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In business, the Golden Rule has often been interpreted as “He who has the gold makes the rules.” Today, in this unprecedented economic environment, it’s the CFO in most organizations who hovers over corporate gold reserves and who helps write the rules for doling out the gold bars.

If sales professionals aren’t acutely aware of a new economic decision maker who is lurking behind most B2B purchasing decisions, they may be missing opportunities to make sales they are now losing.

The unseen economic decision maker in many purchasing decisions today is the CFO, and according to a recent survey by Duke University , most CFOs are worried, if not downright depressed by the prospects for the economy and for their companies in the foreseeable future.

In the Duke University survey, CFOs in the

U.S.

and around the world responded with unprecedented pessimism about the expected performance of their firms in 2009. Not only did most of the respondents say that they will cut spending and employment in 2009, and that their firms will post losses for the year, but nearly two thirds of the CFOs expect the world-wide recession to last another year.

Sales professionals who want to thrive during these tough times will need more than the traditional sales skills and tactics they’ve employed in interactions with traditional buyers. They will need an appreciation for the plight of CFOs today, and a thorough understanding of how their products or services can impact CFO's concerns and priorities.

Based on the Duke University survey, as well as on our experiences, CFOs today are deeply concerned about:

? the collapse in consumer spending
? cutting payroll while preserving as much valuable human capital as possible
? forecasting future performance when visibility is zero
? responding to crisis-specific requirements that may exceed their training or experience
? managing expanding relationships with their constituencies
? delivering inconvenient truths to CEOs who oftentimes abhor bad news

If these worries aren’t enough to crowd a workday, CFOs must also keep an eye sharply focused on sales, profitability, retaining key customers and managing cash flow. Many CEOs and Boards of Directors rely on CFOs for help in developing and shaping corporate business strategy. Even Rip Van Winkle would have trouble sleeping under this load of responsibility.

It may be difficult, and impossible in some cases, for sales professionals to clearly show how their product or service offerings can impact CFO’s concerns and priorities. Failing to do so, unfortunately, will likely result in lost sales, despite sales tactics and skills that worked just a short time ago.

Listening Through A Screen, Darkly

Do we ever really listen to anyone during a sales call, or during any part of our daily lives? This question may seem silly, but it becomes serious and unsettling when you consider the concept of seeing and listening through a screen, darkly.

When I have formed an image of you, and stored that image in my brain, my perception of you is prejudiced. Do I really see you, as you are now, or do I see the image of you I have stored in my brain – an image of you as you were in the past? What you did or did not do in the past, stored in my brain as experiences and memory, provides a screen through which I view you and hear you.

You may surprise me and say or do something that doesn't reconcile with the image I have of you. When that happens, I'm busy trying to figure out what's wrong with my image! In doing that, I'm wasting time and energy, and the expenditure of that energy again interferes with my ability to truly see and hear you.

When you meet with customers, co-workers or anyone, do you see them and listen to them through a screen, darkly? Does your image of the person include prejudices for or against them? If you are a sales professional, and you are about to meet with a CEO, or a CFO, does the image you have about the titles CEO and CFO impede your ability to really see the individual behind the title?

I've learned that when I look at and listen to anyone without any of the associations and knowledge I have acquired about them and stored in memory, without any prejudice for or against them, any judgment or any words that form a screen between me and the person, I have a fighting chance to see them as they are, now. Only when I see and listen without any preconceptions, without resurrecting any stored images or memories, am I able to be in direct contact with the person.

Someone told the story of a religious teacher who talked every morning to his disciples. One morning, just before the teacher began his talk, a little bird landed on the windowsill and began singing. The bird sang beautifully, with all his heart, and then it stopped singing and flew away. The teacher turned to his disciples and said, "The sermon for this morning is over."

The lesson here is simple. When the teacher and the disciples turned their attention to the bird, and just listened to it sing, they saw the uniqueness of that bird and heard the beauty in its song. It didn't matter how many birds they had seen or heard in the past. There was only this bird, here and now, and there was nothing more to say.

Next month we will continue our series on listening by taking a look at some of the very best listeners I have heard about or know personally. I'll share with you what common characteristics I think they exhibit as superb listeners.

Strategic Sales Roadmap™
Our answer to the current economic quagmire is Strategic Sales Roadmap™, a bold plan for generating profitable sales and protecting key customers.

In just two days, senior sales leaders and senior executives, who don't have the time nor the resources to wait for the economy to improve, build a strong, yet flexible sales strategy and tactics for closing profitable sales and protecting key customers in this time of unprecedented volatility. Private sessions are available at company or meeting locations.


