Diane Dunkle | BUE, Information Management Inside Sales America’s
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
Smarter Prospecting – the Art and Science
of Getting Time with Sr. Decision Makers
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© 2013 IBM Corporation
Agenda
 The Most Important Thing
 The Top Mistakes Sellers Make When Prospecting
 A Prospecting Methodology that works
(for rule followers) and one that helps (for people who hate a recipe)
 Help with Email, Admins, etc.
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© 2013 IBM Corporation
The Most Important Thing to Know When Trying to Get Meetings
 Prospecting is a two step process
– The ability to schedule time with people
– The ability to find opps during that scheduled time
 W3 is very helpful with the second step in the process, after you have the meeting
 You have to get practice to get good at the first
 So the most important thing is…
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© 2013 IBM Corporation
Sell the meeting, not the software!
Why this is so important:
 You should call as high as it
makes sense to call
 Senior leaders are looking for
ideas and want to know what
IBM is doing
 Senior executives have the
money
 Conversations are fast and
easy at the senior level
Stop trying to arm wrestle time from them right then and there. In general,
the shorter the call, the higher the odds of getting a meeting that matters.
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© 2013 IBM Corporation
Sell the meeting, not the software!
Benefits of a scheduled call:
 The customer expects your call
and can focus
 The customer can invite their
own people
 You have time to prepare, do
research, find help
 Getting time on their calendar
earns you the right to an
assumed next step
Stop trying to arm wrestle time from them right then and there. In general,
the shorter the call, the higher the odds of getting a meeting that matters.
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© 2013 IBM Corporation
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Some C’s and VP’s who have put me on their calendar
Deputy Comm, Dept of Tax
CISO, Cambridge Health Alliance CIO, Ofc of Medicaid Inspector
CIO, Dept of Public Safety
Head of Intell, MBTA
VP Sustainment, BAE
CIO, Stanley Bostitich
Dir. Aviation Security, Massport
CIO, Tufts Assoc Health
CIO, Mass General
Commissioner, Boston PD
Exec Dir, RI Emergency Mgmt
VP IT, Otis Elevator
CIO, New York Power Authority
CIO, Dartmouth College
CIO, Suffolk University
CIO, Tufts University
CIO, State of Maine
CIO, Stoneybrook
CIO, VT Student Assistance
VP Global IT, Otis Elevator
VP Supply Chain, Textron
VP Supply Chain, Cessna
CIO, Tufts Health Plan
COO, BCBS-VT
CIO, Albany Medical Center
CIO, Partners Healthcare
VP Aftermarket, Sikorsky
VP WW Cust Support, Sikorsky
VP Logistics, BAE
President of the Senate, Maine
VP Supply Chain, Carrier
CIO, MA DOT
VP HR, Bryant University
CIO, Lahey Clinic
Deputy Comm Security, MBTA
CIO, Aviva Life Insurance
President C4i, DRS
CIO, CT State University
VP Bus. Processes, Chemtura
Deputy Director, RI DOR
Chief of Staff for Lt. Gov, MA
CIO, UNH
Deputy General Counsel, UTC
CIO, Partners Physicians Network
VP, Retail Brand Alliance
President, Perceptive Informatics Intelligence Director, MBTA
Chief, Investigative Services, NH CIO, Textron Defense
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CIO, Mass Dept of Education
© 2013 IBM Corporation
Top 10 Mistakes Sellers Make When Trying to Get Meetings
1. They do not define what success is so they never know if they are successful.
ANSWER: Determine how much pipeline do you need? Start there and work backwards.
2. They do not prepare ANSWER: Decide what words will come out of your mouth before
you pick up the phone. Save WinWires and every good story about IBM’s ability to help
clients and keep them close by. (PS. paper file folders are still allowed)
3. They think they can prospect without picking up the phone… a lot (Vorsight cites that 72%
of their meetings happen with a live phone conversations/60% of my org’s meetings occur
through live phone conversations) ANSWER: Make a lot of calls and count them so you
can determine your success rate. What messages work? What titles? How many new
people do you need to call a week to get meetings? How many meetings do you need to
get an opp? What is your avg opp size? Keep track! Then apply this to #1 above.
4. They do not have a system for managing and measuring their activity so they call people
once or twice and give up. ANSWER: Get ACT or buy an online contact mgmt system.
They are dollars a month for single users and will automate your activity. Crucial! CIO’s
can take 10 attempts to get a meeting (Jill Konrath, Selling to Big Co’s) so have a cadence
(eg. Week 1 – call, vm, em Week 2 – call, vm, em Wait 3 weeks and try again each
quarter thereafter)
5. They talk too fast and say too much and use words the prospect does not understand..
ANSWER: Tape record yourself for your ears only and sloooooooow down. And if your
mom doesn’t know the word, find normal words to use it or explain.
