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Beyond Selling Value. Chapter 7-8 “Two Feet in the Door” How to Gain Access to Senior-Level Decision Makers. Access Strategies. Decision Maker initiatives (they call you) Leveraging a coach Personal request Do it yourself Have someone else do it (your manager, company executive)
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Beyond Selling Value Chapter 7-8 “Two Feet in the Door” How to Gain Access to Senior-Level Decision Makers
Access Strategies • Decision Maker initiatives (they call you) • Leveraging a coach • Personal request • Do it yourself • Have someone else do it (your manager, company executive) • Access letter (See Chapter 8) • Wait for the buying cycle to play out
Beyond Selling Value Chapter 8 “The Write Stuff” Composing the Access Letter
Access Letter • Research-driven, reader-oriented letter designed to win that presentation. • Demonstrates your understanding of • Decision maker’s organization • Strategies • Issues • Objectives • Emphasizes possible relationship
Four parts • Drafting • Coach Review • Preselling • Follow up
Drafting • Opening • Concerns of decision maker • Future (addressing concerns) • Request (Demo or presentation) • Close (Next step)
Writing Styles • Be clear • Lingo (Use customer’s terminology) • Keep it short (1-1 ½ pages) • No empty praise (support comments) • Focus (Business not products) • Details (Spellcheck, grammar, errors) • Sign off
Coach Review • Have coach review draft • Ask for honest criticism • See GE example on pg. 135! (Good example)
Preselling the letter • Call DM administrator/assistant • Explain purpose and that you’ve sent a letter and when/how it will arrive • Ask if its okay to call back and confirm letter’s receipt and ask that it be included with other mail for DM to read in the next several days
Follow up access letter • Call administrator to confirm arrival • Be prepared to speak to DM • Some DM’s are so intrigued they want to speak with you right away
Conclusions • See ‘Bad Letter’ on page 143 • List 5 Problems • Example at the end of Chapter 8 tells of DM who believes “anybody who wrote me a letter like that. Anyone who does that kind of job understanding my business deserves an hour of my time.”