Welcome to my web, said the spider to the fly

What’s so different about this recession? How has it affected the way we sell?

A significant change is how decision-making within companies is organized. Back in the good old days, middle managers were responsible for buying in their departments. Now, in many of those companies, the managers are gone and the structure of decision-making has been indelibly altered. What happened?

Decision-making has moved up the chain. C-level executives are now responsible for making purchasing decisions. Selling to these folks is a challenge: getting in and getting through is much more difficult. There are enormous demands on their time and attention and it will take some serious provocation to penetrate the veil. This requires thorough homework, crystal-clear value propositions, and excellent communication skills.

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What are the other implications of this change in decision-making?

Committees. It’s ironic that companies have chosen both a more centralized and a very decentralized approach to decisions, but when CEOs need more information to make a purchasing decision, they often turn to committees to investigate and make recommendations.

Ever have one of those dreams where you’re trying to run and you can’t seem to get anywhere? That’s what it feels like selling to a committee. Why? You’ll find that each of the participants has a slightly different agenda. The value statement you used with the CEO must be altered to address the varying points of view in the committee. You’ll need multiple value statements tailored to these stakeholders’ concerns.

If you’re having challenges getting through, take a close look at the way decisions are being made in your prospect companies. Assume there’s stuff you don’t know and figure out how to get the missing information.

When decisions have higher risks, as all buying decisions do in a tight economy, value propositions must be especially strong and personalized to the individual circumstances of the decider. Your solutions must solve a key business problem, stave off disaster, or prevent World War III.

Be prepared as you go to battle. It can be sticky out there.