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© 2013 IBM Corporation
Top 10 Mistakes Sellers Make When Trying to Get Meetings
6. They judge the success of the call by its length. ANSWER: The shorter the call, the
higher the likelihood of success.
7. They want someone to write their messages for them. ANSWER: You have to figure out
what is going to work best for you. You need to be an expert on what works and does not
work.
8. They call the wrong people either calling too low or downloading lists that are just plain
frustrating. ANSWER: Call senior leaders you find on LinkedIn. They are real. They buy
things. They tell you about themselves on their profile.
9. They do not leverage the IBM machine. ANSWER: Prospect internally. Some of my best
prospecting efforts were directed at the Client Teams.
10. They do not know how to write an effective, short email so they waste a lot of time.
ANSWER: Plagiarize! Not really but borrow a lot from other sellers, WinWires, stories on
the IBM website, etc.
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© 2013 IBM Corporation
A Method That Works to Get Meetings
Why do you call people?
1. Not necessarily to spend time
with them
 Wrong person
 Wrong timing
 No budget
2. Not necessarily to have a conversation right then
 Busy people buy things
 You want them undistracted
Average time in a first call is
just a few minutes!
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© 2013 IBM Corporation
Why do I call people?
1. Assess interest / curiosity
• In something IBM is doing (the coolest thing
you can think for that person)
• Could be specific to their company, agency,
job role, a problem we solve, an acquisition
we made, etc.
• Focus on business value, not products
2. Explore availability
• Doesn’t have to be right now
• Looking for undistracted time with them
Are you curious enough
to grant me time on your calendar?
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© 2013 IBM Corporation
What do I say?
1. Assess interest / curiosity
 how IBM is helping to keep our customers out of the
news for data breaches
What
to
say
 how our customers are more competitive because we
help them to run data warehouse reports 100X faster
 IBM’s ability to reduce HIPPA violations due to data
privacy breaches in app dev testing
 based upon your title, thought IBM’s approach to Big
Data might be of interest
 have you talked to IBM lately about software?
How 2. Explore availability
to
say it
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“I know that I am reaching you out of the blue, is this a
good time for a quick conversation?”
“I am not necessarily looking to have a conversation with
you right now, but is this something you are interested© 2013
in?”
IBM Corporation
James McAdam Hey, Diane, I need to talk to
you. Can I call you now?
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© 2013 IBM Corporation
Louis Brown Hi, Diane, I need your input on
the DOR RFP. I have some ideas
to improve the competitive
messaging. Is this a good time?
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© 2013 IBM Corporation
It’s like feeding ducks…
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© 2013 IBM Corporation
Analyze ALL Available Data – PureData System for Analytics
MAKE THE CALL: Choreographing the call
 Why you are calling
Question
Data is growing faster than ever, and it is
challenging for companies to make sense of
it all. We are working with companies to cost
effectively manage and analyze ALL
available data in minutes instead of days.
I know I am reaching you out of the blue;
is this an OK time for a quick conversation?
 Tell a story of how we help
IBM acquired Netezza and it is an appliance that
can process tens of billions of rows of data in
minutes to provide extremely fast and powerful
analytics that gives our customers a huge
competitive advantage for running their businesses
in realtime vs. 3 days after the fact.
 Who have we helped
BCBS of MA, Con-way Freight, Epsilon, Kelley Blue
Book, Marshfield Clinic, Canadian Tire, Safeway, Nielsen
 Question
I am not necessarily looking to have a conversation with you
right now, but is this something you are interested in?
Biggest mistake is to forget to ask
the questions!!!
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Source: Wikipedia
© 2013 IBM Corporation
Analyze ALL Available Data – BigData
This message worked 3X for me last week
 Why you are calling
Question
I am on the software sales team from IBM that covers
YOURCO for the technology that helps our customers to
manage all of their information more effectively and I am
finding that most of our customers are challenged by the
amount of data they have to manage and saw your title and
thought you would like to know what we are doing.
I know I am reaching you out of the blue; is this an OK time
for a quick conversation?
 Tell a story of how we help I would put how we help into 4 categories: 1. Data security
(stay out of the news) 2. Data integrity (data looks the same
across your systems) 3. Data reporting (instead of 3 days,
data in minutes to increase competitiveness and
responsiveness 4. The Volume of Data (archiving, getting
data you have to store out of your production systems)
 Who have we helped
Question
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Hospitals using their data to locate heart patients at risk of
infections before they occur are saving lives.
