AMA: Cacheflow GTM Team, Adam Wainwright on Influencing the C-Suite

Sales leaders always get this wrong - that is, they typically say something like: "I know everything that this role requires ... do it my way." - Every Sales Leader A great sales leader has an informed point of view, but a whole hell of a lot of humility and willingness to adjust, massage, pivot, lean in, etc. Bad sales leaders over quote non-senes sales mantras -- Great sales leaders get on calls listen to reps dealing with tough situations in deals, and ultimately help the business win.

Like anything, as a company grows, priorities change. It's hard to say how Key Stakeholders from other departments change (in this example) but in every growing business I've ever been a part of, what really matters is alignment to the mission. If Stakeholders' roles are impacted because the mission is evolving, this is where you'll see big moves or changes across the stakeholder landscape. Stay close to the stakeholders who have a clear understanding of the mission, and make sure its the same mission your C-Suite is aligning the company against. These are the people you'll want to align yourself with as a company grows/changes as they're the ones who will see you're commitment in the face of uncertainty (change is always uncertain) and they'll likely call you up for a chat to see how you can be used knowing that unwavering commitment to the big picture is valuable.

Small spaces. The best way to get exposure to your C-Suite is to find where they are and create reasons to be there. This is a common sales practice. That is, do your homework. Figure out where you can cross-paths with your C-Suite and use an opportunity to broker an introduction if one hasn't already been made. Depending on the personality of the person you're trying to get in front of, you should be trying to learn 1 or all of the following things. 1. Do they have an open-door policy? 2. Do they have an Administrator they might introduce you to who can facilitate getting time with the Exec.? 3. What motivates them as it pertains to the business? How are they wired when it comes to where they feel like they are most impactful (Not all executives are going to lean into the same things; if your CEO is a previous sales guy/gal, appeal to that sentiment, the same is true if they are/were an engineer. This is hard in a truly remote environment. If you are trying to broker time with the C-Suite in a truly remote environment, figure out who is close to the C-Suite and run through the same questions above and get sponsorship. Have someone with influence or authority angle you into getting some time with the C-Suite execs. you're looking to get with.

Influencing the C-suite happens in small settings. Depending how close to the office you are is corollary to how direct you can be with your resourcing request. When you get a chance to make a case, in a small setting, make sure you: Know your domain well. It's paramount that you truly understand the depth and breadth of your scope of responsibilities so you can observe these responsibilities from different lenses external to your domain. Know how your resource request drives/ impacts the big initiatives the C-Suite is selling to the board. If there are big plans to test into new markets, or acquire a business, or shake things up, be perscriptive to these 'rocks' in your request of resources. ie. IF the company is moving from: Slow > Fast in processes ... demonstrate in your request aligns with this overarching initiative and be painstakingly precise in how you plan to move the needle.

Consistency is key - to an executive, stability, consistency, and a clear tenacity/lean-in are what will separate you from your colleagues. Habits include: 1. Being early to the office when applicable 2. Putting in that extra push in the evening -- when it works and if you have the time, giving a little extra is something that often gets rewarded in my experience. 3. Being early on virtual calls (ie. all hands where the C-Suite is present) 4. Ditch complaining. -- Understand the language of "problem statements" and use it to uplevel how you communicate with your colleagues. This way to can start to frame up bigger picture ideas/even problems, but in the context of solutions. If these things change, then we unlock this "big thing ie. revenue" 5. Memorize the mission statement 6. Always speak positively of your colleagues 7. Never bad mouth customers, ever. Stay sober to the fact that your customers pay to keep you employed, good Execs pick up on folks who make small the source of revenue.

Alignment is the name of the game. And yes, Sr. Execs aren't always seeing eye to eye. The good news is that Sr. Execs understand the unifying language of alignment. In other words, try to figure out, in independent settings, how your proposed strategy serves the bigger picture. The strategic initiatives. Maybe they are around revenue growth or operational efficiency, or just getting things to work the way they should. In any case, your goal is to build a consensus that your proposed strategy directly impacts them at the strategic/executive level. When discussing plans with Execs. Be brief, be bright be gone. That is. Have a point of view. Make sure its tested and ready for deep review. But don't worry about the details when proposing a strategy. Instead make your case starting with the end in mind. In a presentation format, this might sound like this: 1. Getting to $100M across Services AND Customer Business (perhaps in this case Head of Services and the Customer business don't like each other) 2. Efficiency, Speed, and Performance 3. 2-4 Months - for Maximum return As an executive of either business/department, I'm seeing something that directly impacts me, my team, the total goal (getting to $100M), a high-level representation of what we should be aligning on (Speed, Performance, etc.), and a basic timeline. This is a very simple example, but if you can swtich the executives into Exec. think, they'll listen and they'll likely agree that alignment on the presented outcomes is what matters. ...but you gotta have a plan ... it needs to be baked and tested. So when tested, it stands up to scrutiny.

