How to Build Sales POWER by Reading the Organization

I recently launched a series of posts about the elements of successful selling – not just because I love sales, but because your sales force comprises your chief ambassador network, creating the initial impression that can help or hurt your reputation. The over-riding theme of this series is how power can be used to positively influence the sales cycle. I’ve created a concept, the sales POWER base, which consists of five ways to inject power into your sales. I recently blogged about one of the five crucial element of the POWER base: partnerships. Today, let’s talk about the second element, the “O” in POWER: the importance of finding opportunities inside a prospect’s organization.

O Is for Organizational Charts

Sales is not just about selling products. It’s about forming relationships built on trust. That’s why it’s so important to find ways to build meaningful relationships inside your target account.

Being able to say “I know your colleague,” or “I went to the same college as you,” creates connection and builds trust. Examining the organization chart of your target account will help you determine if there are people or information you can leverage to connect the dots and get the deal done. But first, you need to roll up your sleeves and get the lay of the land.

Folks, I’m talking about the process of sitting down and getting to know an organization’s leadership team. You need some quiet time to pour over a corporate website to dig into the details of each set of leadership – maybe something you don’t feel like doing amid a long week of travel and hard work. But you need to do the research first.

Who Are the Players?

Start with the senior-most leadership team: who are all the players? Who do they know that you may know? Then uncover as much as you can learn from sources such as LinkedIn. Investigate stakeholders within the prospect account. What college did they attend? What’s their prior experience? Who are they connected to? Perhaps you have a mutual colleague who could put in a good work for you. If you’re able to find any common denominators — a contact, a sports affiliation, a shared interest — you can strengthen the connection with the prospect, and it may help move the deal along.

Don’t let the size of the firm intimidate you, and don’t assume that higher-ups are too busy to return your call. In fact, the bigger the firm, the more chances you have to connect the dots and establish a connection with someone who you can help – and who can help you!

Don’t Forget the Board of Directors

When you read the prospect’s organization chart, review who is on the board of directors, too. The leadership team gives you leverage and credibility, but working a corporate board can expand your network immeasurably. Boards often consist of people who sit on other boards. And they’ve gotten to points in their careers where they know just about every senior decision maker you’re trying to reach. Now they may not be as actively involved in the day-to-day running of a business you want to penetrate. But they may be able to get you an introduction to the CEO of your prospect or a related company that may not have been on your radar screen.

How I Got My Foot in the Door of a $60 Billion Firm

Let me tell you a story. I once wanted to reach the head of sales at a $60 billion firm. Big challenge, right? When I examined their background (easy to do, especially for publicly traded firms), I saw that this person sold software in college for an early-stage contact management system – the very same company that my own company’s CEO had been working at in their early stages. I leveraged that connection: “Our CEO talks highly of you and would love to have coffee.”

Guess what – I got a connection. Not with the head of sales, but with their direct report.

Use Your Leverage

You might be thinking, “But you didn’t get a meeting with the head of sales.” In fact, you’re in a great position when someone on high refers you to a direct report or someone lower in the chain of command. Why? Because that introduction from the senior executive gives you leverage. The initial call I made to the head of sales at the $60 billion firm gave me leverage with the person in his chain of command. And I got a meeting immediately.

But you have to use that leverage. You need to send that email to the direct report and copy their boss who connected you in the first place. (Better yet: their boss makes the introduction for you.) The direct report isn’t going to turn you down – they might if you cold called them, but if you have the interest of their boss, they are going to have that conversation with you.

Build Trust

After you’ve made that secondary connection, make sure you find out all you can about that person and their relationships, too. Always be looking for common connections – people in their network who you both might know, people you both worked with in your careers at some point, and so on. Find those opportunities to build trust and credibility.

Naturally, you’ll want to find out about who you’re going to meet, too. I like to check whether I’m meeting with someone who’s a thought leader, perhaps a speaker or a blogger. If so, you know what to do, right? Show that you’ve paid attention to their ideas.

Actually read what’s on their mind. And it’s totally fine to let them know you’ve read their latest post or column. Who wouldn’t be flattered to know the person they’re meeting has taken the time to read their ideas? But don’t make “I love your writing” or “I saw your presentation” your entrée to someone. It’s far better to refer to leverage a relationship first, then show familiarity with the person you’re meeting.

There Is No Such Thing As Getting the Runaround

Now, after you meet that direct report, you might get referred to someone else for another conversation. That’s good. In fact, the more people you meet in an organization, the more you can learn about their own business problems and needs, giving you valuable intel that you’d miss otherwise. You’re not getting the runaround – not if you view every person you meet as a potential relationship and a source of intel. 

What You Never Want to Do

Never, ever, find someone on LinkedIn and then send them an email introducing yourself. Nope. Nope. Nope. Find someone on LinkedIn, and then get someone you both know to introduce you. LinkedIn is about leveraging relationships, not sending blind emails. Look to secure leverage first. You have no leverage when you send a blind email.

Remember: Always Aim High

You might be tempted to go after someone lower in the organization, thinking they’ll be more responsive. After all, C-level executives have a lot on their plates. Don’t aim low, though. Aiming high will not only give you leverage, doing so will help you open doors faster. Aiming low marginalizes your role. When you aim low, you’re just another salesperson standing in line. Aiming high gives you leverage and positions you as an executive problem solver. Who would you rather be?

Related posts in this series:

“Put Some POWER in Your Sales Cycle,” March 5, 2019.

“How the Right Partners Can POWER Your Sales Cycle,” August 14, 2019.

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