Have you ever found yourself with a large deal you were certain you had in the bag only to have the rug pulled out from under in the 11th hour? To receive an email saying "Sorry were going with the competition?"

I know I have, and man, oh man, it's painful! When doing a postmortem on these deals I have found, almost without exception, that I didn't involve the person with purchase authority and budget control (a.k.a. the PABC) in my sales process. You know who I'm talking about: the individual in the organization who can write a check without having to ask permission from anyone else.

There are many excuses why we don't get the PABC involved in our sale process, but there are really no good reasons! "I tried to get him or her on the phone but I just kept getting voice mail." "I got a PABC on the phone once and I didn't know what to say!" "I can't get past his or her personal assistant." "I started my sales cycle with one of their staff members. I can't toast my relationship with them by going over their head!"

When I ask sales people why they don't launch high in a prospect organization they usually admit they don't feel they have a right to. They say, "I'm only a sales person!" "They make so much more money than I do." "There is nothing I can say that they don't already know."

Wrong!!!!!

You must remember that our prospect has a thimble-full of knowledge when it comes to your specific product and solution. You, on the other hand, have a bucket- full. The other fact to keep in mind is that leaders of companies are paid the big bucks to see into the future. Their feet are held to the fire for results. Because of this, they are always on the lookout for ideas to accomplish 4 critical objectives:

• Increase top line revenue.
• Get more done in the same 8-hour period without adding payroll.
• Hold on to their precious base of clients.
• Reduce expenses.

Here's a guarantee for you. If your solution can help accomplish one of the above 4 objectives and you can "articulate" that fact to an executive, they will want to talk with you. They will talk with you!

So get out of your comfort zone! Prepare to launch high! Go for it! You'll be glad you did.