The dreaded moment when you’re cold-calling c-level executives like CISOs and CEOs, and one picks up! I call it ‘the salesperson freeze’ and with time you build an arsenal to better deal with the cold feet, the stutters, and put into practice all the amazing credo you’ve built before picking up the phone. As part of the services we provide for one of our clients, I’m cold- calling CIOs and CTOs at large organizations, and with relative success, I have started to claw the surface of what it takes to hold a steady conversation with a C-level executive that converts to a sales qualified lead for your team.

Confidence

I once read somewhere that you grow by having tough conversations with tough people and it’s no different in sales. The needle on your deals, more often that not, will move after a conversation about pricing and demo with the CEO or the decision maker on the project. And C-level professionals are seasoned in sizing up people, employees, job candidates, and you need to be confident when talking and this emanates from a few things. A strong belief that you are there to help them, that you will truly listen to what they’re saying, being brief, and relaxed enough to have them mirror your disposition. You’ll be surprised by how a confident smile and a cheery demeanour can disarm them.

Speak from a Vantage Point

This probably stems or tailgates on my previous observation, though nuances it much more. You’re at the end of the month or have a sales update with a client coming up and you need to hit your quota, there is a sense of desperation in your voice that always gets communicated in the subliminal messaging when you’re calling up C-level executives. That’s not a good place to negotiate anything, whether it’s a meeting or an actual sale and that’s why it’s ever more important to speak from a vantage point with CEOs, CROs, CTOs. It establishes credibility, and perhaps, more than name-dropping global customers. 

Pace Your Calls

Pacing your calls helps you own your script better and sound more conversational and relaxed when cold calling C-level executives. With time, as your learning curve rises, your adeptness at sailing through the calls will be intrinsic behaviour. 

Phone Numbers

Using different tools like Lusha has helped me get better phone numbers and have more conversations when cold-calling C-level executives and much to my surprise, many of them were willing to have a conversation. Did each of them book a meeting? No, of course not! That’s not the goal of getting better phone numbers, it’s an investment into improving your outreach and making sure you go through campaigns faster and with timeliness.

Avoid Getting into the Weeds

As a software sales rep, product knowledge is a must, but it’s possible that you might not know everything in the handbook and there’s no shame in that. Embrace any and all questions the prospect has and answer them to the best of your capacity and when you hit a wall, there’s no harm in suggesting passing the baton to your team. That, in fact, is a good segue to get to the close of the call. However, as a rule of thumb, always speak less than is necessary and avoid getting into the weeds or down the rabbit-hole on the phone.

Use LinkedIn

This might not help you bond over their favourite sport, but looking at what they share on LinkedIn will bring you into their intimate circle of what they share with the world and help you better understand their psychographics. This will not change the content of your call but you will speak from a sense of having some kind of familiarity with the person you’re calling and not throw you off. 

Do you have a software solution that you’re selling to CIOs, CEOs, and CTOs? Get in touch with the team at VA Partners and we’d love to explore how we can help you grow.