Maintaining Your Executive Perspective

Engaging with executives is fundamentally different from our normal interactions, making it feel like a whole new ballgame. We can find ourselves reacting in these situations instead of driving the conversation. These conversations can be daunting because executives are the best of the best and have earned their positions through their skills and expertise. To engage with execs effectively, we need to adjust our approach strategically. We often fall back on discussing features and functions but breaking out of this comfort zone requires conscious effort and practice. This blog serves as a guide on how to elevate your conversations to match executive's perspectives.

The Value Pyramid

Talk Strategy, Not Tactics

The truth is we spend most of our time on the tactical aspects of our software. We have extensive knowledge of our solution and its capabilities, so it makes sense that this is our comfort zone. When it comes to executive conversations, we need to challenge ourselves to stay higher in the value pyramid. This means connecting how our solution will align with the executive's strategic goals and initiatives, taking our narrative from a feature-focused presentation to a value-driven conversation. 

Winning With Executives 

Structuring Your Executive Conversations

Opening the Conversation- Executive Summary

When starting a conversation with an executive, there are a few things to remember. The first thing we should do is ask for a time check. Executives are typically very busy, so it's best to know upfront if you have a limited amount of time. This will allow you to adjust your priorities accordingly based on the time you have available. It's better to be aware of the time early on in the meeting rather than finding out halfway through. 

• Share the insight.
• Ask a closed-ended (yes/no) answer.
• Follow up with an open-ended question.

Now, sometimes, the executive will not know how to answer your question. That is where your experience working in the industry comes into play. You want to give them some prepared themes to help them answer the question. For instance, this could be a strategic initiative you've seen play out with others. Doing this helps prime the executive so they can connect with you better. It allows them to share and open up to what the real problem is. 

 Grow Your Confidence in Executive Interactions

Transitioning into Meeting Topics

At this point, you want to float, or propose, the agenda before transitioning into the meeting topics. Why float? Floating the agenda does two things:

• It allows the executive to validate or suggest other topics that would be more important to talk about.
• It allows you to prioritize those topics to drive toward your intended outcome.

You should come to the meeting with a clear understanding of your objectives and how they align with the executive's priorities, but be ready to adapt based on their feedback.  

Once you have the executive's alignment on the agenda, it's time to transition into the topics of your meeting. When talking to executives, it's important to focus on departmental impacts and how those impacts will help them achieve their strategic goals or initiatives. If you are mainly talking about what your solution does, there's a good chance you're talking about operational impacts. Operational impacts are too tactical for most executives, so try to shift the conversation to highlight departmental change as opposed to operational change. 

Keep in mind that this conversation is about the executive and their company's needs. We want to be customer-centric, not me-centric. We need to adjust our topics to focus on their objectives, business impacts, and motivations. By centering the conversation around the executive's needs, you position yourself as a valuable resource and partner rather than just another vendor. 

Closing the Conversation

In Winning with Executives, we often get asked, "How do I end the conversation with an executive?" When closing the conversation with an executive, it is crucial to zoom out and walk your way back up the value pyramid. This means steering the conversation toward the executive's strategic initiatives, highlighting how your solution aligns with their broader goals. There are two objectives to think about in the closing of your conversation:

1. Requests or Commitments: Circle back to what you were hoping to achieve and ask for their support. Phrase it as a question, listen to their response, and be prepared to pivot to your fallback plan if necessary.
2. Final Word: Sometimes, the overall objective of the meeting can get a little blurry. It's important to end the meeting with a strong closing statement that underlines the impact statement of your solution. This encourages future engagements and lays the groundwork for the next steps and ongoing commitment.

This guide should help you confidently navigate your executive conversations, keeping them strategic, focused, and aligned with your goals.

Bonus

Examples of Strong Intentions

If you want to gain support from an executive, you need to have a strong intention. Your intention sets the direction for your conversation. This is more than just what you say; it's about how you say it– the enthusiasm, confidence, or seriousness you convey. This approach ensures you're doing more than just going through the motions; you're actively steering the conversation towards your goals, making a stronger case for the executive's support. Here is a list of some strong intentions that you could choose from: