who they’re doing business with. So finding where the big fish swim isn’t a real problem for a salesperson who commits to spending time on task. Once salespeople have identified


the “lunkers,” they need to find out who the key players are (and whether they are information gatherers or have the authority to sign a contract), what their needs are, how the corporate purchasing policy works, who are the support staff and departments, and who has the authority to “kill a deal.” But first, they need to get over the fear factor. Selling larger accounts can be intimi-


dating and requires a certain fearless “go for the gold” mindset on the part of a salesperson. In many cases, sales- people are going into complexes and facilities that look like Fort Knox, and many assume that bigger companies have more sophisticated employees and hold vendors to higher standards and expect more than smaller compa- nies. According to one sales consul- tant, that is not always the case. “Dealing with a big company can


be intimidating, especially to the less experienced salesperson, but they need to remember that, often, the person in charge of a core supplier program is going to be in the lower or middle level category,” says the consultant. “Remember that all these fortresses and compounds are run by people like you.” According to one VP of sales, however, there’s one reason to think of larger companies a little differ- ently: “Smaller companies need to make sales and let people know about their products. On the other hand, larger companies may have completely different objectives,” she says. “Most of the larger companies are already well established, have a customer base, and put more em- phasis on brand awareness.” “We call the larger accounts ‘bell-


wethers’ and, when you land one, you usually pull in other bellwethers as well.” She believes that some of the larger companies’ objectives may not be


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readily apparent. It’s up to the sales- person to ferret out those real needs. “Salespeople need to expand their vision beyond just selling booths and floor space and find out exactly what the larger exhibitors want to accom- plish,” she says. “Large companies are like octopuses with a lot of arms. They have multiple goals and objec- tives and want to be involved in all kinds of things.


“For example, a large company may want to exhibit not to just have a physical presence, but to have a larg- er presence than their competitors, do market research, give a keynote speech, sponsor events, reinforce relationships, promote the brand, and basically conquer the show – and it may cost them millions to do it,” says the VP. “So salespeople need to do their homework and invest a lot of face-to-face time with a prospect or customer, become an advisor, and throw in real value.” According to the consultant, identi-


fying the right people and what they really need in terms of a corporate structure and process is critical in sell- ing large accounts. He also believes that salespeople need to create internal champions and establish a presence with support departments that don’t have money to spend but can cancel a contract.


“Salespeople need to know who the right people to talk to are and


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Wonder rather than doubt is the root of knowledge. ABRAHAM JOSHUA HESCHEL


understand their plight and what they have to deal with in terms of processes every day in the corporate structure,” she says. “In large companies, people work in teams, and salespeople need to know who the decision maker is and also who on the team can affect the buying decision and what is important for them. And it’s imperative to know who can kill a deal.


“The salesperson who really under- stands the needs of the buyer is the one who’s going to get the business – and those needs may not neces- sarily be based on product, price, or delivery. It may be something you can value-add,” she says. “We had a cli- ent who wanted to show what she was doing with her management in terms of saving money. So we made sure she got a monthly statement, called a ‘Cost Investment Saving form,’ from us detailing how much money her company saved.” She believes that learning the “lan- guage of the company” that a sales-


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