Top Down Selling is a sales technique, a state of mind, a mentality, and a lifestyle

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Speak with the decision maker, speak with the decision maker, speak with the decision maker, speak with the decision maker, speak with the decision maker..

Do you want to know what you should do in order to finalize a deal?

Speak with the decision maker!

The more I work in (and out of) the corporate world, the more I realize how many people are paid (or think they are) to say NO.

Very few people inside any organization have the real power, or interest that compels them, to say YES and start the ball rolling. The individuals who do are the ones you should target.

One hundred meetings with a NON-decision maker will not take you any closer to doing business than you were before the first meeting. In most cases, attending such meetings only does harm.

In fact, NON-decision makers build enormous walls around themselves just to protect themselves from any possible change, and the less interaction they have with the external world, the more protected they feel.

Entrepreneurs, CEOs, and MDs with executive power have a different vision of business: the more interaction, the more opportunities.

Obviously, it is more difficult to get an appointment with a decision maker than it is to get an appointment with a NON-decision maker. However, the level of frustration you will face trying to arrange a meeting with the CEO is nothing compared to the level of frustration you will experience meeting with a NON-decision maker for the tenth time and still not finalizing a deal.

What’s tricky here is that the entrepreneurs, CEOs, and MDs in an organization do not necessarily have a purchasing role; officially, they are not the ones assigned to buy products or services.
So what?

If a CEO personally refers you to the person in charge of purchasing, YOU CAN BE SURE that your life will be way easier!

In fact, in order to refuse an offer made by a salesperson introduced by the CEO, the buyer will have to justify the refusal. In buying from you, the buyer creates a link with the boss.

Such politics exist as much in the corporate world as in the consumer world.

If you are a real estate sales consultant (for example), you know what I’m talking about. When you try to sell a property to a couple, you know that only one of them is the decision maker. To try to convince the NON-decision maker to purchase a particular property is a waste of time and could create a possible conflict.

TOP DOWN SELLING is a sales technique, a state of mind, a mentality, and a lifestyle.

This approach requires you to have certain characteristics as a salesperson:

• self confidence
• the highest level of professionalism
• 360° understanding of your business
• a palate for refusal

The benefit of this approach is that it could take your career to levels you wouldn’t dare to imagine!

Recently, I finalized a deal with a large company managed by a true entrepreneur, a self-made man with an incredible business acumen that has made him an extremely successful and powerful man.

Did I discuss the details of the business transaction with him? Of course not! He brought in his managers to work out the details with me. He just gave the green light! No more negotiations, no more chat, and no more time wasted! The ball started rolling straight away.

And guess what? This company is getting the best service on time and with the highest level of commitment from me and my company.

Why? Because we know that if we deliver the best quality, we will keep doing business with this company for a long time.

About Carlo Pignataro

Carlo Pignataro has over 15 years of experience in the international luxury and consumer goods sectors, working as a manager, consultant, and trainer for companies like Gucci, Damiani, Al Tayer, Luxottica, Swarovski, DTC, and many others.

He now also works as a branding consultant and trainer, and runs course on sales, public speaking, and personal branding in Dubai and abroad.