CareerJournal.com’s Company Leaders Are Spending More Quality Time With Customers covers a timely topic in today’s market – CEO’s directly involved in the selling process. We have seen this change in our mid-sized customers for the past few years. This article provides a good example – the CEO for Intel getting involved in a large deal with Apple:
He heard grumblings that this change wasn’t possible — at least not anytime soon — but Mr. Otellini pushed ahead. “Instead of saying no, we can’t, let’s say yes and figure out how,” he recalls telling his senior team members. He won them over and soon had a new packaging design to show Apple, which chose Intel as its supplier.
Nothing like the CEO providing a bit of “motivation” to the senior team members. I like this guy’s approach and later on in the article I learned why (my emphasis):
“We’re adjusting and tailoring products for them and moving much more quickly,” explains Mr. Otellini, who came up through the sales and marketing ranks.
That explains it. And that one quoted sentence speaks volumes to the adjustments that are being integrated into the modern-day sales process. When you have global competition at the touch of a keystroke, you have to be customizable and quick. Anything short of that and you will become a commodity. Quickly.
“Ten years ago, a sales executive would have given a pitch, but today big customers want the CEO’s commitment that if they buy from you, you’re forming a partnership with them and will deliver exactly what you promised,” says Ed Peters, chief executive of OpenConnect, a Dallas company that makes software that uncovers business-process inefficiencies. “And if you don’t, your failure will be broadcast on the Internet and quash possible deals with other customers.”
One caveat -the CEO best understand the sales call and the goal of the meeting. CEO’s are a real presence in the meeting, but they run the risk of derailing the sales process if they decide to wing it. Pre-call strategizing and post-call debriefing is the key to keep the sale moving forward efficiently.