Ken Roma, a vice president of sales for a medical forms printing service that sells to the healthcare marketplace asked me the following question:
How do you handle getting passed from CFO to CEO to COO (C-Suite Executives) and back and forth among various decision-makers?
Ken, this question comes up a lot in our pharmaceutical and healthcare sales training programs.
Facilitate C-suite Team Communication
Many times, C-suite executives are not very good at communicating internally with each other. Egos, conflicting priorities, and competing resources get in the way. That’s where you come in. You literally have to orchestrate the c-suite team and get them talking, if not to each other — then definitely with you.
The best way to get them talking is to ask good probing questions. This will lead to you having a better handle of their situation than they do themselves. That’s when you are truly on the inside of their organization. You have now planted yourself as a trusted business resource — where they turn to you for advice.
What asking Good Probing Questions will help you learn and understand about Your Customers…
- Their decision-making process.
- Their unique set of buying criteria.
- Their motivations. (what solution is going to address their specific needs.
- (Hint: it’s not price.)
It’s obvious how sometimes C-suite executives like to push off the decision on others. But deep down, they have their own set of criteria, or better stated, their own hidden agenda. You just need to uncover it. And if you’re not getting a straight answer, rephrase the question until you get the information you’re looking for.
For more information about our pharmaceutical, healthcare and medical device sales training workshops, and asking the right sales questions visit our website at www.pbresults.com.
