You really want to win this deal. You called in your team for their help in strategic account planning. Your chances of winning, you feel, will be greatly improved by leveraging the team’s contacts, ideas and expertise. So far, so good.
But here’s what might go wrong. One often overlooked step in this carefully forged account plan is that, at the end when the final go or no-go decision is being made, you may not be invited to the closed-door decision session.
How can you improve the chances that the executive decision maker(s) will vote in your favor? By having a truly effective internal advocate in the room.
Chances are your internal champion is not as effective as you and your team at presenting your solution and value in a clear, compelling and credible manner. So your job becomes one of helping them be the most effective they can be at representing your solution. The more knowledgeable and prepared they are, the more effective they can be on your behalf.
Our insider advice? Invest the time with your internal advocate to empower them to “sell” and “advocate” for you in a way that makes sense. To effectively carry your message, make sure that they can:
- Clearly identify the business problem and the value of solving it.
- Compellingly link your solution and approach to the business problem.
- Eloquently articulate why your approach and value is better for their unique strategy and corporate culture compared to the other alternatives.
In the end, you can all win…you won the sale for your team, your contact has gained stature in the organization, and the company has a well-crafted solution to their problem.
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