SW&A featured Articles and Webinars

SW&A has earned the #34 position on the 2013 Bulldog 100: Fastest Growing Bulldog Businesses.  More than 700 companies, representing businesses from across the U.S. were nominated for this distinction.  For SW&A, this was the third consecutive year of being recognized for its positive growth.

Executives expect to hear three key things in a conversation. First, they need a message that defines, “what’s your point?” Near the beginning of the conversation, you need to tell the executive what you want and what the benefits are. Second, you need to share an outline of the conversation so that he understands what you want to accomplish and believes it is possible to do so in the meeting. Finally, you need to explain how it will add value to the business.  Read on to learn more about an effective framework.

It’s inevitable.  At some point, you’re going to find yourself sitting across the desk from a senior-level executive eager to prove your worth. Sally Williamson, the industry leader for improving executive communication and presence, can help you make the most of your opportunity with her 3 critical concepts executives listen for in a meeting and 3 missteps you absolutely don’t want to make.

At Sally Williamson & Associates, we lead training and coaching programs for managers and executives alike.  In each of those forums we talk to managers about their most challenging communication situations.  Without fail, the concept of leading a conversation with a senior executive is always on their list.
 
Every executive expects to hear three key things in a conversation:  a Message, a Framework and the Impact.

The message frames the executive’s role in the conversation and engages him or her quickly by providing context.  Why is having a message so important?  Let me give you an example:

Scenario:  You are in a marketing department and have responsibility for electronic communications and lead generation.  You have been working for months to find a better way to capture website hits and identify search topics.  You think there’s opportunity to double your lead generation online with the right insights and tools.  Recently, you found a new CRM tool that seems to be the answer.  You’ve tested it for three months and now want to ask the CMO to invest in it.

What’s your message?  If we invest in a new CRM tool, we can double the hits on our website and shorten our sales cycle by 20%.

Right up front, the CMO knows that you want him to invest in a new tool and he understands what the benefit to him will be.  So, you’ve focused the objective of the meeting and you’ve given him a clear lens with which to make his decision.  He’ll now listen to see if he believes you can double the hits and shorten the sales cycle.  It’s a powerful way to frame his role in the meeting.

Our Leading Executive Conversations workshop teaches you how to create an effective message and how to develop a framework for an executive conversation.  By understanding the executive perspective, you’ll be able to lead a discussion that helps explain strategies or opportunities that meet with C-Suite approval.

Join us on September 14th or November 16th for our open enrollment workshop or contact Kimberly Gray Fess for details of a customized workshop, kimberly@sallywilliamson.com or 404-475-6550.