I am not necessarily looking to have a conversation with you
right now, but is this something you are interested in?
© 2013 IBM Corporation
Data Security and Compliance in government
(Guardium)
 Why you are calling
Question
Interest in how IBM is helping NY state agencies to stay out of
the news for data breaches
I know I am reaching you out of the blue; is this an OK time
for a quick conversation?
 Tell a story of how we help We acquired a software co. called Guardium and it identifies
unauthorized or suspicious activities in the DB’s by
continuously tracking all database actions and it does this
without impacting performance or modifying databases. Then it
detects and even blocks malicious or unapproved activity by
DBAs, developers and outsourced personnel without relying on
native logs and triggers and it does this in real-time. Then it
also proves compliance if there is an audit. Our customers
need fewer FTE’s so they are cutting costs but Guardium is
mostly about automating the checks and balances to secure
the environment.
 Who have we helped
Question
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3 NYS agencies (Dept of Tax and Finance,
Office of State Comptroller, Department of Labor)
I am not necessarily looking to have a conversation with you
right now, but is this something you are interested in?
© 2013 IBM Corporation
Data Security and Compliance (Guardium) in script form for healthcare
Hi (customer name) this is (your name) with IBM. I’m on the software team that supports (company name) and
I am calling because we acquired a software company last year that helps our customers with data
security and compliance and I thought you might like to know about it. I know I am reaching you out of the
blue. Is this a good time for a quick conversation?
NO: Is there a better time to reach you?
YES: The company we acquired is called Guardium and it is software that provides real-time database
security and monitoring and is the most widely deployed database security solution in the world. Dell,
McAfee, ING, the top 5 global banks and many govt agencies use it. And what it does is:
1. Automatically locates, classifies and secures your sensitive information
2. Monitors and enforce policies for database security and change control
3. Captures all database activity automatically and in a centralized location for auditing purposes and real
time report building
4. Assesses where your current infrastructure is vulnerable and address it before there is a problem
One of our customers, a leading healthcare organization, needed to implement database auditing in order to
comply with SOX and HIPAA regulatory requirements. With Guardium, they centralized and automated
the controls across their distributed heterogeneous database environments, while streamlining the
compliance process with centralized workflow automation. This automation not only increased database
security and simplified compliance but they reallocated 8 FTE’s to other areas.
Now I am not necessarily looking to have a conversation right now, but is this something you are interested
in?
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© 2013 IBM Corporation
InfoSphere Server for Trusted Information (Customer Service)
 Why you are calling
Question
I know I am reaching you out of the blue; is this an OK time
for a quick conversation?
 Tell a story of how we help
The way we help is with software that integrates & aligns
disparate data sources so that the data is cleansed for quality
& consistency, transformed for new use and delivered to
where it needs to be. This solves problems like when a
customer’s name is spelled 5 different ways in 5 different
systems and customers get 5 different invoices or catalogs or
need to be transferred from dept to dept for customer care issues
By unifying that data, customer are treated like one customer from
a support, sales, service and marketing perspective which
improves customer service and increases sales. Cleaner data als
helps to prevent fraud and lower costs
 Who have we helped
Panasonic (click for references)
Question
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A lot of our customers are overflowing with scattered and
inaccurate data throughout and are struggling with how to use
it. The data is not trusted. We are helping them and I thought
you would want to know how.
I am not necessarily looking to have a conversation with you
right now, but is this something you are interested in?
© 2013 IBM Corporation
Have you talked to IBM recently
about our software?
 Why you are calling
Question
I am with IBM and responsible for the technology that helps
our customers to manage all of the data they have and part
of my job is to talk to folks like you and ask, how are we
doing? Have you talked with us recently about our portfolio
and all of the software companies we have acquired.
I know I am reaching you out of the blue; is this an OK time
for a quick conversation?
 Tell a story of how we help Netezza, Vivisimo, Guardium; Optim; Ascential (DataStage);
Netezza, Entity Analytics
• Who have we helped
Question
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Use google. Find co’s that our acquired co’s have as
customers
I am not necessarily looking to have a conversation with you
right now, but is this something you are interested in?
© 2013 IBM Corporation
SUMMARY: Call Format – Keys to a Successful Call
Opening: “Hi Joe, this is Diane Dunkle from IBM.
How are you?
(customer response)
WHY?:
“Joe, I am with the software sales team
from IBM that supports YOURCO for our
technology that helps to manage all of the data
and I am calling bec…”
•
•
•
•
1-2 sentences (15 seconds max!)
