“I’m in!” Lori, the general manager of the department told Caleb. Caleb had just joined Lori’s department from a competitor where he had worked for two years after college. This was his first personal meeting with Lori. Lori had a strong reputation as a people nurturer and looked for opportunities to grow her staff with on-the-spot learning opportunities. She was about to have that opportunity with Caleb.

“That’s great to hear. I can get going on the plan right away,” Caleb said.

“That’s great, now what do you need from me?”

Caleb stopped. “Um, I’m sorry?”

“What do you need from me?”

“Uh, nothing.”

“Nothing? Do you have the support you need from my management team?”

“Well, I was going to talk to them about it.”

Seeing the opportunity of the teachable moment, Lori decided to help Caleb think things through.

“Caleb, wouldn’t it be easier for you if I sent you the message that we needed to do this job and that everyone should give you their full cooperation?”

“Actually, yes, that would help.”

“Wouldn’t it help if I let finance know you’re going to them with a budget request?”

“Yeah, that would help too, Lori.”

“So you see where I’m headed, right?”

Caleb thought for a moment. “That I didn’t think of how you could help me?”

“Exactly. You did a great job preparing yourself with facts and data, convincing me there was a problem, and coming up with a good solution that aligned with my priorities. You just didn’t think about what you needed me to do to help. It’s my job to make sure that have what you need to do your job. If you don’t ask me to help you, you won’t let me do my job. Does this make sense?

“It does,” Caleb said.

“Okay, now, how about you get your questions together and we’ll go over them tomorrow?”

“I will, thanks Lori.”

“Good job, Caleb. Can you send Radhika over when you get out?”

“Of course. See you tomorrow.”

Tollgate 5: I get what you expect me to do

Agreeing on a course of action is a great victory; To close the deal, you need to be specific about what you expect the executive to do. This could be a simple, “Give me approval to proceed with the course of action.” It could also include enlisting the support of other executives, publicly expressing your support for your course of action, or other steps. Whatever your questions, make sure they are specific and to the point. Being bland means that your executive may not do what you expect of him.

There are two considerations that I would like to highlight in this toll. First, make it easy for the executive by doing what he can to help with any questions. Do you want the executive to send an email to someone? Ghost-typing email. Not only does it make things easier, but it ensures that the executive says what you want. Second, be diligent about any follow-up that is required of you. You would be sending the wrong message if the executive asked you to do something and you weren’t timely in your response or, worse yet, you didn’t do it at all. This could be a huge credibility blow and cause toll 1 issues the next time you sell.

~~~~~

We have passed through the five tolls:

• Tollgate 1: I think you’re credible

• Tollgate 2: I recognize the problem

• Tollgate 3: I understand what you want to do about it

• Tollgate 4: I see how this aligns with my priorities

• Tollgate 5: I get what you expect me to do

To end this series, I would like to leave you with some useful tips the next time you have to sell:

• Be sure to structure your content to address each toll in sequence. If you haven’t passed toll 1, your chance of going through the remaining tolls is drastically reduced. Build your field around each toll booth in sequence.
• make your words count. More content is not better. Express your point of view with as little content as possible.
• Be manic about seeing your executive’s reactions. If your executive is showing understanding and getting the desired result for one toll gate, move on to the next toll gate. I’ve had many pitches where I’ve skipped content because the exec was already on board with what he was pitching on a toll. The most important thing is to get what you want, not to display everything you have prepared.
• Remember absolute vs. relative priorities. Just because an executive says, “Not now,” doesn’t mean that the executive is an idiot or that you failed. Accept that time may not always be on his side.
• Structure content for the allotted time, and have a plan if that allotment changes. Many times I thought I had an hour to pitch an idea and the executive told me I only had 30 minutes. Anticipate what you will do in case your time runs short.