With so many people and job titles in an organization, it can be hard to find the decision maker you need to speak with. After all, it could be the VP, the CFO, the Director, the Managing Director, Purchasing, etc. Way too many choices, but it’s something you have to keep digging at until you find the right person.

“If you are not speaking with a decision-maker your sales cycle will lengthen and you may run the risk of losing the opportunity altogether,” says telesales expert Wendy Weiss.

"Influencers" influence. They do not decide.

Here’s the bottom line from Weiss: “If you are not speaking with a decision-maker, you are not speaking with a qualified prospect. Far too many sales representatives spend far too much time courting prospects who can never and will never make a decision.”

“One way to ensure that you are always speaking with the decision-maker is to always call the highest-level person that you believe would make the decision,” continues Weiss. “That person will either be your correct prospect, or they will know who is and they can point you in the right direction."

Once you've got that prospect on the phone, make sure to ask the following questions. This way you will be certain that you are speaking with the decision-maker.

1. What is your decision-making process?
2. How have you made this decision before?
3. What are the steps in your decision-making process?
4. How long does it take?
5. Who is involved in the decision-making process?
6. Who makes the final decision?
7. Who else will you be speaking with about this decision?
8. After we submit our proposal/bid/quote, what happens next?
9. How long will that take?
10. When do you expect to make a decision?
11. When would you like to begin?

Learn more from cold calling expert Wendy Weiss at www.wendyweiss.com or email her at wendy@wendyweiss.com