A VC in Vacationland

Most start ups, sometime in their early strategy discussions, say that they are going to sell their products to the potential client CEO’s or other C-level executives.  The arguments are compelling–C-level executives run the ship, control all the budget decisions and can make underlings do what they want.

Sometimes, their story does get the attention of the C-level executive.  Introductions are made, meeting are held, promises passed back and forth.  And then, nothing.  A number of things can go wrong.  Underlings resent the intrusion in their decision processes, competitors get asked to the party, and the deal time stretches way out. Often, the C-level executive, having delegated the decision to his lieutenants, has moved onto other issues

So, is it worth going the C-level route ? If so, how do you avoid getting marginalized as the process moves into the organization? And what is the key success factor to penetrating the C-level?

Here are a few suggestions:

Is it worth it?  Often, the best C-level executive to approach is one who has market/competitive problems, or has just taken over a troubled company and you have a solution that can help him or her reduce cost, increase revenue, whatever. But remember that every consultant worth their pay check will have the same idea. You need to be creative in your approach, play on your ability to recognize the intricacies of their business and provide unique solutions which yield competitive advantages. 

How can you avoid getting trapped in a non-response cycle? Here are four things that have worked for me in the past:

• Establish a good communication path to the C-level executives
• Work early and often with the influencer’s in the organization
• Develop a "penetration" work plan with timetables, and
• Execute with quality and precision at all levels in the organization.

Finally, what is the key success factor in penetrating the C-level in organizations? The universal rule is to know someone who knows a C-level executive and can introduce you.  Your probability of success increases dramatically when an executive hears about you from a trusted friend.  This has long been the secret behind the success of world-class consulting companies–knowing the people in power. Don’t know someone who knows an executive?  Here’s where your Linkedin or Plaxo networks come into play.  I can usually find someone in my network or extended network who knows an executive I want an introduction to fairly easily.

Selling to the C-level requires quite different strategies from a traditional sale. Make sure that you exploit the people networks to get the right introductions.  Blind emails or calls to the executives are usually a waste of time and energy.