“Twitter” headline
Focus on business value
Make it personal (industry, position, LinkedIn,
news article etc.)
Don’t stop yet… ask: “I know that I’m reaching
you out of the blue here, is this a good time for a
quick conversation?
If No: “Is there a better time to reach you?
(Probably 50% of my meetings happen right here)
If Yes: “How we help is…
•
•
•
•
•
•
Tell your story
Why is it compelling?
Focus on business results
Ex. “We acquired a company…”
Ex. “Many of our retail customers…”
Ex. “Organizations have so much data, in
so many places, they are struggling with
how to manage and leverage all of it”
• Use relevant customer successes
Stop to ask: “I am not necessarily looking to
have a conversation with you right now but
is this something you are interested in?”
If yes: Go for the meeting! (If they want to talk
more, have some questions and stories
ready)
If no: “What is your most pressing concern
now?” or “Have you talked to IBM lately?” or
“What are you focused on… our software
portfolio is huge. Maybe we can help.”
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© 2013 IBM Corporation
Getting Ready: Be prepare for a 15 minute conversation
Test your message:
 Be ready to talk about 3 things:
– Why you are calling
– How IBM can help
– Who we have helped (reference stories)
 Use Sales plays (but don’t get bogged down in them).
 Use your own words!
 Use LinkedIn and Google the person (use the word “says”)
– Eg. “Bath Iron Works”, “Jason Smith”, says
 Look at their website, job postings, news
 Use IBM website to get good ideas on how to word things
Prepare just enough
to pick up the phone
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1. Keep asking,
“Why does it
matter?” until
you get to the
value for the
client
2. If your prospect
could not explain
to the President
of the company
why they took a
meeting with you,
your message is
probably not good
enough
© 2013 IBM Corporation
Get Inspiration from WinWires, Wikipedia,W3 Plays, Ideas from this week:
 Information Mgmt Wiki
https://w3.ibm.com/workplace/myportal/odw/sales/products/software/!ut/p/b1/04_Sj9CPykssy0xPLMnMz0vMAfGjzOKdDIAgwMDAyMDTx9nA08nF09LM18_Y3csIqCASqMDP3yjUzcTT0
NDCzNXQwMjMw8TJJ8zTwN3FGJ9-iwADqH4DHMDRgDj9eBQQcH-4fhReJZ6mUAX4vAhWgMcPfh75uan6BbmhoREGmQHpjoqKANwYCY!/dl4/d5/L2dBISEvZ0FBIS9nQSEh/?uri=nm%3Aoid%3AZ6_B0000P0020ILC0IBDI96MN3GJ2
 Information Mgmt Prospecting Kits:
https://w3.ibm.com/workplace/myportal/odw/sales/products/software/!ut/p/b1/04_Sj9CPykssy0xPLMnMz0vMAfGjzOKdDIAgwMDAyMDTx9nA08nF09LM18_Y3csIqCASqMDP3yjUzcTT0
NDCzNXQwMjMw8TJJ8zTwN3FGJ9-iwADqH4DHMDRgDj9eBQQcH-4fhReJZ6mUAX4vAhWgMcPfh75uan6BbmhoREGmQHpjoqKANwYCY!/dl4/d5/L2dBISEvZ0FBIS9nQSEh/?uri=nm%3Aoid%3AZ6_B0000P0020ILC0IBDI96MN3GJ2
 Information Management Prospecting Guide:
https://w3.ibm.com/workplace/myportal/odw/sales/products/software/!ut/p/b1/04_Sj9CPykssy0xPLMnMz0vMAfGjzOKdDIAgwMDAyMDTx9nA08nF09LM18_Y3csIqCASqMDP3yjUzcTT0
NDCzNXQwMjMw8TJJ8zTwN3FGJ9-iwADqH4DHMDRgDj9eBQQcH-4fhReJZ6mUAX4vAhWgMcPfh75uan6BbmhoREGmQHpjoqKANwYCY!/dl4/d5/L2dBISEvZ0FBIS9nQSEh/?uri=nm%3Aoid%3AZ6_B0000P0020ILC0IBDI96MN3GJ2#nav.selection%3D%2Fdm
 Information and Analytics Industry Entry Pts:
https://w3.ibm.com/workplace/myportal/odw/sales/products/software/!ut/p/b1/04_Sj9CPykssy0xPLMnMz0vMAfGjzOKdDIAgwMDAyMDTx9nA08nF09LM18_Y3csIqCASqMDP3yjUzcTT0
NDCzNXQwMjMw8TJJ8zTwN3FGJ9-iwADqH4DHMDRgDj9eBQQcH-4fhReJZ6mUAX4vAhWgMcPfh75uan6BbmhoREGmQHpjoqKANwYCY!/dl4/d5/L2dBISEvZ0FBIS9nQSEh/?uri=nm%3Aoid%3AZ6_B0000P0020ILC0IBDI96MN3GJ2
 IM Specialty Plays:
https://w3.ibm.com/workplace/myportal/odw/sales/products/software/!ut/p/b1/04_Sj9CPykssy0xPLMnMz0vMAfGjzOKdDIAgwMDAyMDTx9nA08nF09LM18_Y3csIqCASqMDP3yjUzcTT0
NDCzNXQwMjMw8TJJ8zTwN3FGJ9-iwADqH4DHMDRgDj9eBQQcH-4fhReJZ6mUAX4vAhWgMcPfh75uan6BbmhoREGmQHpjoqKANwYCY!/dl4/d5/L2dBISEvZ0FBIS9nQSEh/?uri=nm%3Aoid%3AZ6_B0000P0020ILC0IBDI96MN3GJ2
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© 2013 IBM Corporation
Message Maps: Help with writing your story (the 2nd handful of
breadcrumbs)
 Step One. Create a Twitter-friendly headline.
The headline is the one single overarching message that you want your customers to know
about the product. Ask yourself, “What is the single most important thing I want my listener
to know about my [product, service, brand, idea].” Draw a circle at the top of the message
and insert the headline. Make sure your headline fits in a Twitter post – no more than 140
characters. If you cannot explain your product or idea in 140 characters or less, go back to
the drawing board.
 Step Two. Support the headline with three key benefits. As I discussed in a previous
article, the human mind can only process about three pieces of information in short-term
memory. Specifically outline the three or, at most, four benefits of your product. Draw three
arrows from the headline to each of the key supporting messages.
 Step Three. Reinforce the three benefits with stories, statistics, and examples. Add
bullet points to each of the three supporting messages. You don’t have to write out the entire
story. Instead write a few words that will prompt you to deliver the story. Remember, the
entire message map must fit on one page.
“How to pitch anything in 15 seconds” article from HBR
http://www.forbes.com/sites/carminegallo/2012/07/17/how-to-pitch-anything-in-15-seconds/
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© 2013 IBM Corporation
IBM’s Guardium secures the
privacy and integrity of
information in your data center.
Monitors data
in real time
- Enterprise databases, datawarehouses, file shares,
document-sharing
solutions, and big data
environments.
- Tracks all database activitywithout impacting
performance
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Streamlines and
automates compliance
reporting
Prevent
cyberattacks
and breaches
- 80% of breaches come
Customizes workflow to
from internal users
generate and distribute
- Prevents unauthorized and
reports for electronic
suspicious activities by
sign off. Stores results
privileged users
in centralized repository
- Defines where sensitive
Eliminate costly and
data resides across the
high risk manual and
enterprise.
silo approaches
Guardium
© 2013 IBM Corporation
Message Map for Guardium
IBM’s Guardium provides the simplest, most complete solution for information security, while automating
compliance across environments.
 Prevent Cyberattacks and breaches
 Monitor privileged users
 Validate Compliance
Prevent Cyberattacks and breaches
Guardium allows organizations to understand and define where sensitive data resides across the enterprise.
Using policies and metrics, you can proactively identify unauthorized or suspicious activities. It can protect
data at rest or in motion, as well as production and non-production data. Guardium will continuously track
all database actions with virtually no impact on performance.
Monitor privileged users
80% of breaches come from internal users, and Guardium can detect and block unapproved activity by
DBA’s, developers, and other personnel without relying on native logs or triggers (costly and risk for
human error)
Validate Compliance
Database auditing has become complicated and costly with numerous regulations for sensitive information.
Guardium provides a simple means of automating and centralizing compliance controls across
heterogeneous environment. Generates pre-configured compliance reports on a customizable basis. Used
by over 400 organizations world-wide to automate controls including SOX, PCI (any organizations that has
customer credit card information), HIPAA (healthcare industry)
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© 2013 IBM Corporation
Typical responses
 “I am heading to a meeting.”
“When would be a better time to reach
you?”
 “Can you send me information?”
Get the email address; “You bet. I will
send you some links to our website. What
is your email address?”
Still go for the conference call
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“Now the other thing that I would be happy
to do is we could pick a time when you are
expecting my call. I can tell you a little
more about… and that might even be
quicker than reading through an email from
me. Would later this week be better?”
