Major Accounts: Hunting the Alpha Animal
Reaching senior executives in major accounts takes the skills of a seasoned tracker. The Alpha animal’s job is to keep out intruders.
Although they seldom make decisions on their own, if what you are offering helps them keep shareholders or customers happy, senior executives will refer you to their direct report(s) who are responsible for finding solutions.
Being referred to a member of their team is exactly where you want to be. You now have permission and a warm entree to the herd. You have not been given the brushoff.
Have you found this to be true?
A referral means the executive has given his team the green light to start investigation, but you will still need to pass scrutiny with user groups, distributors and internal specialists.
They are all stakeholders in the decision to hire you. Their careers and their bonuses may be riding on how well your firm delivers.
No wonder the Alpha animal has to keep out intruders.
