Reaching the C people: how to communicate with CEOs, CFOs, CIOs, COOs - includes related article

After repeated exposure to hundreds of industry leaders, consultants and university professors, I still hear my grandfather's marketing theory above all others. "Speak to the top man," he used to say.

Selling to the top may not be new, but new kinds of companies in today's dynamic business climate make the issue more critical. A vice president of marketing with a major computer company recently said in a New York Times interview, "We have to be higher up in the organization, and address the chief information officers and the chief executive officers. Products that used to be components are now becoming part of the infrastructure. Once you start looking at it as infrastructure it becomes strategic."

The need to communicate at the executive level - to what one of our clients calls "the C People" - applies to any company that wants to establish industry influence and own a majority share of the market. This is especially important for intensely competitive industries such as medical products, telecommunications and software, where the companies that set the standards and define the issues have a distinct advantage. To market successfully in this environment depends on building company-wide relationships that are linked to senior management.

Most companies recognize the truth of this marketing approach. Where they falter is on execution. When the target audience is senior-level management, traditional marketing tactics do not apply. Consider the profile of this audience. Most senior managers:

* are high performers with a single focus on their goals

* do not want to be distracted

* are driven by success and results

* select activities that will help them achieve specific objectives.

In short, the C People are difficult to reach, and even if you do get through, you cannot afford to waste their time. Anybody who has ever tried to speak to the president of a major corporation without an introduction can relate to these observations.

A new standard exists for communicating with this audience. It's based on the strategic and creative value of information. Glitzy presentation doesn't impress strategic thinkers. The delivery of weak, generic information that can be easily gleaned from the business pages makes it as far as the recycling bin. Attention-getting tricks are merely irritating. People carrying the weight of a business may not have time to play with an interactive disk, even if you spent a fortune to produce it.

Above all else, a motivated leader in a fiercely competitive industry wants new ideas. There is not an executive in the world who would not like to learn proven tactics and strategies that have worked for other businesses, or who would not be interested in discovering new industry knowledge before the competition. If you want to communicate with executive audiences, be prepared to put the goods on the table and deliver information they would pay dearly to know.

A NEW SALES MODEL

Traditional marketing tactics aim to sell products directly to customers and track their future activity. Communicating with senior executives requires a new set of measurements. For instance, although a CFO may not ultimately make purchasing decisions, his or her trust in your company and its communication will have a tangible effect on the people making those decisions. You may never sell directly to the executives you are targeting, but with skill and patience you may take part in a debate about the strategic direction of their company that will result in a myriad of future benefits for your company.

If influence with an executive audience is your goal, it's vital not to undermine your effort with the distribution of product literature, capabilities brochures and promotions. Focus on the business processes you want to influence. Consistently demonstrate that when a package, an invitation or a call from your company arrives, it makes sense to pay attention. Sales will take care of themselves.

Hold your marketing to the same standards you apply when you consult a trusted business colleague. Only call when you have important information to discuss. Be respectful of his or her time. Be direct and to the point. When you have information relevant to his business, let him know, and expect the same. Over time it's very difficult for the competition to make progress against a trusted advisor.

FIVE ALTERNATIVES TO PROMOTIONAL BROCHURES, DATA SHEETS, CASE HISTORIES AND FRUIT BASKETS

Here are five marketing tactics' that have proved effective for my company in developing programs to reach senior-level executives in an organization:

Executive primers - Going one step beyond a white paper, these guides tell people how to address a critical business issue. Examples include special reports on sales productivity and guides to choosing an information system. Think of them as the final word on a critical business process. The best ones address the issues in a non-partisan tone and define a method to help readers make a decision. If you're lucky, you'll see your guide become an industry reference that is put on recommended reading lists.

Teleconferences - Schedule a lunch-hour teleconference with your executive customers and prospects, then provide them with an 800 number to call at a designated hour. Have them spend 30 minutes listening to an industry expert talk about a hot aspect of their business in their own office or around a conference table with colleagues. Using assigned code numbers to protect confidentiality, allow executives to ask questions. As a courtesy, you can send out a transcript of the presentation later.

Conference synopses - When you hold industry conferences for clients, prepare a wrap-up publication for people who could not attend. This can include summaries of major presentations, Q&A sessions and transcripts. These publications also are very effective as a follow-up with attenders, who would value a quick refresher on what they learned.

Op-ed articles - Go beyond looking for press coverage in trade publications and develop industry opinions and analysis for the editorial page of the paper. Reprinted and sent to senior-level audiences, these highly credible documents carry a lot of weight and will attract attention, especially if you can act as an advocate about industry concerns of your clients.

News services - On a monthly basis, put a one-page synopsis of current news on the desks of your executive-level audience. This can include abstracts of current articles, white papers, speeches and legislation. Interested people can download complete documents online. Like a high-profile financial newsletter, this service can build your identity as the authoritative source on an important aspect of business or technology that is essential to your target audience.

The power of executive endorsement - The reason to develop these communication channels I've sketched out is to get an endorsement to operate at the highest levels of your clients' organizations. You may not need these relationships to sell products, but if you want to earn a place at the table as a trusted advisor, these tactics will help pave the way.

Beyond immediate sales, the goal is to build brand equity in the minds of the most influential customers and prospects. You want to occupy higher ground than your competition who may be fighting for the same desk space. You want to establish a secure relationship that won't have to be rebuilt over time as the technology shifts or a new entrant arrives on the scene. Ultimately, when decisions have to be made that relate to your business category, you want your clients to ask for you by name. That's my definition of a true alliance, and that's the kind of relationship you want to have with a lifetime customer. It's not going to happen if you put all your marketing investment in trade ads, product literature and promotions. These days, you have to go straight to the top.

RELATED ARTICLE: Don't gamble on quality communication

I like to rank the quality of information we send out as a company to the power of a poker hand.

If you can produce a full house consistently with the C People, you will build a powerful brand awareness about the superior service and products your organization delivers.

RELATED ARTICLE:

One Pair

A lowly pair is equivalent to information about you and your company. Anything's possible, and you may luck out. It may be just what your audience is looking for. But the odds are not in your favor.

Two Pairs

You can share some general knowledge about the business world, or about an industry (case study, for example). Yet you still don't stand out in a crowd.

Three of a Kind

You can uncover information from sources your audience might not encounter in their daily travels. A news summary, say. Now, you've provided a service.

A Straight

You can tell your audience something about their industry they don't know. This is original knowledge they can't get anywhere else.

A Full House

Not only do you provide original knowledge, but you also give your audience guidance on how to accomplish their specific goals. That's the ultimate sell.

Philip Johnson is principal, Philip Johnson Associates, Cambridge, Mass.

COPYRIGHT 1996 International Association of Business Communicators
COPYRIGHT 2004 Gale Group