 “I have a few minutes. Is that enough
time?”
“You bet. We are helping…. I am not
necessarily looking to take up your time
right now but is this of interest?”
 A “soft no” (Ex. ‘We are heavily
involved in this other project, so this
might not be the best time’)
“What are you focused on?
© 2013 IBM Corporation
Ask Good Questions!
“What specific business benefit will this initiative give you?”
“How will you know when you have attained it?”
“Who will be impacted most if you don’t do this?”
“Is this your most pressing concern?’
“When must you make a decision about which action to take?”
“What if there are delays?”
“When does the organization need to see results?”
“I want to make sure I understand your decision making process.
Would you please walk me through it?”
 “Who else would you want to include in this discussion?”
 “What are your criteria for making a decision?”








Go to First Research at the COMP portal for industry and job role questions:
https://w3-03.ibm.com/sales/competition/compdlib.nsf/pages/tools
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© 2013 IBM Corporation
Who to call
 LinkedIn
 COMP Portal
– CRUSH Reports Rock
– Mint Global
– Net Prospex
– iProfile
– OnTarget
– OneSource
– Market Intelligence
 Corporate website
 Jigsaw (no longer through IBM but you can get you own log-in)
 Convention Speakers
 IBM team members
 Google
 President/CEO’s office
 Call the wrong person
 Sales Transaction Hub will build you lists and do company research
 Interns – talk to your SBE and BUE’s about getting summer interns to help with list building
and event attendance drives
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© 2013 IBM Corporation
LinkedIn
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© 2013 IBM Corporation
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© 2013 IBM Corporation
Email
 Announce emails with a voice message
 State the real reason in Subject
– Eg. “Meeting Request”, “Spoke to Jennifer”, “Lunch”
 Use information that will create context (referral, LinkedIn)
 Stick to 3 key points (Don’t back up the truck!)
– Who you are / What you want / What IBM has done for
other companies
– Ping again in 60-90 days
 If no luck, try asking assistant for a direct report
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© 2013 IBM Corporation
Email Examples
Hi Ric,
My name is Chris Dragoon and I am a member of the IBM software team that supports Casual Male Retail. I believe it to be beneficial
to have a brief discussion regarding Big Data, more specifically how a simple IBM appliance is helping customers in the retail industry.
Traditional data warehouses are complex and inefficient, preventing the business from getting timely answers. IBM’s Big Data
solutions make it possible for marketing executives in retail to make rapid decisions based on ALL available data. IBM acquired
Netezza, which is simple appliance for faster, more accessible analytics. Netezza is 10-100X faster than traditional data warehouse
systems and relieves extensive labor normally required by DBA’s. We recently helped a retailer reduce the time to run analytic queries
by 80%. AARP used Netezza to grow member renewals and engagements, achieving a 347% ROI in 3 years. Barnes and Noble
decreased the time it took to run marketing queries from weeks to seconds.
Common use cases include:
–
–
–
–
–
–
Sales reporting
Inventory optimization
Merchandising operations
Promotion optimization
Customer segmentation
Loyalty programs
Ric, my team is currently meeting with retail customers for a roadmap discussion. Are you the right person to speak with? If you are
open to hear more, when in the next few weeks is convenient for a brief conversation?
Kind regards,
Chris
CUSTOMER RESPONSE:
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© 2013 IBM Corporation
Email Examples
Hi Brad,
I hope this note finds you well. To introduce myself, my name is Chris Dragoon and I work on IBM’s software team that supports GE.
We have been helping CISO's create a data governance strategy around securing enterprise data and ensuring compliance. IBM can
help you design and implement a holistic data security and privacy strategy, and ensure the enterprise is audit ready. IBM has a
unique three category approach:
1) Understand and Define-Where sensitive data resides? How is it related? Policies and metrics to protect.
2) Secure and Protect-Protect heterogeneous data across enterprise (production and non-production; structure and unstructured)
3) Monitor and Audit-Monitor database access, access vulnerabilities, identify fraud in real-time.
How is your organization responding to the pressure of data governance, security, and compliance? I believe it would be beneficial to
have an introductory conversation. Do you have 30 minutes in the next few weeks?
Best regards,
Chris
CUSTOMER RESPONSE:
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© 2013 IBM Corporation
Email Examples
Hi Clifton,
My name is Chris Dragoon and I work on IBM’s software team that supports First Niagara.
