How to Use Corporate ‘Power Centers’

There are generally five different types of power centers in corporations. They are: the key decision maker, influencers, internal salespeople, neutrals and vetoers.

The key decision maker is the man or woman who either writes the check or tells someone else to write it. The final “yea” or “nay” comes from this level. It may be the president, a vice president, general manager, or almost anyone who has a final say in making a purchase or commitment of resources. The key decision maker is interested only in major benefits that will affect the overall operation and profitability of the company. To get their interest you have to talk about reducing overhead, increasing sales and profits, improving employee attitudes, reducing employee sick leave, increasing productivity, or some other benefit of meaningful magnitude. They are also influenced by the other “power centers” in the company.

The influencers can be found at almost any corporate level, but tend to be most common in middle and upper management. They are often affected directly or indirectly by your sale, if you make it. For instance, if you’re talking to the vice president of sales about a complete sales training program, the head of personnel and training will be intensely interested in how such a move would affect his or her position. If your project will end up taking responsibility or prestige away from an influencer, he’ll try to kill your project before it gets under way. If your project will make the influencer a “hero” in the organization, you’ll get plenty of support and encouragement along with a strong recommendation to the “boss” to go ahead with the project.

The internal salespeople can be real boosts to your efforts if they are high enough in the corporate power structure. Simply put, the office receptionist can be an internal salesperson by telling the positive things about you. The receptionist may be instrumental in getting you an appointment with the real decision maker. Other internal salespeople may be found in maintenance, engineering, safety, accounting, marketing, the warehouse, or just about any other area within the company. That brings out the importance of befriending everyone you come into contact with. Your human relations skills can be a tremendous asset here.

The neutrals are people who don’t really get involved in the decision affecting your sale. They have no vested interest in you, whether you make the sale or not. If their responsibilities change during your sales call cycle, they may become a power center at a different level. Business is in a state of change always, so don’t overlook the neutrals. Keep in mind that “a friend in need, is a friend indeed.” A neutral could be an outside salesperson who seldom uses the office. If you’re selling a complete telephone system to the company, the outside salesperson would see no immediate advantage or disadvantage to the installation of your system. What happens if the salesperson suddenly gets promoted to sales manager? Since the sales manager regularly uses the telephone, there would be an immediate interest in how your phone system will affect the sales department. Be aware that roles change easily.

Members of the last power center group are called the vetoers. These are the people who would not normally get involved in the purchase decision. They may not have a desire or interest in buying, but have the ability to “kill” your project. If you are selling subcontracting services to the manufacturing division, the manager of engineering would not normally be involved in selecting your company to provide the service. However, if the manager of engineering decides that your services do not meet his or her standards, action will be taken to veto the project. Another vetoer can be the president of the company who may decide that no outside services will be used to supply the manufacturing division. That could kill your sale in a hurry! Knowing the corporate politics and departmental interrelationships can be a tremendous asset for you. Part of your sales job is to neutralize the vetoers so they will not torpedo you before the sale.

Bruce R. Wares is a sales trainer and seminar leader in Waukesha, Wisconsin. For more information please write Bruce R. Wares & Associates, W221 N2730 Timberwood Lane, Waukesha, WI 53186 or call 414/547-8385.