One of the biggest challenges for any sales team is to identify the pinnacle priorities that sit at the very top of an executive’s value curve. These are the priorities executives will give time, attention, and budget. So, how can this be achieved?
One approach is to ask directly.
How do you determine executives’ top IT priorities?
Suppose you are discussing IT services with a prospect. Follow these three steps to uncover the executive’s main priorities:
- Start the conversation by exploring the organization’s IT issues that the executive is currently dealing with, rather than jumping straight into your offering.
- Collect detailed information about the IT issue.
- Transition into broader inquiries beyond the IT issue.
Ask questions such as:
- What are the top three priorities in your organization this quarter?
- With everything else on your plate, where do IT issues rank in priority?
- If the IT issues remain unresolved, what will be the impact on the business?
Shifting to questions about other priorities helps you understand the importance of this issue compared to the executive’s other concerns. Is it a pinnacle priority, or has it been delegated to someone else on their team?
Ultimately, clarifying the executive’s priority is powerful information, especially if you’re striving to stand out in a crowded market or capture the attention of a distracted business owner.
What do you do once you’ve identified your prospects’ top priorities?
You’ll only secure time on an executive’s calendar if you focus on their top priority. Be laser-focused on the one or two that truly matter. Going beyond the first two priorities, your prospect’s attention is likely to decline. In a blink, another priority can take precedence over yours. However, if you concentrate on the very top of your prospects’ executive value curve, executives will make time for you – no matter how busy they are.
How many priorities can an executive focus on at once?
If you can’t capture an executive’s attention regarding something you believe is a high priority, chances are it’s not very high on their value curve. If the company is interested but not the business owner, it’s likely been delegated to someone else.
Executives can only focus on their top one or two priorities. They might give the third priority some attention, but not consistently. If the issue you’re addressing is their fourth priority, it won’t get attention – even if they say it will. Even after discussing the positive impact on their business, executives won’t move forward. Not because they don’t want to, but because they lack the organizational bandwidth.
Always remember how many priorities an executive or business owner can handle and where the priority you’re addressing stands.
How to use the value curve for lead generation
Marketing aims to generate more leads, so how does the value curve enhance conversion rates with qualified prospects? Use the information your sales team has gathered about priorities and analyze it across your target markets, then adjust your digital marketing strategy, content, and campaigns.
To influence executives’ thinking, grab their attention, and generate more leads, talk about priorities that are either emerging or at the pinnacle of your target markets’ value curve. Shift your content and lead generation campaigns to focus on those issues. Assets, blogs, videos, social posts, digital ads, and website content should all concentrate on those problems.
What is the critical lead generation mistake IT service companies make?
The critical mistake often made in lead generation is focusing the messaging on priorities and triggering events that don’t rank on the executive value curve, or where executives are indifferent. For example, if the target market doesn’t have compliance requirements, compliance messaging won’t work no matter your specialization and certifications.
Focusing on declining priorities, or problems that are no longer important to executives because companies have already decided on their approach, is another mistake IT services companies make. If compliance has long been a requirement in the target market, companies have either figured it out and moved it off the IT executive’s plate or delegated it to someone else to implement. They won’t respond to that approach.
Align sales and marketing
If your company uses a consultative selling approach targeting executives and business owners within your markets, reevaluate your marketing strategy. It should establish credibility and advisor status around top priorities, making it easier for your sales team to gain access.
The value curve also helps your sales team effectively qualify marketing leads before setting initial meetings. Hear how in this 1-minute YouTube video: Using Your Prospects “Value Curve” to Qualify Inbound Leads.
Boost your sales and marketing with the value curve
Incorporate the value curve into your B2B sales process and marketing to improve your win rate. The effort will pay off significantly. You’ll reach more new prospects, encounter fewer stalled opportunities, improve your close rate, and shorten your sales process.
Ready to elevate your sales team into consultative selling experts and drive significant sales performance improvement? Our specialized consultative selling training focuses on the power of the value curve to help your team pinpoint and address executive priorities, sell their value, and become invaluable advisors to your prospects.
Attract and engage prospects by demonstrating an understanding of their unique challenges through your marketing. Our digital marketing services leverage the power of the value curve to align your marketing efforts with the highest priorities of your target audience. Let us help you create compelling content and strategies that resonate deeply with your prospects, driving engagement and conversion.
Contact KLA Group to schedule a call and unlock your team’s full sales and marketing potential, leading to a measurable increase in your sales success.
Photo: Panumas Sripech / Shutterstock
