this is (repeat name/number)."

Notice how it is short, to-the-point and highly relevant to what's happening in the company.  That's what works today.

For more info, your readers should check out the article on my website called, Enticing Voicemail Messages

For more ideas on landing bigger customers:

Visit Jill's information-rich website at SellingtoBigCompanies.com!

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