You have courted everyone at “Major XYZ Company,” from decision makers to the janitorial staff, in your quest to land this major account. People seem to like your ideas and presentations, but you haven’t been able to get the actual sale. You have logged a significant amount of time trying to turn this friendly relationship into a serious long-term commitment. Why isn’t your effort paying off?
What you are lacking is an account champion, says Dick Canada, author of The 24 Sales Traps and How to Avoid Them: Recognizing the Pitfalls That Mislead Even the Best Performers. Instead of spreading your relationship-building effort thin, you should find and cultivate an account champion who will pick up where you leave off.
“In other words, when the salesperson isn’t at the account and closed-door meetings take place, the salesperson’s internal champion can go to bat to support the sale. In some cases, the internal champion will even sell the outside salesperson’s ideas, opinions, and solutions to the key people in his or her own organization,” says Canada.
But how do you go about finding the perfect champion for your quest? Canada offers five steps.
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