Research shows that for decades "selling higher" has been a nice-to-do idea, but not necessarily a "must-do" for the success of most enterprises. Therefore, selling higher has traditionally gotten a great deal of lip service, but little real across-the-board action.

Today, current research shows a very different situation for many companies.

Selling higher - "up-tiering” - is becoming a business imperative as more and more companies - perhaps yours - are becoming commoditized at their traditional technical-buyer levels.

The challenge, of course, is this: How to move the sales force into a more sophisticated, strategic, higher-level mode of engagement when most sales people aren’t naturally capable of creating successful, sustainable interactions at senior levels.

Just “talking about” selling higher and even educating sales people about the need aren’t nearly enough to make it happen.  Sales management history has illustrated that fact again and again.

Compared to selling to traditional technical buyers, a successful interaction that earns a place at the executive table with senior-level decision makers and economic buyers requires:

• a different mindset
• a different preparation process
• a different knowledge base
• an elevated level of personal value added, and
• the masterful use of far more advanced personal interaction skills

In short, when working at senior levels, the sales person needs to know more, think faster, provide more personal value and act quite differently “in the moment” when the pressure is on. Adding those skills is no small task.

Fortunately, most sales people who are successfully selling at technical-buyer levels can learn to sell higher, if their organization equips them with the necessary advanced skills and tools and provides the developmental opportunities required to master them.


As would be expected, a new knowledge foundation must be established for sales people regarding what’s different about interacting at senior levels and what works and doesn’t work with executives. That information starts the ball rolling.

(We have been privileged as researchers and in our work with clients to uncover pivotal insights into what leads to executive selling success, and we share that knowledge with sales professionals.)

Far more is needed beyond information, however, to help sales professionals move from “knowing” what they should do to actually being able to “do it” under pressure.

Several unique and powerful elements need to be added to the training/coaching mix to help sales people bridge the huge gap between “knowing” and “doing” when it comes to their interactions with executives.

Just one example: Rigorous, pin-pointed practice - with skillful feedback

• To master the advanced skills required to become welcome at senior customer levels on a regular basis, sales professionals need rigorous practice sessions and pin-pointed skill-building feedback, incorporating videotaping and professional coaching.  “Role playing” is simply not enough to expand their skills to this elevated professional level.
  
  
• Sales people can grow their skills exponentially through such practice sessions when the sessions are numerous, intensive, increasingly more challenging and “real world” in every way.
  
  
• Importantly, these practice sessions need to be performed under realistic executive-level pressures, with adequate practice “do-over” opportunities to adjust, sharpen and lock in the new skills.  

The skill development required is similar to the training and coaching provided to a world-class athlete or concert musician.  The stakes are just as high.

We and our clients have found that nothing short of such performance-based training and coaching can develop the depth of executive-centric professionalism and advanced interaction skills required to make "selling higher" a consistent and successful sales force reality.

The good news is, such advanced skill development can be accomplished, and it can be accomplished in a time-efficient manner.

Making the Executive Connection Many companies are finding that "selling higher" has become a business imperative. Without achieving that major move up, they face increasing commoditization at their traditional buyer levels. Getting to higher level decision makers and economic buyers is no longer optional. That move up, of course, is far easier said than done. Few can accomplish it without specialized skill development. More

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