Marketing

Four Approaches to Gaining Access to the C Suite

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In today’s Capstone Sales Series webinar, Selling to the C Suite, Steve Bistritz reviewed four approaches to gain access to executives:

Implement an overt approach via the telephone or using a phone call, preceded by an email or letter.

Use a credible sponsor within the customer’s organization to help secure access.

Use a referral (someone outside the customer’s organization), such as a consultant, business associate or friend.

Treat the gatekeeper (administrative assistant, secretary or the like) as a resource and use them to help secure access.

Which of these approaches is the most effective? Bistritz’s research with corporate executives reveals that when considering a major purchase executives are Always (16%) and Usually (68%) likely to schedule a meeting with a salesperson if the request came from a recommendation from someone inside their company and Always (8%) and Usually (36%) likely to schedule that meeting if the request came from a referral outside the company.

This information drives home the importance of face-to-face marketing activities like networking, mixers with referral sources, participation in business and trade organizations, and referral source breakfasts/lunches. It also supports identifying the right prospects for your firm, conducting research about the company and its leaders, and determining who you know that can make the introduction. In this competitive time when every CPA firm is looking for new business this is information to live by.

Capstone Marketing Blog, Marketing

7 Key Steps to Turning Your Big Idea Into a Big Success

In an article for MarketingProfs Mike Sprouse, chief marketing officer of Epic Advertising, provides seven key steps to turn your big idea into a big success. As you create your firm’s marketing programs consider these seven steps:

  1. Figure out what makes you tick, what makes you passionate about your career, or what you see in your industry that you really enjoy and think you can add value to.
  2. Create a business plan. It should go beyond the necessary dollars-and-cents analysis and include a how your idea will benefit your company, your job, and your target audiences.
  3. Figure out the “who”—who else in your company or industry might share your passions and ideas. Develop a “who’s on board” list of people who might be willing to help bring your idea to market.
  4. Once you have people on board, figure out—with them—the “how,” or the process via which you’ll make your idea a success.
  5. Establish key goals or benchmarks—two or three short-term targets and one long-term target.
  6. Finally, when you’re ready, figure out how you will tell your story to people who may be interested. If your idea is a good one, then it is your responsibility to share it with them.
  7. Have fun. When ideas or projects cease being fun, the passion dries up and, typically, the end product suffers.