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How CEOs Make or Break Sales

2025/3/5
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HBR On Leadership

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Christoph Senn
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Christoph Senn: 我研究发现,CEO 对 B2B 销售的参与方式可以分为五种类型: 1. **放任型 (Hands-off):** 这些 CEO 完全不参与客户关系,认为销售团队应该独立完成工作。这种策略虽然看似合理,但在我们的研究中,有 28% 的 CEO 采取这种方式,这导致了公司错失良机,因为 CEO 无法了解一线情况。放任型 CEO 的业绩最差,甚至略微负面。 2. **海鸥型 (Loose Cannon):** 这些 CEO 随意介入客户关系,没有充分的准备和后续跟进,造成混乱和损害。他们会做出不合理的承诺,给客户留下不好的印象,并最终损害客户关系。这种类型的 CEO 虽然比放任型略好,但仍然对公司业绩没有太大帮助。 3. **社交型访客 (Social Visitor):** 这些 CEO 注重与客户建立关系,但忽略业务问题。他们会进行社交活动,但缺乏深入的业务探讨,导致错失商机,销售团队也会感到沮丧。 4. **交易型缔造者 (Dealmaker):** 这些 CEO 专注于达成交易,但忽略长期客户关系。他们会在关键时刻介入,但这种策略不可持续,因为他们无法处理所有交易,而且容易在交易的最后阶段被客户要求让步。 5. **增长型冠军 (Growth Champion):** 这些 CEO 积极参与重要客户的互动,建立战略关系,并兼顾关系建设和收入增长。他们会定期与客户会面,并持续关注客户需求。这种类型的 CEO 对公司增长和长期影响最大,业绩是其他类型的两倍以上。 总而言之,CEO 的参与方式对销售结果至关重要。放任型和海鸥型 CEO 的策略不可取,而社交型访客和交易型缔造者虽然有一定积极作用,但增长型冠军才是最有效的策略。 Curt Nikish: 作为一名倾听者,我从 Christoph Senn 教授的访谈中了解到 CEO 在 B2B 销售中的不同角色类型及其对销售业绩的影响。我学习到如何识别不同类型的 CEO,以及如何根据 CEO 的风格调整策略,从而更好地管理与 CEO 的关系,并最终提升销售业绩。 这对于销售团队和客户双方都至关重要,因为有效的沟通和合作才能实现双赢。

Deep Dive

Chapters
This chapter explores the varying levels of CEO involvement in B2B sales, dispelling the notion that CEOs should always engage with customers. It introduces the concept of CEO archetypes and highlights the surprising statistic that a significant portion of CEOs adopt a hands-off approach.
  • 28% of CEOs in the study adopted a hands-off approach to customer relationships.
  • The hands-off approach is compared to a general who doesn't engage with troops or monitor the battlefield.

Shownotes Transcript

A CEO's involvement in B2B sales deals, while often well-intentioned, can sometimes backfire.

INSEAD marketing professor Christoph Senn has spent years studying the role top leaders play in B2B relationships. In this episode, he shares the five archetypes of CEO behavior when it comes to sales, which ones are the most effective in closing a deal, and where they fall short.

You’ll learn what to do if your CEO is either overly involved—or not involved enough—in deals, and why knowing your CEO’s archetype can be helpful.

Senn is the coauthor, with Columbia Business School's Noel Capon, of the HBR article "When CEOs Make Sales Calls)."

**Key episode topics include: managing up, **sales team management, client management, sales, leadership qualities, interpersonal communication,


HBR On Leadership curates the best case studies and conversations with the world’s top business and management experts, to help you unlock the best in those around you. New episodes every week.

· Listen to the original HBR IdeaCast episode: How CEOs Can Drive Sales — or Kill Deals)

· Find more episodes of HBR IdeaCast)

· Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org).