Tips to Reach the Decision Maker

In a highly competitive business world, you always need to reach out to as many high-profile names as you can and introduce your business to them.

Some small businesses even need to get into the good books of investors who are looking to spend their money on profitable businesses. These important personalities are often called ‘decision makers’ in the world of business. Decision makers decide whether entering into a partnership with you is a viable option.

Reaching decision makers is not easy. Since decision makers are usually responsible for running the company, they are also quite concerned about their time. They have a lot of work to complete and for them to squeeze you into their schedule you need to convince them that you have something good to offer to them.

Even if you think you have an indisputable offer, the road to reaching the decision maker is not smooth. You have to get through many hurdles and bumps to finally get the chance to pitch your idea to the people who matter.

Do we have some tips to deal with this situation? Are there any tried and tested ways to reach the decision maker? The answer to both the questions is yes. Even though getting to the decision maker is a Herculean task, you can easily overcome it by following these easy tips.

Tips to Get to the Decision Maker

Let us have a look at different strategies that help people reach out to the decision makers and pitch their ideas efficiently.

Look for a Mutual Connection

Suppose that you have come across the contact information of the decision maker. What you can do is to make a direct call or send an email to the person and wait for their reply. Unfortunately,  there is an 80 percent chance that the reply will never come. Why? Because this person is already swamped in work and may not have enough time to go through unimportant emails. In addition, secured company accounts might also vet the emails thoroughly. There is a high probability that your email will end up in the junk/spam folder.

This situation can be dealt with conveniently. All you have to do is to look for a mutual connection. This connection can be a company, a person who personally knows you and your work. It can also be other things like your children studying in the same school or you are sponsoring the same team. Something that is common between the two of you. You need to make use of this connection to be able to reach out to the decision maker.

Be Unique

As discussed above, in a highly saturated business world where there are countless businesses hoping to enter into a partnership with different companies and investors, there are low chances that someone might be interested in your proposal.

If you intend to reach out to the decision maker, you have to offer something to them that is unique. They must believe that what you have in store for them is something that they cannot find anywhere else. Whether it is a product or service, you need to highlight the unique aspects of your business for decision makers to take notice of you. Always remember that the decision maker has already met a lot of people similar to you before you and is probably going to meet even more people after you, so you have to present them with a pitch that leaves a mark.

Reach the Gatekeeper

This is the most important tip and the one on which this article will be more focused. Who is the gatekeeper, you may ask? A gatekeeper is a person who controls access to the decision maker. If you fail to get through the gatekeeper, you will most likely end up on a no-call list. The person next to the decision maker – executive assistants, secretaries, spouse, etc – is the focal person who decides who should have a meeting with the decision maker.

Most of the time, people who are excited to meet the decision maker ignore the gatekeeper – a key person. If you cannot get past the gatekeeper, you cannot reach the decision maker. Many businesses wrongly believe that they can bypass the gatekeeper and get directly to the decision maker. This is a flawed strategy and will most likely harm your chances of speaking to the decision maker.

Why Reach Out to The Gatekeeper

We have already established that a decision maker doesn’t have enough time to go through each proposal. They heavily rely on the judgments of the gatekeeper – the person that they trust. Even when you have reached the decision maker directly, there are chances that they will consult with the gatekeeper before making any decision.

Treat the Gatekeeper As An Ally

The job of a gatekeeper is to screen people to save their bosses time. They are not the decision maker so don’t try to sell anything to them. You have to develop a good relationship with them and convince them you actually have something good to offer to their boss. Yes, you can tell them the idea you have in mind, but always remember that the final pitch should always be given to the decision maker who holds the pen of your fate.

Ask For Their Help

The gatekeeper also wants the company to flourish. This means that they will look out for unique ideas that can be beneficial for the company. The gatekeeper has a wealth of knowledge and you should always express to them that you appreciate their help.

Wrapping It Up

Getting to the decision maker is a difficult challenge, but you can overcome it if you play your cards right. You need to realize that the decision maker has been cold-called thousands of times and you have to offer them something unique that will benefit both parties. Here, taking the help of a gatekeeper is a great strategy to finally reach the decision maker.