Who is Your Secret Admirer?

We all have a secret admirerer, someone who watches what you do, wishes they could look like you, talk like you, dress like you, build their network like yours, sell like you and write like you. And somehow, the fact they are a secret admirer is just fine, don’t you think? Everything reveals itself in time so let the mystery continue, why not.

So here’s my thinking and my recent findings- Today the number of decision makers involved with each sale has grown by 16% since last year. The reason is the buying process is becoming more complex, more technical, procurement departments often consult IT or other areas of the business when they make buying decisions. This brings more people into the process. Another reason is in today’s economy, buying decisions are being escalated from, directors to VP’s and from VP’s to CEO’s. C-level people don’t rubberstamp these days, they jump into the buying process.

So the goal when calling high is to call as high as possible and come prepared with information you know about them. Back to my secret admirer idea…….wouldn’t it be nice if you approached them with the highest level of admiration and acknowledgement for what they’ve accomplished? It’s easy to find this out, check out their site, read their press releases and you can pick up speed on what they are up to. Then use that in your opening, here are some ideas:

“Bob, as CEO, I’ve seen the momentum you’ve created in energizing your people to stay focused during tough times.”

“I’ve heard a lot about you and it’s great to quickly connect and tell you I’m a big fan of what you’ve accomplished in such a short time since you’ve been at the helm.”

“Congratulations on your new role, I was excited when I heard you’d be taking over world-wide responsibilities because if anyonoe can make it happen, you can.”

“Your secretary has been so helpful and very indicative of the great talent you surround yourself with, I want to introduce myself and hope to eventually be part of that circle.”

If you notice, you don’t need to know too much about them to pay them such high complements.  Everyone feels unsafe in today’s economic climate  and a simple genuine complement about their accomplishments goes a long way.