It is just after 8:00 a.m. when the Vice President of Marketing sits down at her desk with her morning coffee. She opens her email and scans through ambiguous subject lines such as “Fifteen minutes of your time,” or “Let’s schedule a discussion.” She only deems emails from colleagues to be worthy of her time, as she has less than an hour to prepare for her 9:00 a.m. meeting.

In today’s competitive landscape, how do sales representatives capture the attention of business professionals who have limited time for conversations about new products or services? How can a sales representative demonstrate value if he or she is not afforded a moment of a prospect’s time?

Earn prospects’ time by researching their companies, industries, and job descriptions, so you can craft a message that speaks to them specifically. The content of your message to executives is what earns a meeting; whether you offer solutions to their particular pain points, or deliver a generic pitch will determine their response. With this in mind, I’ve constructed a stepladder to help maximize value in your message.

1. Craft your message around department-specific pain points
   
   If your prospect is a CFO, tailor your message to ensure that it resonates with that particular persona. A CFO does not want to hear about how your service helps sales teams hit higher call quotas. Rather, he or she would be interested in improving his company’s sales forecasting, which can help to shape budgets at earlier dates. Executives have little time for pitches, so clearly articulating your service’s relevance to their initiatives or concerns is key. Clear email messaging with targeted value propositions will generate more interest than the generic promise of, “making your company’s visions a reality!”
2. Address recent industry developments and the competitive landscape
   
   Charles Darwin published On the Origin of Species in 1859, thereby introducing his theory of evolution to the masses. He theorized the struggle for existence in a competitive environment, wherein only the fittest survive. This holds true in the industrial marketplace: CEOs look to expand market share at the expense of their competition, while companies seek to evolve and innovate their ideas, products, and services at a faster pace than their competitors.
   
   
   
   Sales representatives can capitalize on this contention by offering services that facilitate greater efficiency. If company X has the framework and processes in place to release a new product that creates a demand in the marketplace, how can company Y compete? The only way to keep from extinction is to provide for that demand better than company X.
   
   
   
   In this case, you must prove to an executive at company Y that you have the capability to better align their business processes, develop a framework, and articulate an execution plan for the release of a competitive product. In essence, you must provide value by conveying valuable insights into a prospect’s competitive marketplace, as competition is a continual concern for any company.
3. Define ways of maintaining or improving efficiency
   
   Corporate executives always welcome ways to improve their operations. Identify areas in need of improvement by browsing through a company’s website and observing their processes. For instance, how is the company capturing leads? Does it use a “Contact Us” form, or does it leverage gated content? Can its methods for lead capture be improved? By communicating the unique value of your service as an improvement tool, you demonstrate your ability to provide value as well as your dedicated attention to that particular company — two qualities essential for any partnership.

Business development is no easy task. When interacting with prospects who are juggling a plethora of projects and responsibilities, it is difficult to command their attention. Generic email blasts and voicemails do not cut it anymore, as busy executives have become desensitized and unreceptive to them. In order to build a partnership, sales representatives must demonstrate that they can add integral value to an organization. Ultimately, today's business milieu favors those who demonstrate the importance, worth, and usefulness of their service over those who pitch in hopes of an easy sale.

To read more about transforming your sales process, download Bluewolf's free guide, The Changing Role of Sales.