[Opinion] Time wasters and how to speak to the right person

[Nickolai Naydenov]

Hi guys, I'm a financial planner running a few companies benefits amd trying to increase my corporate clients, I'm talking about pension/provident funds, corporate medical aid, key man and buy/sell agreements. So I'd contact a company and try get to the decision maker, but the problem I have is when I call sometimes they'll put me through to a person that isn't the decision maker, but that person wants to feel important which I have no issues with, I mean we are human beings and want to be appreciated, but while they feeling all important they are just wasting my time and at the same time makes it hard for me to get to the correct person, so I'll ask them to arrange a meeting or get me in touch with whoever I need to speak to and they promise to do so, but they don't and the whole situation just gets to me.
Just to give you an example, one of my biggest clients which is a company where I do their provident fund, corporate medical aid, all directors and many of their employees personal stuff. I had huge challenges getting to the MD, I don't even know how I eventually managed to speak to him, but it took me months of trying and if I gave up I would have never gotten this business. That just proves that there are opportunities which are there but literally untouchable because of people that want to feel important.
Now I have a situation where there's a company with about 1500 employees countrywide, I know the company is in a mess, I know that they are currently paying out stuff helping them financially for funerals, when they get sick, giving retiring employees bonuses because they have no money to retire with and so on. Based on what I know there's a lot I can do for them, the problem is one of the ladies in HR who is not the decision maker whatsoever doesn't get me in touch with the relevant person, she always makes excuses that he's overseas, he's busy on a project and so on, she then asks me questions , she tells me what they need and so on but there's no progress, she definitely just wants to feel important while wasting my time. The thing is I know that there's business for me waiting.

My question is how do I get to the decision makers, how do I bypass people that want to feel important?

I'm sorry for the long post, I just thought that the more information there is the better opinions I will get.

Thanking you in advance.

[Justloadit]

Find out if the MD plays golf, on which day and where. Pitch up and try be part of his group, then you got him for the day

[Dave A]

Find out if the MD plays golf, on which day and where. Pitch up and try be part of his group, then you got him for the day

A risky gambit in this situation i.m.o.

If you're peddling something in the staff benefits line, and in a company of 1500 employees, the HR manager probably is the right person to be pitching to. Try to get their email address, and then cc them in on emails to your HR "point of contact" if you really feel you need to jump things along some.

I am a little concerned about the "she definitely just wants to feel important while wasting my time" comment, though. It's a less-than-ideal attitude to have in your head, and I'd do my very best to flush it as soon as possible. I'd definitely try to reprogram that attitude with something far more positive.

People do sense these things - perhaps not conciously, but at a subliminal level it's going to get through.

[BusFact]

I don't have an easy answer for you other than persistance in building up your contacts, network and reputation over time.

What I would like to add is to explain that these employees you are bumping up against are probably doing their jobs. An MD of a company of 20 is a busy person, an MD for 1500 simply cannot deal with every salesman wanting to sell his company something - no matter how important you may feel it is.

So he employs people to do this for him. Hence the roles of buyers and in your case HR managers.

Often you don't sell the concept to the MD, you sell it to his lower level managers. They then in turn "sell it" to him on your behalf. Make that person feel important ... because they are.

I would also suggest some patience here and work on several customers at any one time and not become so frustrated over one big deal.