The Access Strategy Model Tactic: Gain Access

Gaining access, as a tactic, is really a potpourri of selling tactics. Like negotiating tactics, you're dealing with moving targets, a variety of people and situations, which defy a smooth formula or pat solution. As in other strategies, this is the point at which tactical sales skills take over. You can arm yourself with a variety of approaches, but each decision is dictated by your assessment of the individual based on your past experiences and current feedback (observations or perceptions provided by others). However, the tactics you utilize should include gaining access (and, if the information is available, prior call frequency, level of influence, degree of commitment, priorities, and connections you or others can make). This requires matching and scheming, putting a plan into play, and, most importantly, gaining access strategically (as opposed to piecemeal sales calls and attempts). Recognize that the tactics described below work best when they are part of a total plan. Like a game, moves, adjustments, advances, retreats, and countermoves need to be made to achieve access objectives. A strategy creates synergism; the end result (sum) will be much greater than the individual moves (if done piecemeal). The bottom line is that if one tactic doesn't work, another will. When enough tactics have worked, you will have gained access to the right people. Some of the tactics that follow are situational, while others are designed to deal with decision makers with varying degrees of commitment.

Coach tactic involves finding a "friend in court" who can help you gain access and do related internal intelligence work for you. The best candidate for a coach is a champion or a supporter who has a stake in the final outcome for which you're striving.

The coach gives you feedback on progress, competition, and, as it relates to access, "where the bodies are buried." He or she can provide endless information on how decisions are made, who influences whom, and in some instances can even arrange entree to hard-to-access players. How do you identify and develop a coach? In most sales situations, you'll generally find people (at the influencer level) who want your product/service or who like you and your organization. As you proceed through your sales cycle, you recognize these individuals' needs or desires to be involved in a positive way. You don't have to be a psychologist to realize that coaches have varying motives for involvement; they either want to look good themselves, feel that you are the right fit for their organization, or personally like you. In every case, they are more responsive to your questions and offer lots of positive comments. You need to initiate this interplay subtly, of course, and build a supportive and ongoing relationship. You maintain this relationship by more frequent contact and by providing the coach with information on your progress and asking for help on potential problems.

A few years ago, one of Porter Henry & Company's sales reps had been working for almost a year with an account that had major potential for us. Our sales rep, having established a relationship with a coach who felt the strong need for sales training for the account's sales force, nurtured this relationship for six months and was able to access and influence a number of key people. Although suddenly transferred to a new job 250 miles away, the coach was still helpful, continuing to provide guidance and influence people. Without such help, we probably would not have been able to access the right people and sell the account.

A final word on the coach tactic: Make the coach look good at every turn of the sales cycle. Give the coach credit for ideas, suggestions, and for identifying needs and problems.

Network tactic requires you to use every connection and method for making strategic contacts. Effective networkers use every method they can think of to reach the right people. For example, they get other players to introduce them to those they need to access; they arrange to meet key players at public functions (conferences, social events, professional organizations, charity events); or they get a friend or contact to set up a social lunch. There is no limit to the number of techniques mat can be used to network around an organization and meet key people. These ploys or subtactics include:

1) Have a higher-level person from your company call him or her to set the stage for a visit from you.

2) Invite the "hidden" player to be a guest (or even a guest speaker) at a function.

3) Set up a meeting as a short, fact-finding mission, rather than a sales call.

4) Invite him or her to attend a business meeting, such as a business review or other type of formal presentation.

5) Use your coach to get you an appointment.

Network tactic is a free form process for gaining access and is limited only by your creativity in linking people together. The key, however, is not merely meeting people, but on staying focused-to whom must you gain access? This focus can emanate only from a strategic plan.

Top-gun selling tactic is reserved for the decision maker. The biggest challenge in multilevel selling is gaining access to high-level people, the "top guns." While the experts will tell you that the ideal selling scenario is to enter the organization at the top level, in practice this is not always possible (or desired). However, influencing the top guns is critical to your success, and you can't leave it to chance or rely on subordinates to carry the message (and/or be persuasive in doing it). Assuming you can set an appointment (without stepping on a subordinate's toes), you have two options: (1) Handle the call (or calls) yourself or (2) bring along someone from your organization at a similar level to the account decision maker. The latter may be a good way to get a hard-to-come-by appointment, but in either case you face die same issues. In brief, you need to accomplish a number of call objectives dictated by the top gun's preferences. Top guns tend to be:

1) Big-picture oriented.

2) Not interested in product.

3) Future focused.

4) Interested in trends.

5) Concerned about growth and profit issues.

It's critical to hit some or all of these hot buttons while building relationships, increasing support, demonstrating your knowledge of his or her organization and needs. The top-gun call requires heavy planning. Above all, it requires two simple elements that are best described by the phrase "Give and get." In other words, you need to provide some information of value and receive some in return. It's a certainty there will be no product selling with the top gun.

What can you give? You need to provide some value related to the top gun's needs and interests. For example, you can supply information on industry trends; plans that your company is making that will affect the top gun's long-range goals, a specific issue that may be affecting the account's profits, and a potential problem about which the top gun may not be aware, research from your company or the industry. You generally do not discuss specific products or a major commitment that you are seeking at lower levels. However, there are two exceptions. One is when you know the top gun is a hands-on executive and this decision is important to his or her goals and objectives. The other is related to selling major concepts, such as an alignment or partnership arrangement. If you have validated that the top gun is involved, then it makes sense to subtly lead into the product purchase if the discussion moves in that direction. If this happens, stick with the big-picture and stay away from mundane features and benefits. Generally, the top gun will not want to talk about the specific details of a proposal, although he or she may want some feedback on how a project is moving along.

What can you get? You'll want to get something tangible from the top gun during your presentation. You should plan your questions carefully. You need to know what his or her priorities are, where the organization is headed, what his or her perspective is, opinions on past initiatives, and, if your organizations have had an ongoing relationship, how he or she perceives the situation.

Not every decision involves decision maker, but the best salespeople recognize that they need to have access to all the top guns. Even if you only see these people infrequently you will gain visibility and reinforce your presence when they supply input for major decisions.

Source: Global marketing by Svend Hollensen