The CEO handed me off to someone on his team, and they won't respond. Now what?
Short answer: two things. Run the entire 40-day cadence with the person you were handed to. At the same time, move the CEO into a Value Cadence and send him a value piece every week or two, with no ask. If you get through all 40 days with no response, go back to the CEO and make the ask.
Where the question came from
A producer asked this on our weekly call. He reached the president and CEO of a company he was prospecting. The CEO told him his team handles that and he'd already passed the email along. The producer kept going with the person he was sent to and left voicemails. Now he's in a chase, and he doesn't want to disrespect the CEO by asking him for the meeting again.
Run the full 40 days with the person you were sent to
Run all the way through the entire 40-day cadence with the person you've been redirected to. Just follow the process.
Move the CEO into a Value Cadence
At the same time, move that CEO into a VCS, the Value Cadence System, and start touching him every week or two with just a value piece. I forbid you to ask anything of him again until you're done running the 40-day cadence with the person he directed you to.
Start educating him. Share a case story. Share an idea: "I was thinking about your organization. I was working with this other company, and here's what we did." Not even a question. Not even a "what do you think about." Nothing. Literally just: here's something for you. Here's something for you. Here's something for you.
Don't let him forget your name. Just don't ask anything of him, because he's already told you he's got somebody else for that.
If 40 days go by with no answer
If you get through all 40 days and get no response from the person he pushed you to, then go back to him and make an ask. Something like: "I was unsuccessful in reaching your team member, and I just wanted to see whether this is still a priority for you guys."
Start with more than one door
I say this all the time: prospect as many contacts as you can from the same organization, CFO, CEO, all at the same time. If you get pushed down or pushed aside to somebody else, start your pursuit of that person, and switch to the VCS for the person who pushed you off.
Thank the gatekeeper
When a gatekeeper points you to the right person, write a postcard, put a gift card in it for coffee or something local in their area, and thank her for being kind to you and for giving you the contact, with no further ask.
Think about this. She is likely going to be a roadblock again at some point, and if she remembers you, that only helps you. People typically don't treat those people very nicely. And if she regularly talks to the CFO or the CEO, she's going to say, "Look at what he sent me." That gives you social credibility with somebody who usually gets looked over.
Where to start this week
Look at your list for anyone who passed you down the chain. Run the full 40 days with the person you were sent to, put the original decision maker on a value-only touch every week or two, and mail one thank-you card to a gatekeeper who helped you.
Not sure what to send as a value piece? Start with what to do when a prospect says "call me back in five months".
Should I keep asking the CEO for a meeting?
No. He told you someone else handles it. Keep him warm with a value piece every week or two and ask him nothing until you finish 40 days with the person he named.
Do I restart the 1440 at step one with the new contact?
Step one is cleaner. If you're already in a rhythm with the company and someone there has acknowledged you, picking up mid-sequence is fine.
What counts as a value piece?
A case story, an idea about their organization, or something you did for another company. No question attached, not even "what do you think."
When do I go back to the CEO?
After 40 days with no response from the person he sent you to. Tell him you couldn't reach them and ask whether this is still a priority.
Written by Ryan James Miller. His story. Terms defined in the glossary.