Administrative Assistants are your best friend
Salespeople who choose to ignore or downplay the role of an administrative assistant in their selling success are missing a huge opportunity. Let's face it, the higher up the corporate ladder you call the more likely the administrative assistant is controlling and booking meetings on their bosses' calendars.
I have honestly set up several meetings with Directors and VP's of IT who I never have spoken to or met with before by talking to their administrative assistants. I will say these were at large Fortune 500 companies where we had a contract and overall relationship with, but I still secured the meeting by working with the administrative assistant only.
My approach is to demonstrate an understanding of the prospects responsibilities and their group and clearly articulate my objectives for the meeting. I will usually ask for a 45 minute meeting as well so I am not trying to monopolize their calendar (even though they will most likely book you for an hour). It is not the only approach, but one worth trying if you are not able to reach the prospect directly by a phone call or email.
Give it a try and let me know how you did!
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