Executive Engagement Strategies

How to Have Conversations and Develop Relationships that Build B2B Business

Bev Burgess

• Publisher: Kogan Page
• Year: 2020
• Print ISBN: 9781789661927
• eBook ISBN: 9781789661934
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Business
• Subtopic: Business Strategy
• Index: Business

Win the attention of high-level decision makers in large corporations; spark their interest and earn their trust to achieve long-term, sustainable mutual value.

When it comes to buying and selling complex, high value products and services, people buy from people. Big businesses and public sector organizations rely on solutions to keep their essential services running - things like payroll, IT, property maintenance and communications technology. For the companies that provide those services, winning the business can mean huge, multi-year, multi-million contracts. Executive Engagement Strategies is a comprehensive guide to engaging with the senior professionals making the buying decisions - to win sustainable, long-lasting business. It provides an easy-to-follow guide that will help professionals interact at each step of the B2B buying process using a combination of people, messages and communication channels.

Highly practical, Executive Engagement Strategies provides a clear, step-by-step process to capture the attention of busy c-suite executives, and keep them engaged and motivated throughout the lengthy buying process. Filled with global case studies and examples, it will help readers know what to say, and when and how to say it, to build trust and win the business. With key takeaways at the end of each chapter and clearly actionable guidelines and instructions, it is the only resource you'll need to build truly customer-centric engagement with core decision makers.

Index

Accenture 160, 197–200

account-based management (ABM)

lessons from online dating 197–200

Microsoft Account-Based Engagement 32–37

account managers 69

executives’ expectations of 201–03

account mapping tools 210

Actors in Industry 71, 196

Adobe 158

advisory boards and councils 183–90

advisory relationships 195

trusted advisor relationships 142–44, 195, 216–19

Air China 45

Alibaba 45

alumni networks 168–69

Amazon 78, 151

Amey 10

Apple 115, 151

Arcelor Mittal 78

artificial intelligence (AI) 64, 152

artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled sales coaching tools 210

Avanade 227–29

Barclays 6

Bezos, Jeff 78

Black & Decker 183

Blackwell, Rhiannon 197–200

bloggers, influence on consumer behaviour 3

board of directors 22–23, 69

brand valuation ranking 151

Branson, Richard 79

Briggs Myers, Isabel 61

Brinker, Scott 232

British Gas 152

British Institute of Facilities Management 154

BT 158

building reputation, measuring success 221–25

business buyers

approach to supplier selection 7–10

behaviour of 1

buying behaviour at work 3–18

buying in teams 4–6

contract process complexities 10–14

decision-making unit 4–6

expectations of strategic suppliers 14–18

financing big purchases 10

grouping and dealing with suppliers 6–7

making the business case for purchases 3–4

post-purchase relationship 14–18

procurement as an established profession 6–7

risk aversion 7–10

strategic purchasing 6–7

see also executive engagement

business case for purchases 3–4

Buthelezi, Mangosuthu 165

Buyer Persona Institute 51

buyer personas 40, 46–60

construction 47–49

definition 46–47

idio example 48–51

practical uses for 49–51

sa...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Endorsements
• Titlepage
• Dedication
• Content
• List of Figures
• List of Tables
• About the author
• About this book
• Foreword by Jon Geldart
• Acknowledgements
• 01 Business buyers don’t behave like consumers
• 02 What is executive engagement?
• 03 Understanding executives
• 04 Who should engage?
• 05 Having something to say
• 06 Knowing when to engage
• 07 Engaging with peer networks
• 08 Engaging small groups
• 09 Engaging individuals
• 10 Measuring success
• Index
• Copyright