Mythical kings, iguanas and #sales

I need your help.

Many people have urged me to write a book I've been planning for years - "How to Sell at 'C' Level" and I've finally started. In fact I've just written the first draft of the opening chapter, imaginatively titled "About This Book".

Not surprisingly it tells readers what to expect from the book. It also contains some of my basic philosophies, describes the various sections and chapters and, I hope, gives readers a sense of my style. Which may or may not be a good thing.

I very much need some feedback. All and any comments are welcome; in particular I need to know if, after you read the opening chapter, are you:

• Seized with an uncontrollable urge to order an advance copy sight unseen?
• Bored rigid?
• Mildly interested?
• Keen to read it if and when it finally gets published?
• Desperate to write a glowing review based on my previous writings
• More interested in the forthcoming Downton Abbey movie?

I would definitely like to know if you'd actually consider paying real money for it - and if you think others would do so as well.

So here's what I'd very much like you to do if you'd be so kind - and I'll be suitably grateful. Please read this - it should take no more than 5 minutes - and...

1. Let me know what you think of it in the comments

2. Unless you absolutely hate it would you please "like" it to help it reach a wider audience

3. If you have the time to share it that would also help it to reach a wider audience and thus improve readership

I will respond to every comment - even the trolls. Thanks a lot in advance for your help and I hope you enjoy it and find it useful. Here it is.

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About this book

This book is written specifically for CEOs, sales leaders and sales people at companies that sell high value products and services to businesses, governments and other organisations.

Many of the strategies, ideas and tactics that you'll read may apply to other types of sales but, as the title implies, this is primarily for people who sell to the C suite, or at C Level as my rather warped sense of humour likes to call it.

The first part of this opening chapter covers my key principles. The second part gives you an overview of the four sections of the book and of each chapter.

(Some of) my key principles

• Key Principle One - Sales should be as simple as possible but no simpler.

It's debatable whether Einstein ever actually said "everything should be made as simple as possible but not simpler". But whether he did or not I agree with the sentiment. And at its core sales is simple. Find out what your prospect really wants and help him or her get it.

Of course when you're selling B2B your "prospect" is a company that's usually made up of many decision makers, influencers, recommenders, blockers and others. They often want different, sometimes contradictory, things so it isn't that simple. But the basics remain the same.

Many sales experts, some of whom I know and very much respect, have a tendency to over complicate things. As a sales leader or sales person, when you try to come to grips with all the different approaches that are pushed on LinkedIn - account based marketing, social selling, sales enablement, predictive analytics, autodiallers, video messaging, etc. etc. it can be overwhelming.

Many of these are useful but there's so much conflicting advice that it's no wonder people feel overwhelmed. So I've tried to keep things as simple as I can.

• Key Principle Two - Sales shouldn't consume your life

Some sales experts and business leaders seem to believe that sales people live to sell and that everything else is peripheral. Which, in my opinion at least, is one reason the average tenure of a sales person or sales leader is less than two years.

One sales guru I know - and very much respect - tells sales people that if they want to really succeed they need to get into the office at 6.00am so they're ready to start making calls at 8.00am when their prospects are arriving at work. He also says they should spend their evenings on LinkedIn doing social selling. The list of things he says a sales person must do in order to succeed is longer than Avengers End Game - but not nearly as much fun. Anyone who actually does everything he proposes will have to work 60 to 80 hours a week.

Call me contrary but I like to have a leisurely coffee with my wife in the morning then go to the gym before starting work around 9.00am. I try to get home not long after 5.00pm so I can eat, drink, forget about work and relax. I'm not averse to leisurely lunches and coffee breaks either. I find I'm much more productive when I work a 30 hour week when I'm fresh, focused and relaxed than when I when I work long hours and i'm tired and run down.

That may offend your work ethic - but my 15 years in sales and sales management (preceded by leadership roles in project management, product management, marketing and professional services and followed by working for myself was spent with just one company (or two if you take into account the fact that the original company was acquired when I'd been there 12 years). In that time I sold over $100 million in 23 countries on 6 continents.

Of course there were times I worked 24 hours non-stop, over weekends and through holidays - but they were the exception, not the rule. Most of the time I found time to have fun, take it easy, stay married and keep fit.

• Key Principle Three - Learning should be fun

I've read a lot of sales books (a LOT). The ones that have made the most impact have been those that I really enjoyed reading because they were interesting, intriguing and easy to read. Call me simple but if i have to struggle to understand a book I find it hard to learn from it. If I find the ideas too complex I know I won't be able to use them in real life.

So I've tried to make this book as easy to read as possible. I've also been unable to resist throwing in the occasional joke. I apologise in advance as some of them are pretty bad.

If you get past this introduction and actually read the book I hope you'll find the ideas, strategies, tactics and principles incredibly valuable. And I hope you enjoy the process.

