How Do You Use Position Power To Sell Effectively | Sales Management Skills Training

The position power of your firm’s managing partner (or CEO) is one of the most underutilized resources of a professional firm sales team. Bringing your CEO into a major sales call can create a winning edge in establishing a sincere, high-level relationship. Clients and prospects immediately feel more comfortable and important when the CEO of his or her professional firm visits.

One of Lou Gerstner’s secrets to turning IBM around was the use of his personal and position power with large customers. Gerstner was reported to spend about 40% of his time meeting with IBM customers. He didn’t handle any customers directly and he didn’t get paid based on his “book of business.” As CEO, he knew that his role impacted the entire company.

CEOs Can Help To Sell

As a partner, you can benefit from having your CEO along with you. You will benefit by having another set of eyes and ears with you. Demonstrating that your prospect will have access to your senior executive can be very motivating for the prospect.

You can benefit from the coaching your CEO gives you, and she may benefit from the coaching you give her. If you take your CEO, it is good to write an agenda for each call. If the call begins to vary, or your CEO takes over, you can fall back to that neutral plan and get back on track.

CEOs Should Support Others Regularly

CEOs of professional firms who also carry a large book of business cannot devote time to helping the firm’s partners with their largest clients and prospects. They cannot use their position power to help their firms grow.

If you are the CEO of your firm, I recommend you set aside a day per month to make client and prospect visits with each of your partners. Tell the partners ahead of time that you are avail- able and let each of them plan out their own day to get maxi- mum use of your time.

A CEO’s presence at a proposal can create differentiation to help close an important sale. The presence of your CEO can often keep your clients from talking about price discounting. When you show how much you value the relationship by bring- ing your CEO, the client begins to value you more.

Summary

If your firm wants to improve its marketing, the effort has to start from the top. The managing partner should be a cheerleader, a source of rewards, and an inspiration.