What are some ways that junior and newer sales professionals can get greater exposure to the C-Suite?
If you're junior at your company and a newer sales professional, below are a few ways to get exposure to the c-suite.
Internally at your company:
- Manage up emails
- Exposure during company all hands
- Shout outs
- Customer Wins Shared via Slack or Email
- Employee of the month nominations
Externally with your sales cycles:
- Mantras (recaps) on what their team is requesting during the sales cycle
- Wins from the contract that was signed. Example: "It's great to hear that your XXX Title on the XXX Team just increased your mobile app downloads by 60% with UserTesting. Looking forward to working with you & your team!"
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.
Do they have an open-door policy?
Do they have an Administrator they might introduce you to who can facilitate getting time with the Exec.?
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.