	January, 2009
Meet The CFO - Your New Depressed Economic Decision Maker Listening Through A Screen, Darkly (4th article in a series) Strategic Sales Roadmap™ Meet The CFO - Your New Depressed Economic Decision Maker In business, the Golden Rule has often been interpreted as “He who has the gold makes the rules.” Today, in this unprecedented economic environment, it’s the CFO in most organizations who hovers over corporate gold reserves and who helps write the rules for doling out the gold bars. If sales professionals aren’t acutely aware of a new economic decision maker who is lurking behind most B2B purchasing decisions, they may be missing opportunities to make sales they are now losing. The unseen economic decision maker in many purchasing decisions today is the CFO, and according to a recent survey by Duke University , most CFOs are worried, if not downright depressed by the prospects for the economy and for their companies in the foreseeable future. In the Duke University survey, CFOs in the U.S. and around the world responded with unprecedented pessimism about the expected performance of their firms in 2009. Not only did most of the respondents say that they will cut spending and employment in 2009, and that their firms will post losses for the year, but nearly two thirds of the CFOs expect the world-wide recession to last another year. Sales professionals who want to thrive during these tough times will need more than the traditional sales skills and tactics they’ve employed in interactions with traditional buyers. They will need an appreciation for the plight of CFOs today, and a thorough understanding of how their products or services can impact CFO's concerns and priorities. Based on the Duke University survey, as well as on our experiences, CFOs today are deeply concerned about: ? the collapse in consumer spending ? cutting payroll while preserving as much valuable human capital as possible ? forecasting future performance when visibility is zero ? responding to crisis-specific requirements that may exceed their training or experience ? managing expanding relationships with their constituencies ? delivering inconvenient truths to CEOs who oftentimes abhor bad news If these worries aren’t enough to crowd a workday, CFOs must also keep an eye sharply focused on sales, profitability, retaining key customers and managing cash flow. Many CEOs and Boards of Directors rely on CFOs for help in developing and shaping corporate business strategy. Even Rip Van Winkle would have trouble sleeping under this load of responsibility. It may be difficult, and impossible in some cases, for sales professionals to clearly show how their product or service offerings can impact CFO’s concerns and priorities. Failing to do so, unfortunately, will likely result in lost sales, despite sales tactics and skills that worked just a short time ago. Listening Through A Screen, Darkly Do we ever really listen to anyone during a sales call, or during any part of our daily lives? This question may seem silly, but it becomes serious and unsettling when you consider the concept of seeing and listening through a screen, darkly. When I have formed an image of you, and stored that image in my brain, my perception of you is prejudiced. Do I really see you, as you are now, or do I see the image of you I have stored in my brain – an image of you as you were in the past? What you did or did not do in the past, stored in my brain as experiences and memory, provides a screen through which I view you and hear you. You may surprise me and say or do something that doesn't reconcile with the image I have of you. When that happens, I'm busy trying to figure out what's wrong with my image! In doing that, I'm wasting time and energy, and the expenditure of that energy again interferes with my ability to truly see and hear you. When you meet with customers, co-workers or anyone, do you see them and listen to them through a screen, darkly? Does your image of the person include prejudices for or against them? If you are a sales professional, and you are about to meet with a CEO, or a CFO, does the image you have about the titles CEO and CFO impede your ability to really see the individual behind the title? I've learned that when I look at and listen to anyone without any of the associations and knowledge I have acquired about them and stored in memory, without any prejudice for or against them, any judgment or any words that form a screen between me and the person, I have a fighting chance to see them as they are, now. Only when I see and listen without any preconceptions, without resurrecting any stored images or memories, am I able to be in direct contact with the person. Someone told the story of a religious teacher who talked every morning to his disciples. One morning, just before the teacher began his talk, a little bird landed on the windowsill and began singing. The bird sang beautifully, with all his heart, and then it stopped singing and flew away. The teacher turned to his disciples and said, "The sermon for this morning is over." The lesson here is simple. When the teacher and the disciples turned their attention to the bird, and just listened to it sing, they saw the uniqueness of that bird and heard the beauty in its song. It didn't matter how many birds they had seen or heard in the past. There was only this bird, here and now, and there was nothing more to say. Next month we will continue our series on listening by taking a look at some of the very best listeners I have heard about or know personally. I'll share with you what common characteristics I think they exhibit as superb listeners. Strategic Sales Roadmap™ Our answer to the current economic quagmire is Strategic Sales Roadmap™, a bold plan for generating profitable sales and protecting key customers. In just two days, senior sales leaders and senior executives, who don't have the time nor the resources to wait for the economy to improve, build a strong, yet flexible sales strategy and tactics for closing profitable sales and protecting key customers in this time of unprecedented volatility. Private sessions are available at company or meeting locations.	• About Us • Sales Blog • Articles Archive Selling Up™ builds world class selling organizations that deliver profitable, sustainable sales revenue. To learn more, please visit: www.selling-up.com or contact us at: 800-745-8075 Feedback Newsletter Archive
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