I called you today to speak with you about IBM’s Information Governance capabilities within the banking industry. To IBM,
Information Governance is about treating data as an enterprise asset and managing and protecting information throughout the
lifecycle of data and across systems. We just helped a large bank rationalize their IT infrastructure, reducing the number of customer
files from 6 to 1 and saving them $25M annually in IT costs.
Some common use cases we see within the industry include:
· Building and Expanding Data Warehouses
· Application Consolidation and Retirement
· Creating a Single View
· Security, Protection and Compliance of Data
· Improvement of Enterprise Applications and Processes
· Integration and Governance of Big Data
I think a 30-60 minute roadmap conversation would be beneficial (via teleconference or face to face). I can bring along a colleague to
describe what an Information Governance strategy may look like for your organization. Are you available in the next few weeks for a
conversation?
Best regards,
Chris
CUSTOMER RESPONSE:
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© 2013 IBM Corporation
RE: Meeting Request – Application Consolidation Plans
Hello Tom,
I left a voice mail message for you and thought I would follow up via
email as well. I am calling about the article you were in recently
with Computerworld. The article mentions that as part of your
Three Year Sensis Strategy, your team will be focusing on a longterm application consolidation plan. IBM has helped clients have a
lot of success driving down IT costs and risks through our
Integrated Data Management software solutions, specifically with
new offerings from the IBM Optim portfolio during consolidations
such as yours.
I would like to speak with you to learn more about your Three Year
Sensis Strategy and explore if there may be areas where IBM can
add value. Do you have time for a conversation over the next three
weeks, or in early January? I look forward to hearing from you.
Best Regards,
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© 2013 IBM Corporation
Event Invitation email sent after a voice message
Hello Henrik,
I am with IBM and would like to personally invite you to join us for an exclusive dinner
presentation and round-table discussion on Data Governance and Privacy. This
event is being held on March 3rd in Hartford, CT from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. at the Max
Downtown.
Today, the lack of data governance is on the minds of CEOs and senior executives
around the world. Our keynote speaker, Sunil Soares, will discuss:
• How to build an enterprise-wide Data Governance strategy and agenda
• How other companies have started their Data Governance journey
• How to form a Data Governance committee with business stake holders
• What is important, key initiatives and business problems
• How to establish a collaborative Data Governance strategy with internal business
Hello Kimberlie,
constituents
We hope you will enjoy this evening while you network with your peers and learn how
can schedule
into my
they are using information today as a strategic asset. Below isI more
detail. Wethis
have
limited room. May I register you for this event?
calendar and would be happy
to join this meeting.
Thank you,
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Frank Gaardsvig, Director
Business Relationship
Management,
LEGO Corp
© 2013 IBM Corporation
Harmon International CIO
RE: Good Afternoon! A time to talk
Dear Michael,
I work with Bill Gatzendorfer, your IBM Client Executive and am writing to request
a time speak by phone or meet to discuss how IBM is helping Global clients
enhance their collaboration capability. I am your Collaboration Software
Representative from IBM and we thought it was important to get introduced as
well as understand your requirements for 2010.
Please contact me at your earliest convenience.
Sincerely,
Tina Ambrose
IBM Software Group
Mobile: (978) 319-0820
Office:720-396-2177
email: tambrose@us.ibm.com
REPLY:
Tina, please work with my admin, Eileen
Bergmann, to arrange a meeting in late
July.
Thanks!
Mike
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2012 IBM Corporation
© 2013 IBM©Corporation
Meeting with the President of ABC Stores in Hawaii
Aloha Wendy,
It was a pleasure speaking with you on the phone today! This is Karmen again with the IBM
team supporting ABC Stores. My team has partnered with many grocers & gifts retailers
including Foodland Super Market, Safeway, Harry & David, PriceSmart.. I am keen to have a
discussion with Mr. Kosasa to learn more about his current business objectives, and provide
IBM Retail insights in support of his success as the President & CEO of ABC stores.
I understand overseeing a sizable retail chain operation of 77 convenience stores gives Mr.
Kosasa an extremely tight schedule. If you could put me on his calendar for about 20
minutes, I believe it will be sufficient for a beneficial and insightful discussion. Here are
some discussion topics that may resonate with Mr. Kosasa:
 1. Ensuring an enjoyable ABC Stores experience for local customers, tourists, and abc.com
shoppers
 2. Utilizing Social Media and Omni-Channel retail strategies to align ABC products with
customer interests
 3. Gathering, studying, and acting upon Customer Analytics (e.g. customer opinions on
shopping experience & merchandise quality at ABC Stores)
 4. Easy access to transparent, accurate information for effective decision-making and
execution
When will Mr. Kosasa be available for a short discussion? I am happy to connect over the
phone or meet with him in person. I look forward to your response soon. Mahalo for
coordinating this!
