Selling to the C-Suite

Neil Rackham’s Foreword to Selling to the C-Suite starts with some key points about this new book!

Sales has grown up a lot in the last ten years and this book is good example of just how far selling has come.  When the manuscript first landed on my desk I looked at the title, Selling to the C-Suite, and I couldn’t suppress a groan.   “Another collection of impractical advice about how to get in front of any key executive without even trying,” I thought.   And you can’t blame me for being skeptical.  Almost without exception, books on how to get access to “The Man”, “VITO”, “the fox” or a dozen other names for the top dog whose signature can change your life, have been mediocre and unrealistic.  So, I must admit, I started reading with very low expectations. 

By the time I reached the end of the first chapter, all that had changed.  Three things were immediately evident:

• There is a refreshing realism about the authors’ advice.  No gimmicks, no tricks, no smoke and mirrors.  Selling successfully at C-level is hard, thoughtful and strategic and the book offers none of the usual unrealistic silver bullets.
• The ideas are based on research, not on anecdotes.  The authors interviewed hundreds of senior executives to learn about their buying practices and, for this alone, the book is worth its weight in commission checks.
• It is one of the few books that actually demonstrates an understanding of selling in a global business environment.  There are cases and examples from – among other places – China, Europe and Australia.  Everybody says we must think globally.  Nic Read and Stephen Bistritz have been doing it.  They have been working all over the world and they really understand global business because they live it every day.