How many sales have you lost because your competition had inroads with senior executives and you didn't? How often did you find out, too late, that the middle managers you had been talking to didn't have the power to make the final decision to buy?

The hard truth is that many times it's difficult to get executives' attention and connect your products and solutions to their priorities and business agendas.

Initiating and developing relationships with executives requires more than getting in and presenting your value proposition. It requires you to be able to answer several critical questions before you even make your initial call:

• How can I establish unique value that is relevant to the CEO's pressing issues?
• How can I create alignment among the executive team?
• How can I ensure that the value they expect will be the value they can achieve and measure?

The bottom line is, ill-prepared salespeople will be pushed back down to support levels if they don't keep in mind the following five steps to engage executives and increase the value they bring to them.

1. Establish an “executive team” mindset. Many salespeople believe executives won't see them because they're not on the same level as other members of their leadership team. Let's start with the premise that an executive will see you because you can help him accomplish his goals. It's important that you see yourself as a member of the executive staff, assigned to manage a key value-creation project—the investigation, purchase and implementation of the value-creating solution you represent.

2. Create relevancy for the executive. The first step in understanding the executive's key agenda is looking at the most critical objectives in his business plan on which you can have an impact. A salesperson must recognize that the executive's priorities center on three core business drivers: finance, quality and competitiveness. Financial drivers center on increasing revenue and decreasing expenses. Quality drivers focus on customer satisfaction, employee satisfaction and in many cases complying with regulatory requirements. Finally, the competitiveness drivers involve creating a unique product and being able to make that product or service available to as many customers as possible.

Information on the larger prospect companies is more accessible, but the preparation step for those companies is more critical. Sales professionals have their homework cut out for them. They must become familiar with the company's objectives and strategy by examining quarterly statements, annual reports and stockholder meeting minutes. Understanding the executive's agenda takes research, time, commitment and dedicated work. This knowledge will help the sales professional learn to speak the executive's language and begin to position themselves as an adjunct senior staff member.

Positioning your solution as a contributor to the executive's agenda, and positioning yourself as ready and able to guide the investigation and implementation, takes you out of the realm of seller and into the world of trusted advisors.

3. Create the incentive to change. As the salesperson discovers the agendas and priorities of the executive, he develops what we refer to as the “value assumption.” This is a hypothesis about the value that may be available to this prospect via your solution. The key point is that it is a hypothesis, not a statement of fact, and the objective is to join with the prospect to prove or disprove the hypothesis of value. The value assumption summarizes three key elements: 1) the business objectives are understood, 2) there are physical indicators that verify the absence of the value you could provide, and 3) the potential dollar amount of the value that is at risk is due to the absence of the solution you could provide.

The best-case scenario is that the executive believes the value assumption has merit and decides to support your efforts to investigate further. He can then either prove or disprove the hypothesis.

At this point, the salesperson tests his research and conclusions by connecting symptoms, causes and consequences to the customer's business. This involves the right “cast of characters”—those affected by the situation, those with access to the information you need, and those that can verify the existence and measurement of the impact of your solution. If your assumptions hold true, the executive will recognize the financial impact of your solution on his business. If you are to move forward, he will decide if the financial impact of the problem is great enough that it needs to be resolved. We refer to this as giving a customer the incentive to change.

4. Creating the confidence to invest. As a respected advisor, the salesperson can lead this cast of characters in a collaborative design process to create alignment around the solution. Based on the information gathered, the potential problems, and the costs or consequences, the salesperson now leads the design discussions. These include expectations about outcomes and results, alternatives to consider, financial returns and investment expectations, timing, and finally, the decision criteria. The result is a collaborative design in which the cast buys in to what they are going to do, how they are going to do it and how it's going to work.

Once alignment is achieved, it's time for the salesperson to share his value agreement with the sponsoring executives. When you can quantify the impact of the solution and provide a thorough overview of the implications, it will become obvious to your customer executive that your solution, and the value you will deliver at your price, make for a solid business decision. At this point, the executive and his team have the “confidence to invest.”

5. Creating measurable results. The final stage requires the salesperson to ensure that value is achieved during the delivery process and that it will be measured and reported. This must occur throughout the implementation process and regularly as the company uses the solution. It requires a proactive process in which the salesperson tracks and reports results, solicits feedback from those involved, and continues to identify the next steps.

To build and maintain strong relationships, the salesperson should conduct business review meetings with the executive to communicate the value being delivered to the company, manage expectations and answer questions that arise during the implementation. These meetings will help identify new opportunities in the customer's business.

Calling at the executive level is not as simple as repeating the same strategy and using the same skills you use at other levels. It involves shifting your focus and becoming a business advisor, understanding and diagnosing the customer's situation at multiple levels and in multiple disciplines, collaborating with those affected by the change they will go through, and ensuring that value is achieved during the delivery and implementation of the solution. The sales professional who can accomplish this earns credibility and respect, and will gain access to the executive suite.

Set yourself apart with respect and credibility. Gain access to the executive suite and win more sales for you and your organization.