Navigating the 15-Minute Ask
As a sales rep, I was no stranger to the "Can I get 15 minutes?" email. It was my go-to pitch to CXOs, VPs, Directors, and many more. I believed, as many do, that 15 minutes was a small investment for the chance to showcase the brilliance of the product I represented.?
Fast forward to today, and the tables have turned. I'm now the recipient of 3-4 such emails daily—from ex-colleagues, vendors, and sales reps seeking mentorship.
While I empathize with these requests, having been on both ends, I've come to a realization: I must be vigilant in safeguarding my time in order to excel in my role at Snowflake and be present for my family and friends.?
Reflecting on my journey as Snowflake's original BDR, I now understand why people gave me those 15 minutes. I had to find the Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) and focus on targeting them. Cold calls to G2K CIOs were often met with disinterest and rejection. Instead, I found my ICP and success by concentrating on digital native customers in AWS with specific pain points at the Manager or Director level. Once we demonstrated that we could solve those pain points for them, we got our champions.?
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We showcased our problem-solving capabilities to these directors and managers, earning the right to set up meetings with the CXO through these champions. In other words, we were testing our champions for access to the CXO - the Economic Buyer (EB). And once we reached the EB, we explained how we could save them money, enhance efficiency, and align with their strategic goals in order to get their support to become a customer.
My advice for those seeking 15 minutes with an EB: Ensure there's a compelling value proposition for them or their team. Personally, I never entertain cold calls; I take meetings only on recommendations from trusted connections. Create champions, test their access, and from there, you will know if you're on the path to earning a customer.
For those seeking mentorship, stand out by asking thoughtful questions, reference prior research on the person, and respect the mentor's limited time.?
While I can’t give everyone 15 minutes, a well-crafted question might earn you 30 minutes and, who knows, maybe even a deal.
Enterprise Account Executive at Semgrep
1 年Take that 15 minutes, and pretend you only have 5 minutes. This will help you to be concise and will help to bring the most value to the table.
When Growth Is Your Destination. Business Builder, Growth Advisor, Interim Manager
1 年Being relevant to others is the key point to me. I remember the time, when I built my own company after several years at MCI WorldCom/later Verizon business. We were frequently struggling with getting customer execs attanding our Exec Briefings at MCI. When I was on my own, I started with the famous book about the "VITO letters" and it took me days if not weeks to get prepared for the first C-level touchpoints. But it was worth the efforts and I never experienced the struggle like we did at MCI. Practice and experience turned weeks into days, into hours and it became a natural habit. As a relevant person, you can even try a cold call. Because you know what the point is.
Great reminder and message
CEO @ BEAR Cloud | IT Solutions, Data Centers, AI, CRM, Cloud, Dad
1 年Thank You for sharing! Hope your well!