Getting the Decision Maker
How do I get the decision maker to sit down with me so I can show him how beneficial my product is?
Answer
Getting to the decision maker depends on having something of value to offer. It also depends on getting other people in the company to get you to talk to the decision maker.
Many people call this getting through the gatekeeper. Personally, I do not believe in this. I believe whoever answers the phone is my customer and I treat them accordingly. My aim is to sell a value proposition to them so that they will pass me up the tree to a decision maker.
The other thing that I have harped on about for a long time now is to make sure what you are offering, the benefits you are talking about, is something YOU KNOW is of value to your prospect.
SPIN Selling refers to this as offering a benefit for an Explicit Need the customer has. The idea being you don't offer all your benefits with a scattergun type approach. You hone in on the specific need your prospect has and build up the importance of that need and thus the value of your solution.
Hope this helps, Greg