Best Regards,
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© 2013 IBM Corporation
Netezza
Dear Joe,
I am with IBM and am writing to request a time to speak with you if running
comprehensive reports for sales and marketing are a drain on your IT department
resources. IBM acquired Netezza last year and we are now helping hundreds of
companies (Nielsen, eHarmony, Episolon, Marriott) to realize a 10-100X
improvement in the processing speed for running reports against a data
warehouse. The Wall Street Journal says that this acquisition was one of the most
important M&A’s of 2010.
“…when something took 24 hours I could only do so much with it, but when
something takes 10 seconds, I may be able to completely rethink the business
process…”
- SVP Application Development, Nielsen
May I speak with you about how we may be able to help Hutchinson? If so, please
let me know a convenient time for us to speak by phone or meet in March and I
will confirm right back.
Best Regards,
Diane
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© 2013 IBM Corporation
Email to get reconnected
Be careful… this one can be
creepy when used incorrectly!
RE: I thought of you yesterday
Hi Karen,
I thought of you yesterday when discussing a few of our recent acquisitions with
some of my co-workers that help with network management and
performance. May I call you next week to chat for a few minutes? If so,
please let me know what would work best for you.
Best Regards,
Diane
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© 2013 IBM Corporation
CIO Email
 Brand: Information Management
 Company: Charles Draper Labs
 Industry: Life Sciences
 Title: Director of Security
 How many attempts: 1
 How you got it: Tried CIO twice and didn't get a response, decided to try the VP/Director level. Sent email to Keith Jones,
Director of Security. Thought I would try to use "beneficial" per John's approach, and it worked :) Keith forwarded my
message to a couple others, and then had his Executive Assistant email me with options for meeting date. Meeting
scheduled on-site for 10/14.
Hello Keith,
I am with the IBM team that supports Charles Draper Labs and believe it would be beneficial to have a discussion about
Data Security and how companies are leveraging IBM.
Our enterprise security platform prevents unauthorized or suspicious activities by privileged insiders and potential
hackers. At the same time, our solution optimizes operational efficiency with a scalable, multi-tier architecture that
automates and centralizes compliance controls across a company’s entire application and database infrastructure. As an
example, one of our Fortune 500 clients implemented our real-time monitoring technology to protect corporate data and
enforce change controls for critical databases supporting multiple systems. Forrester Consulting commissioned a case
study on this, and showed a risk-adjusted ROI of 239% and a payback period of under 6 months.
Do you have 30 minutes available for a conversation in the next few weeks?
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© 2013 IBM Corporation
Voice Message: Product Upgrade
 Brand: IM
 Company: Harvard Pilgrim Health Care
 Industry: Healthcare
 Title: Director, Corporate Information Management
 How many attempts: 2 Calls
 How you got it: Voice mail/Admin
 Play- They have an earlier version of DataStage purchased years ago, and we would like meet with them
to encourage an upgrade, and find out what their current needs and initiatives are. I don't usually do a
product specific message, but knew this might trigger his interest based on information we found out from
others. After my second voice mail message, he had his Assistant call me to schedule a meeting.
VM message:
“Hi Ralph, this is Kim Murphy, I am on the Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Team at IBM, and I work with John
McMahon, Information Management specialist. I am calling because there are new capabilities with
DataStage 8.5 and believe it would be beneficial to schedule time to speak with you about the significant
benefits you will achieve with your Data Integration and Data Warehousing efforts. I can be reached at..."
Kim Murphy, SOS Information Management
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© 2013 IBM Corporation
Working with assistants
 Treat them the same as the CIO!
 Ask them for help
– “I would like to set up a meeting with Joe
and was hoping you could help me.”
– “I have not spoken with Sam before.
Would you tell me the best way to request
time with him?”
– “I am happy to send an email explaining
my interested in speaking with Susan…
Would that help?”
 If they want you to send them your email, do
it! Don’t bypass them.
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© 2013 IBM Corporation
Summary:
WHAT
Don’t focus on what it does. Ask yourself, why does it matter?
HOW
Use questions to choreograph the call.
WHO
Call as high as you can and use LinkedIn
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© 2013 IBM Corporation
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Want more? Listen to me on Learning for Growth:
CORE 103 Prospecting - Getting Meetings with Executives
THANK YOU!
Diane Dunkle, BUE, Information Management Inside Sales America’s
dsdunkle@us.ibm.com
(603) 674-2074
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© 2013 IBM Corporation