• Key Principle Four - Motivation sucks

OK, I exaggerate. Motivation is great and you can't sell, or do anything really, without motivation. What I really meant was "external motivation is ineffective", I just used a punchier heading for effect.

A lot of sales talks and sales books focus on motivation, working on the assumption that with a bit of motivation a demotivated sales person will buck up and get going again.

I don't think it works that way. I don't believe sales people lack intrinsic motivation. I think every sales person wants to do well, to make money, to support their family, to do a good job and to be proud of the job they do.

If a sales person lacks motivation that's usually because they are overwhelmed, or under massive pressure to perform, or face impossible demands, or are expected to work themselves to a standstill, or don't have the skills, support, coaching and processes they need in order to succeed.

Trying to motivate a demotivated sales person by whipping up enthusiasm through motivational speakers and inspirational books is a waste of time if the root causes are ignored. It will have a transient effect at best if those core problems aren't fixed. Sales people don't need more motivation. They need better skills, stronger support and more effective leadership and coaching.

• Key Principle Five - Achieve more by doing less

I pinched this from a friend and client (John Bedwany, CEO of the Database Dept.) but I like it. My goal is always to work as effectively as possible so I can get the best possible results with the least amount of effort. And that's my goal for you too.

• Key Principle Six - Always Know your objective

One thing that helps me to achieve more by doing less is to always know (I know, it's a split infinitive) my objective. When I do something in sales I ask myself "what am I trying to achieve?" before I do it.

When I write an article, an email or anything else I ask myself a couple of questions. "Who is/are my audience" and "What do I want him/her/them to think or do as a result of reading this?"

For example, take this book. I clearly defined my audience in the first paragraph of this opening chapter. And my objective is for you to a) buy this book; b) actually read it; c) enjoy the process; d) sell more effectively at C level as a result of all the things you'll learn; e) sell more, make your targets, help more customers and have time to enjoy other things in your life; and f) recommend it to everyone you know (except your direct competitors of course) so I make lots of money and can continue taking life easy.

There's one other objective I have. If you live in Sydney (or are prepared to fly me business class to wherever you live, as long as it's somewhere nice) and you think "I'd really like Steve to help me develop my "Selling at C level" strategy and/or run his world famous* "How to Sell at C level" workshop for my team" - then I want you to call me.

(* Disclaimer - it may not actually be world famous)

• Key Principle Seven - The true purpose of selling is to help your customer succeed

If you read many sales books you'll see many (by no means all) imply the key objective of selling is to close the deal. Even the term "close the deal" implies that's the end of the process. But from the prospect's or customer's perspective that isn't the end of the process, it's the beginning.

Movies like "The Wolf of Wall Street" and books like "The Art of the Deal" make sales people look like heartless predators who screw their customers in search of the big bucks. I don't believe that's the case and I don't like that attitude. If that's your view of sales put this book down and go buy something else.

I believe a true sales person is focused on helping her or his customer to succeed and/or to get what they really want. This is not only much more ethical, it's more effective in the long term, it's better for your reputation and much better for your self image. 

If your attitude is to screw the customer because there's a sucker born every minute eventually you'll run out of suckers - or of people willing to do business with you. If you focus on helping your customer to succeed you'll be happier, they will be happier and you'll have made a small but important contribution towards making the world a better place.

And you can go back and sell successful customers more stuff much easier.

• Key Principle Eight - Don't believe everything "experts" tell you - including me

I genuinely believe everything in this book. But I'm human and i get stuff wrong. As i mentioned above my thinking evolves and stuff I thought three years ago may have changed. So think for yourself, test me, challenge me.

The ideas in this book have worked well for me and my clients but they don't work all the time. And things I criticise work sometimes too. So read, learn, try and test - but above all think for yourself and see what works for you.

When it works let me know. If it doesn't ask me why, my contact details are at the end.

Book overview.

This previews the main sections of the book and each chapter within those sections.

Section One shares critical, but often much ignored, information every sales person needs to know about prospects, C level executives, ordinary people, the buying journey and other important factors.

Section Two covers the specific areas that need to be addressed in order to schedule initial sales meetings with C Level Executives.

Section Three covers how to prepare for, conduct and follow up on an initial sales meeting with C Level Executive

Section Four is for fun and feedback. Many of the chapters in this book were originally published as LinkedIn articles and they generated a lot of interest, feedback, discussions and controversy. I've reproduced my favourite original articles along with some of the feedback.

Since I wrote them my ideas have evolved so if there's any discrepancy between the LinkedIn articles and the book, then the book is the more current.

• Section One, Chapter One - Why Sell at C level?

There are many excellent reasons why you should sell at C level. Yet many sales people resist it for a variety of reasons. Perhaps they lack confidence, perhaps they are intimidated, perhaps it just seems too hard. This chapter explores all the reasons why you should sell at C level.

