What is the most important part of the sales process? Well, you can debate it all day long, but the truth is, if you can’t actually GET the call, the rest of the skills and strategies you have just don’t matter.

Think about it – do you want to test your sales conversation skills? You need to get in the door first.

Want to use the powerful research you discovered? You need to actually have someone to share it with.

And if you want to show that impressive new demo your graphics team created, well, you actually need a prospect who wants to see it.

So, yes, I think the most important part of the sales process is getting to the right decision-maker. Getting them to take notice, getting them interested, and getting them to agree (and actually want) to meet with you.

And in today’s crowded marketplace, getting the attention of the right decision-maker is challenging enough, but getting them to give you time on their calendar and their full attention can seem darn near impossible.

If you're reading this you are probably wondering, "how to get appointments with decision makers?"

Well, the truth is, it's impossible for the sales professional who does not have a strategy. But the one who knows how to properly execute these 3 important sales strategies is guaranteed to get a meeting with the right decision-maker.

Identifying the Right Decision-Maker

Before you can get a meeting with the right decision-maker, you need to do some research on who you are calling on and what would motivate them to meet with you.

1. Who They Are – you need to know who they are. Oh, not their name and role in the company. I mean, who they are really? Their history, their current accomplishments, who they are connected to within the company, their industry, and their community.
2. What They Value – what their priorities are, what they focus on, what their core beliefs are, and what they prioritize.
3. What Are Their Challenges and Goals  – What keeps them up at night? What their board has challenged them with, what their teams need from them, what their stockholders hold them accountable to, what pressures they feel from competition

Connecting With the Right Decision-Maker

If you want to get a meeting with the right decision-maker, you need to connect with the right decision-maker. Understand you are selling yourself and solutions first; products and services second.

1. Positioning Yourself In the Marketplace – decision-makers want to meet and connect with other decision-makers. They see themselves as experts and influencers, and they need to see you that way too. Writing articles, speaking at events, and interviews on podcasts will all go a long way in raising your profile and ensuring you are seen as an expert.
2. Run In Their Circles – getting through the door with decision-makers starts long before you ever ask for that first meeting. You need to meet your decision-makers on a personal level by meeting and connecting with them in social and professional circles. They need to see you at industry gatherings, serving on committees in their associations, and out shooting a few sporting clays or a round of golf at their club now and then.
3. Communicate from the Bottom Up – decision-makers are busy. When and if you are given a meeting, don’t waste it. Do your homework, ask smart questions, and get to the point. Not the product – the point. Ensure they know that you are not only the solution to what is keeping them up at night, but just the answer they need to get a good night’s sleep.

Getting The Decision Maker To Commit

Sales would be so easy if all you had to do were meet with a decision-maker, and the deal would close. But unfortunately, it does not work like that; it takes a little time.

1. Social Proof – you need to be ready to share the case studies, testimonials, and stories of other clients you have helped and the results they have gained. All of this makes it much easier for decision-makers to make a decision.
2. Follow-Up – what do you think the chances are that you are going to interact with the right decision-maker at the exact moment they are ready to buy? Slim to none, right? Getting a decision-maker to commit requires a strong and well-executed follow-up strategy.
3. Referrals – building a sphere of influence that works with the same clientele as you ensures that when your decision-makers turn to the experts to help them make a decision, those experts are referring you.

Summing Up

Still wondering, "How to get to the decision maker in sales?"  With practice, one can master the skill and a little strategy required to get through the door with the right decision-maker.

For more information, ideas, and even more tools and techniques for getting through the door with the right decision-maker, check out our new LinkedIn Learning Course, Strategic Selling: How to Communicate with the C-Suite & Decision Makers.