Last week I had dinner with Tony Parinello, the author of the best selling sales book titled, 'Selling to V.I.T.O.' (Very Important Top Officer). Tony gave a speech to our CEO Club, and once again reminded us about how important it is to start at the top and call V.I.T.O. when we prospect for new customers.

How true!

Since the dot.com era came to an end in 2000 there have been dramatic changes with the decision-making capabilities of middle managers, especially within the financial services industry. Middle managers with the authority to make purchasing decisions on their own have all but disappeared since banks and securities firms have been under intense pressure to cut costs and slash budgets. Executive level managers that now scrutinize every purchase under a microscope have taken away the authority middle managers once had to approve big-ticket purchases.

Taking a tip I learned from Tony last week, I crossed off all the names of vice presidents that I had on my client's prospect lists, and I made a firm commitment to only call on V.I.T.O. Looking back I'm really glad that I did. The results were immediate.

When V.I.T.O. answered the phone I put forth my best 'lemonade statement' to start the conversation, and before I finished with my first cup of coffee, I had two new V.I.T.O. appointments scheduled on my calendar.

What surprised me most was that when I entered the new appointments onto my prospect report I discovered my notes from another call I had with a middle manager working at the same firm as V.I.T.O. In reading my notes, I saw that the middle manager I called was not very receptive to my 'lemonade statement', and our call went nowhere fast. However, when I called the CEO (V.I.T.O.) and presented him with the very same idea I presented to the middle manager I called before, he felt quite the opposite and thought it made sense for us to discuss the possibility of doing business. What did this V.I.T.O. see that the middle manager did not?

I can only imagine that it had more to do with the fact that CEOs tend to care more about the overall health of their company, and keep an open mind to new ideas that may provide a competitive advantage. As for middle management, new ideas just mean more work.

Thanks again to Tony Parinello for re-emphasizing the reason why it makes perfect sense to start at the top and call on V.I.T.O.