Of course, there are exceptions when you shouldn't sell at C level and we'll discuss those in the next chapter....

• Section One, Chapter Two - What is C level anyway?

As I write Mark Zuckerberg is the CEO of Facebook. If you know Facebook has an issue you can help them with, one where you can them $1 million, the chances you'll get Mark Zuckerberg or any of his direct C level reports excited about it are slim. They probably spend that on a weekend away. In this chapter we'll discuss proportionality and who your "C Level Equivalent" is.

• Section One, Chapter Three - The Terrifying Truth About Your Prospects

When I tell sales leaders and sales people (and particularly marketing people) the Terrifying Truth about their prospects they often react as if I'd told them their baby is stupid and ugly. But it has to be said (the prospect thing, not the baby thing) and they have to face the awful truth.

In this particular case the truth will indeed set you free.

Section One, Chapter Four - Concerning C Level Executives (With apologies to JRR Tolkein)

What are C level Executives like? What common characteristics do they share and how do they differ from lesser mortals (if indeed they do)? Obviously this chapter contains massive generalisations and there are many, many exceptions but sometimes generalisations are useful.

And there are some things that make C Level Executives at least a little different. This chapter explores the similarities and differences between C level Executives and the Madding Crowd.

• Section One, Chapter Five - Concerning Minions

My wife Susan loved the movie Despicable Me (OK, I admit it, so did I) and I've used the term "minions" affectionately (I hope) to refer to people who aren't C level Executives. That's not to dismiss minions - they make the world go round and nothing would happen without them. And of course to some degree we're all minions.

Certainly you need the support of minions to make a sale and to help the customer succeed. And a disgruntled minion can kill a sale faster than Homer Simpson can sink a can of Duff.

• Section One, Chapter Six - What Do C Level Executives Care About (and what don't they)?

If you want to sell successfully to C level Executives you need to understand what they care about. And equally important, what they don't care about. Of course what they care about depends on many factors, - the country, the company, the industry, the role of the person, the individual's personality & character, the economy, the political situation, phases of the moon - but these guidelines will help.

And what they don't care about is pretty consistent among all C level Executives. Every CEO and sales leader needs to know what that is. Many don't.

• Section One, Chapter Seven - One Thing to Rule Them All

More Lord of the Rings references I'm afraid, although I'm very much against ruling or binding prospects. But there is little-understood one rule that's critical to selling at any level, particularly at C level.

If Ruth is the shortest chapter in the Bible this is the shortest chapter in the book but it's probably the most important.

• Section One, Chapter Eight - Mythical Kings and Iguanas in Sales

With apologies to the late great Dory Previn. We all love a magic bullet, something new and exciting that's going to make our lives easier and help us sell a lot more. Or, as Dory would say, we search for Mythical Kings who can reveal the truth to us.

Sadly I don't have a magic bullet and I'm about as far from a Mythical King as you can get. This chapter discusses some of the current magic bullets in sales - digital marketing, social selling, video messaging and so on - and looks at how effective they are and what, if any, role they have to play in Selling at C Level.

• Section One, Chapter Nine - the Linear Buyer's Journey

How many ways are there to get from New York to Boston? There's literally thousands. Even going direct you can go by train, plane, boat, car, bus, bike, foot and skateboard. But you can also get there via San Francisco, Goondiwindi, Nempnett Thrubwell or llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch (all real places by the way).

Some of those meandering routes don't make much sense - just like many buyers' journeys. This chapter covers how the buyer's journey often unfolds in real life.

• Section One, Chapter Ten - a Lesson from Apollo 13

Sales may be important but it isn't life or death. The problem the crew of Apollo 13 faced in getting back to Earth alive was literally life or death and there's a great sales lesson covered in one scene in the movie - one that actually happened in real life.

It's a great metaphor for selling that will help shape your Selling at C Level thinking.

• Section One, Chapter Ten - Selling like Scheherazade 

If the crew of Apollo 13 used technology, grit and initiative to save their lives, Scheherazade saved her life by telling stories. Storytelling is an essential ingredient in sales but it's a skill many sales people lack.

This chapter won't teach you how to tell stories that sell but it will make you aware of the importance of storytelling. It will also introduce you to a brilliant book on the topic by my friend Mike Adams (in TV this is called crossover story)

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That's as far as I've gotten today. As I said, please let me know what you think in the comments. If you're interested in me letting you know when I finish more chapters or informing you when the book is finished just make a comment, even if it's only "yes please" and I'll make a note.

And I can't emphasise this enough - if you "like" this, comment on it and share it you'll get the attention of the LinkedIn algorithm Gods (in a good way) and help it reach more people.

Thanks, Steve