The Price of Business Interviews CEO, Linda Parry
- lsparryinc
- Apr 23, 2014
- 2 min read
Kevin Price, Host of the Price of Business on Business Talk 1110 AM KTEK (on Bloomberg’s home in Houston) recently interviewed our CEO, Linda Parry. Check out an excerpt below:
Tell me about your firm (number of employees, location, type of companies you work with, etc.). We’ve work with clients as large as Wolfgang Puck, RE/MAX and Mars and as small as start-ups and family owned businesses. We prefer the start-ups with big ideas – companies that have developed DIY gourmet chocolate making kits, filtered water bottles, hair removal lotion, sandwich makers, etc. We have a network of business partners that we bring into each project as needed.
Tell us about why it is important for your firm to reach the C-level executives as potential clients.
Only C-level executives can make decisions. They know what’s going on in the organization – areas of weakness and strength and future opportunities that they’re exploring. If you call up and speak with a gatekeeper and say, “I’d like to tell you how I can make you more money,” they’ll likely say “no thanks” and hang up the phone. If you have the ear of the executive, it’s a completely different story. They’ll likely say ok and give me 30 seconds. If you give them an idea that’s thought through, you’ll likely get an in-person appointment to further the discussion.
Why are those below C-level not as effective to reach to promote your company?
Think about the game telephone. Even if you’re dealing with a great assistant or right hand man, the message will get garbled in communication to the final contact. Not only that, but the conversation and first hand feedback that you receive from the C-level is critical to refine your pitch as you move forward to try and win that account, and others.
What techniques have you deployed to reach those C-level executives?
LinkedIn and Google are wonderful resources to find the contact’s name. Then if you know the email format, you can reach out directly. The email format can often be found in press releases circulated by the company. You can also use the dial-by-name directory to bypass the gatekeeper. Be strategic about leaving voicemails and sending emails. I only send 2-3 communications so that I don’t bombard them, BUT I may reach out 10+ times to seek to get the person on the phone. I also usually only reach out Tues-Thurs. Mondays are bad days. If it’s Friday, I’ll reach out in the morning only.
Check out the full interview here, and tune in on Monday, May 5th at 9:40CST as Kevin Price interviews our CEO live on the Price of Business on Business Talk 1110 AM KTEK (on Bloomberg’s home in Houston).
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