Q: How do you avoid alienating existing relationships at lower levels within an account when you’re targeting to meet with high-level executives?
As this is a situational question, we’ve provided several different solutions below.
If it’s an existing customer and you’re depending on your current contact for the introduction, you’ll need to present a compelling case that makes your contact want to advance the relationship. In other words, they need to know what’s in it for them.
First consider the strength of your contact’s influence, their business insight, and desire to gain visibility within the company.
Then try to get your contact’s support in taking the conversation to a higher level executive. If they’re not willing to support your initiatives, sidestep your contact diplomatically and move on the next step.
Potential Solutions
• Ask your contact a few business and financial questions. If they’re unable to answer, explain how these insights are critical to your mutual success with the project. Nicely ask for their assistance in scheduling a meeting with an executive who will answer your questions. Be sure to emphasize that your contact will benefit from this engagement too.
• Point out that the meeting may result in greater visibility of your contact to high-level executives. Support for your contact usually gives enough incentive to get him or her on board.
• Advise your contact that one of your managers wants to call on a peer. This can be justified through account sponsor programs, which are common at many companies. Or, for example, if your executive happened to read an article that quoted the customer executive or something along those lines, it provides a “reason” for an executive level meeting.
• Another approach is to have your executive contact his or her peer directly. Then, inform your lower level contact about your meeting, so neither you nor your targeted executive is put in the position of asking for “permission.”
• One additional option is to let your contact know that your management team has mandated you call on the account at the executive level. So, even if you’d prefer not to bypass your contact, you’re doing so under your management’s request. Whether or not your contact likes it, he or she will likely understand.
When you meet with the customer executive, invite your lower level contact to that meeting so he or she is viewed as adding value by supporting the broader enterprise. Or, if your contact is unable to attend, offer to meet at a later date to debrief them on the executive level meeting.
Feel free to comment below with your own suggestions!
