Contents
Who is a CEO?
A CEO is the Chief Executive Officer of an organisation. It is the highest-ranked office within an organisation.
The position of the CEO can be assumed by the owner of a business or appointed by a board of directors. It depends on the complexity of the organisational structure.
In some cases, a Chief Executive Officer may be outranked by a board of directors depending on the percentage of controlling share. Most times, Investors are more powerful than the CEO and the board of directors.
If you run a start up, here are some qualities of a startup CEO
Qualities of a Startup CEO
Leadership
Risk management
Administrative Skill
The ability to execute plans
Communication
Drive
Trust
Receptiveness
Accountability
Innovative
What the Job Entails
The success of an organisation rests on the shoulder of the CEO, which is why the CEO must be a skilled manager.
The CEO must be a visionary, as his attitude toward the company robs off on the staffs and eventually influences the market perception of the business, this puts the CEO at a very delicate position within an organisation.
Why is this Important to You?
Whether you run a business or you’re just a salesperson within a larger organisation, you need to understand that being a Chief Executive Officer is beyond an office, it is an individual.
Understanding how they operate as an individual may help you close a sale or even pitch an idea that could boost your position within the organisation.
In Anthony Parinello’s Think and Sell like a CEO, he describes the CEO as the VITO person.
VITO-Very Important Top Officer.
Although Anthony’s book was written for salespersons, it did a great job in analysing the Position of a CEO and how you can relate with them.
CEOs are passionate about their business and would engage with anyone that has ideas that can help them grow their business, which is why they make the best client base for a salesperson.
As risk assessment officers, a Chief Executive Officer can make decisions on the sport as long as they align with his vision for the company.
At the very heart of things, CEOs are the real salesmen. They are always on the look for opportunities to maximise sale and make a profit.
In all, he manages risk to ensure growth and profit. In other to boost profit, sales must be made, so therefore, CEOs are the salespersons.
And for them to function properly, Chief Executive Officers are guided by a set of principles which I’ll outline below.
The Operating Principles of a CEO Who Sells
- know your ideal prospects. This is the person that she has several key traits with your best customers. Lookouts for shit demographic and operational traits. Spend time only prospects that much as ideal customers.
- CEOs buy goods in the same way they sell. Once you understand how he buys goods and services that support their organisation, you will on the stand help they sell. Do not call a company if you don’t know how they sell or even what they sell. That would be weird. For example, does the company aim for quality goods or low prices? If they insist on the quality of sale, then they’d likely buy quality too. The bottom line is, know the CEO’s selling criteria to understand their buying criteria.
- They have the final say. You do not see them, but they control things behind the scene. A Chief Executive Officer is involved in everything; that’s what they do!
- He is the model salesperson this is because he is the most passionate about the company’s vision and is, therefore, the most concerned about revenue, efficiency, and protecting the customer base.
- They establish personal visibility within the markets and the community. A good CEO networks by force of habit they make friends even with the competitors, so feasibility is a highly prized trait.
- They monitor the market personally; yes, they may have groups assigned to the task, but they keep in touch with the data collected.
- They Build on interpersonal relationships, in other to secure one-on-one loyalty. The Chief Executive Officers send handwritten thank-you notes to every one of their colleagues. Or text. This shows that they have close personal ties.
- They balance risks with gain.
- The CEO who sells makes intelligent decisions quickly and independently.
- Chief executive officers know how to stay focused, and they like to be right about expertise.
A Small Note to Salespersons
If you’re looking to build long-term customer relationships, get your CEO to help you close a deal by calling the CEO of the buying Organisation. Skip the long route and start selling directly to CEOs.
At any level of leadership, the key to success is to THINK and ACT like a CEO.
