Getting CEOs to answer your call

📢 One of my goals this year is to further support B2B sales teams through the Elite Sales Cohort and customized corporate training and coaching. I have opened up my schedule to take on new clients. My clients include high-performing sales teams from companies such as WTW, Google, Encapto, TFL, SSS, and Entelar, among others.

If you often feel frustrated with navigating complex enterprise decision-making and clients who struggle to make decisions, I would love to help you develop strategies, manage processes, and implement behaviours that enable your clients to make decisions and consistently win business.

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Read time: 5 minutes

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The final decision typically rests with C-level executives in enterprise sales, particularly for deals ranging from $500K to millions.

However, going straight to the CEO isn’t always the most effective approach.

Here’s why:

• CEOs are often preoccupied with pressing matters.

• They may not immediately see the value in your solution.

• They’re protected by gatekeepers and challenging to reach directly.

The Power of Top-Down, Bottom-Up Approach

A more effective strategy combines both top-down and bottom-up approaches. This method helps you connect with individuals who will be directly impacted by your solution, even if they’re not the final decision-makers. These connections provide valuable insights that shape your value proposition.

Multithreading Strategy

When I first encountered the term “multithreading” in sales, I realised it was a fresh perspective on what we traditionally call account profiling and mapping, which is under business development. At its core, it’s about building multiple relationships within a target organisation to gather valuable insights and create meaningful connections within a key account.

The key is to create multiple touchpoints within the organisation through:

• Engaging with different stakeholders across teams

• Gathering insights across the organisation to build a solid business hypothesis

• Using various communication platforms strategically

• Understanding the account, business, and key stakeholders by reading their annual reports, websites, and company profiles like Dun & Bradstreet. Check out the Perplexity for account research here.

Here’s how to implement a practical multithreading approach to overcome common business development hurdles.

Step 1: Map Out Key Contacts

Start with account profiling. Identify everyone within the organisation who could benefit from your product or service. These may include department heads, decision influencers, and end users.

Pro tip: Tools like LinkedIn Sales Navigator “Relationship Map” are invaluable for mapping your client’s organisational structure. Check out resources on LinkedIn Sales Navigator.

Step 2: Engage Multiple Stakeholders

Think of your outreach as a series of meaningful conversations, with each interaction adding a piece to the overall puzzle. Engage with individuals at various levels within the organisation to gain insight into their pain points, priorities, and goals. By collecting diverse perspectives, you’ll develop a clearer understanding of the organisation’sorganization’s needs.

Step 3: Build a Business Hypothesis

Use the insights from your conversations to create a business hypothesis. This should outline how your product or service creates value for the organisation, directly addressing its most pressing challenges.

For example:

• “Your latest annual report shows that you’re looking to grow in Japan. Since we already have a solid setup there, I’d love to grab a coffee and chat about how we could help you hit the ground running!”

• “Ana, your Marketing head, shared that they’re looking for more efficient ways to manage their product launches. We can help your marketing team save 15 hours a week, allowing for more focus on strategic initiatives.”

• “Ben, your Software Development team mentioned difficulty finding Flutter developers. We have a roster of talented Flutter experts - I can send you their profiles if the team still seeks help.”

Step 4: Establish Your Presence in the CEO’s Mind

The 7-11-4 rule draws inspiration from research by renowned British anthropologist and psychologist Robin Dunbar.

His studies centre on human connections and the limits of our social relationships. Dunbar famously theorised that humans can only maintain meaningful relationships with about 150 people, a concept now called “Dunbar’s Number.”

Within this framework, he identified different layers of intimacy, with an inner core of 5 close connections, followed by layers of broader but less intimate social bonds. Dunbar’s findings highlight the importance of intentional and genuine touchpoints to foster trust and build connections.

The rule applies this psychological understanding to business interactions, suggesting that people need at least 7 hours of engagement across 11 interactions in 4 distinct locations or contexts to build trust.

One email or voicemail won’t cut it—repetition and consistency are key.

These principles underline the practical need for consistent and thoughtful communication throughout your relationship-building process.

Here’s how to build out your presence across multiple touchpoints:

• LinkedIn: Send the CEO connect requests and meaningful messages focusing on value.

• Voicemail: Leave concise and impactful voicemails (yes, people still listen to these!) – iPhones now transcribe voicemails into text, making what you say even more important.

• Email: Follow up strategically with a short, clear and compelling message.

• Old trunk line: Use traditional methods, like going through the company’s main phone line, and you will be surprised by how people want to talk.

• Go old school and visit their office: If you’re working within a territory, it might be worth dropping in and visiting clients’ offices in person—especially when you can schedule multiple visits with clients near each other.

The Science Behind Relationship Building “Dunbar Number”

Renowned British anthropologist and psychologist Robin Dunbar conducted research.

Dunbar famously theorised that humans can only maintain meaningful relationships with about 150 people, a concept now called “Dunbar’s Number.” Within this framework, he identified different layers of intimacy, with an inner core of 5 close connections, followed by layers of broader but less intimate social bonds, with a maximum of recognising 1500 people.

Dunbar’s research suggests it takes:

• 7 hours of interaction

• 11 different touchpoints

• 4 different platforms

For someone to remember and trust you. This has significant implications for sales:

• You need to carve out a place in your prospect’s mental space.

• Familiarity only happens through repetition and context.

Think about those 7-11-4 interactions as your way of inching closer to their 150-person circle, becoming a “familiar face” in their professional world.

Dunbar’s findings highlight the importance of intentional and genuine touch points to foster trust and build connections. The rule applies this psychological understanding to business interactions, suggesting that people need at least 7 hours of engagement across 11 interactions in 4 distinct locations or contexts to build trust. These principles underline the practical need for consistent and thoughtful communication throughout your relationship-building process.

One email or voicemail won’t cut it – repetition and consistency are key.

Making It Work

The truth is, getting through to top executives isn’t easy—and it shouldn’t be.

They’re busy, protective of their time, and sceptical of anything that doesn’t feel genuinely thought out. That’s why the old “pitch-first, listen-later” approach no longer works. Instead, the key is to do your homework, approach them with context, and show that you’re worth their time.

I know it's easier said than done. And when your client or prospect don't answer or return your call it can really be frustrating. With the Dunbar number theory, think differently. Now you know why!

Try connecting with other people in the company for insights and perspectives too. Build your understanding of their world with tools like the 7-11-4 framework, which helps you stay top of mind by creating frequent, meaningful touchpoints over time.

You’ll be confident and ready to talk to the CEO when you finally get that shot. You’ll have done the groundwork, built recognition, and established trust. The conversation won’t feel like some cold pitch—it’ll feel like a natural relationship progression.

Now, it’s your turn.

Take one tactic from this article and put it into action.

It could be crafting a personalised message based on learning about your client’s goals. It could be mapping out key players in an account. Take that first step. You might be surprised at how far it takes you.

And write back about how you are doing because I love hearing from you.

See you next week!

Ren