Brief, Bright, Gone. Everyone should read a book called "Cut to the Chase: and 99 Other Rules to Liberate Yourself and Gain Back the Gift of Time" by Stuart Levine. Execs speak in terms of big-picture ideas/moves. * Brevity is key to engaging with the Exec Suite. You'll know where someone sits based on their ability to speak in terms of strategy, broad strokes ideas and their implication to the business versus more tactical, deep-on-detail concepts/problems/projects/responsibilities Generally speaking, there are 3 levels to a business. They more or less fall into a 3 layer "pyramid of power" (let's call it). At the bottom, you've got super tactical folks doing the lion's share of the pen-to-paper or fingers-to-keys work. These people are very deep in very specific areas of the business and just don't have time to think about what's happening in the executive suite. These folks find themselves going down rabbit holes when in front of an Exec. Practice brevity. If this is you: Uplevel your storytelling so it crescendos at the value statement In the middle, you've got operational folks. Think Managers, regional VPs, operational leaders, or people but are still functionally tied to a tactical yet practical component of the business. A good example of this is Revenue Operations or Marketing Operations. They have a high understanding of how everything comes together but are still in the weeds, project to project. This operational layer can have a few strategic people that float between the operational layer and the strategic layer, where the C-Suite sits. If this is you, Also uplevel your storytelling, but in this case, you're advantaged because you likely have enough of a big picture understanding that you can more naturally use brevity in your communication. Hone it, learn how to start with the end in mind. Get to the point quickly, but leave enough detail out of the convo that a smart Exec. will want to learn more. At the top, you have the C-Suite, VPs, Sr. VPs, etc. This layer of the pyramid are squarely focused on the big picture. They own lofty goals and command the legion of resources down the pyramid who help ealize these big picture goals. If this is you: Congrats, get off of Sharebird, you've got an empire to run.

Hitting the number is the first thing - But this wasn't all that easy to do over these last few years, so here are some things that will provide value to the C-Suite as a sales leader. 1. Keeping the troops aligned to the big picture -- Keeping the team engaged, happy, and focused on the big picture is exhausting but rewarding. C-Suite will pick up an unrelenting positive outlook and will reward sales leaders when applicable 2. Organizing feedback loops from the field to the C-Suite. The C-Suite is always looking for something insanely positive to share with the Board. If you can create feedback loops on things that are working well in the field, create a system that captures and shares it across the business. Slack is great for this. Bring key stake holders in a channel where you share Win Anecdotes about your sales team. I had a channel called #baller-emails. It was just a channel of killer emails my reps sent to customers and their super-positive responses. My CEO ate it up because he would share customer responses with the BoD 3. Continue to find areas of the business that can be optimized/organized. This can be tricky if you are stepping on others' territories -- but if you see there is a solution to a problem or process that, when asked, the process owner says "We do it that way because that's how we've always done it" then lean in and see if you can share a solution. If you're stonewalled at the operational level, find a sponsor in the business who is aligned on making the fix, build yourself a short SMART goal around it, and see if you can make a measurable impact. Record the work, record the results and get a read on if the impact/change was enough to get the interest of the C-Suite. If so, share in the right setting. Take the thank you, don't ask for more. Over time, more problems will need fixing and you might be the person who is asked to "run to the fire" thats where the money usually is.

It's critical to figure out who the "fox" is at your business. The "fox" is that person who usually speaks a little bit slower in sr. meetings. Is the person who often other Sr. execs ask questions or seek insight. Foxes know whats going on with the needful. They control outcomes. Often CEOs will outsource big decisions to the "fox" Knowing who this person is is the hard part. But if you can find a "fox" you can slowly work with them, earn trust, and become a vital part of the decision tree. Find the "fox" , the person who the most sr. people trust for guidance, advice, insight, etc. Buy that person coffee in the morning, ask them how they're doing, and figure out what you can take off their plate, then offer up your assistance.

Early in my career, I made mistakes but when things started clicking, I moved up the ranks pretty quickly. Here are a few things I did to ensure the job I wanted was mine when it became available. 1. Show up early, be available, and say yes when power people are watching - I literally turned the lights on in the office every morning for 4 years. I was always there and always available for risky projects when the C-Suite was building a thesis around something (in my case - for GTM) 2. Be the tide that rises all boats. Help those around you. But be cautious in how you present your advice if it is purely unsolicited. You should be trying to add value to as many cross-funcitonal partners as you can. Be on tiger teams, help with product launches, and stuff envelopes with Marketing when time permits. Execs will call you up to the big leagues when multiple independent sources name-drop you. 3. Hit your number (if in another department track and manage to your KPIs, OKRs, SMART goals, etc.) Always fall back on your performance. If you're trending well with the first 2 and the performance is there, you're an A-lister and will quickly find that you can move freely throughout an organization in search of your happy professional place.