🟦 Business After 60 Conversation

“Didn’t we cover research last week?”

Fair question.

Last week, we covered the basics, knowing your products inside out, finding the Managing Director, checking Companies House, checking turnover, scanning LinkedIn, and looking for recent news.

All of that matters. But here is the thing – that tells you what a company does. It doesn’t tell you how the company actually works.

That is where many salespeople—and business owners—come unstuck.

The most valuable research isn’t sitting on a website. It’s the information you only discover by asking better questions and understanding how the organisation really works.

What Company Research Leaves Out

1. Can They Actually Become a Good Customer?

Just because you can win the business doesn’t mean you should.

Before investing weeks of effort, you need to answer a few fundamental questions:

• What are their payment terms?
• What is their normal payment cycle?
• Are they known for paying on time, or do they squeeze suppliers?
• Will taking on this account damage your cash flow?

If your standard terms are 30 days but theirs are 90, you’ve just given away two months of free credit before you’ve even agreed on a price. That isn’t a sales win; it’s a financial risk.

2. Forget the “Decision Maker”—Build the Ladder of Approach

A lot of traditional sales training focuses on hunting down the single “decision maker.” In reality, very few major purchases rest on one person’s shoulders.

Your real job is finding everyone who influences the decision.

Imagine selling machinery or capital equipment into a factory. The internal ladder might look like this:

• Managing Director
• Operations Director
• Production Manager
• Engineering Manager
• Maintenance Team
• Operators
• Purchasing / Procurement

Every single person on that list can either help your sale along… or quietly kill it behind closed doors.

I learned this lesson the hard way over thirty years ago. I was working as a young automation sales engineer for a major German manufacturer.

We were chasing a breakthrough contract with what was potentially the single biggest user of that product in the UK.

Accompanied by our UK Sales Director, we set off for Belfast, which during the Troubles, was a carefully planned, high-stakes trip in itself involving long drives, ferries, and security checkpoints.

As the sales engineer responsible for securing the opportunity, I genuinely believed we’d covered every angle.

We hadn’t.

What had I forgotten? The Production Team.

We got right in front of the board, made our pitch, and watched the whole deal stall out.

The Design Team loved it, but because we hadn’t bothered to talk to the people on the factory floor who actually had to run and live with the machinery, the internal push-back killed the deal right there on the spot.

All that travel, all that planning, completely wasted.

That painful journey home was when I first realised, there is always a ladder of approach.

Whether it’s just two people in a small business or six different departments in a major corporation, skipping a rung to get to the “big boss” will almost always catch up with you.

3. Who Benefits… and Who Loses?

Every business has competing internal priorities, and every change creates friction.

• If your system saves time for the Production Manager, does it create a headache for Maintenance?
• If your proposal makes Purchasing look good on cost, does Engineering hate the quality compromises?

Uncovering these internal tug-of-wars during your discovery phase is real business research.

4. Respect the Unofficial Influencers

Beyond the formal structure, every business has key influencers who don’t show up on an organisation chart:

• The Receptionist or Executive PA who guards the diary.
• The Stores Manager who knows which suppliers actually deliver on time.
• The Production Supervisor who knows what breaks down.
• The veteran engineer who has been there thirty years and whose opinion everyone trusts.

Ignore them at your peril.

5. Why the Ladder Works: Two Real-World Scenarios

Whether you are dealing with an inbound lead or cold outreach, climbing the rungs systematically is what closes deals.

Scenario A: The Warm Lead or Referral

Even when a client comes to you with a clear pain point, you still have to cover every rung to ensure smooth sailing at the final sign-off.

Take a recent electrical contractor client of mine chasing a long-term local authority contract.

The sales cycle stretched over nine months because of the sheer number of departments involved: Procurement, Planning, Technical & Regulatory, and Logistics.

To win, they had to build trust across every department. Skipping a single rung could have scuppered the entire project.

The discipline of B2B sales is moving methodically from one level of influence to the next.

“Now that we’ve agreed on how our solution solves the bottleneck in your department, are you happy for us to present these findings to the Design Team next?”

At every level you’re gaining agreement, uncovering concerns and refining your proposal. By the time you finally reach the boardroom, very few surprises remain.

Many salespeople skip the ladder because they’re taught to get to the Managing Director as quickly as possible.

It feels efficient. In reality, it often creates resistance.

People who feel ignored during the process have an unfortunate habit of raising objections at exactly the wrong moment.

Scenario B: Proactive Outreach

The same logic applies when your research identifies a potential problem you know you can fix.

By mapping out the influencers beforehand, you aren’t just cold pitching the board—you are reaching out with specific, targeted insights for each level of the organisation.

(We break down how to secure those initial meetings in Episode 2, with detailed frameworks available in our subscriber toolkits).

Applying the Four Pillars

The framework I introduced in Week 1 becomes even more valuable once you’ve secured the meeting and started to understand how the organisation really works.

LOOK

Look beyond the organisation chart. Observe the business itself. How do departments interact? Who seems to carry influence? Which areas appear busy, well organised or under pressure? Often, the physical environment tells you as much as the annual report.

READ

Continue researching throughout the sales process. Read technical specifications, procurement policies, industry publications and anything that helps you understand the customer’s commercial and operational priorities. Research shouldn’t stop once the appointment is booked.

WATCH

Watch how people behave during meetings. Who asks the technical questions? Who remains quiet? Who does everyone turn to before making a decision? The most influential person in the room isn’t always the one sitting at the head of the table.

LISTEN

Listen carefully to the language people use. Listen for frustrations, repeated concerns and throwaway comments. They often reveal more about the real buying process than the formal agenda ever will.

The Four Pillars aren’t simply a way to prepare for meetings. They’re a practical way of understanding how businesses really make decisions.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Why isn’t finding the Managing Director enough?

In many B2B organisations, the Managing Director may approve the purchase, but they rarely make the decision in isolation. Production, Engineering, Purchasing, Finance and the end users all influence the outcome. Understanding who shapes the decision is often just as important as knowing who signs the order.

What is the ‘Ladder of Approach’ in B2B sales?

The Ladder of Approach is a practical way of identifying everyone involved in a buying decision. Rather than focusing on one individual, it encourages you to understand the people who use, specify, influence, approve and ultimately authorise the purchase.

How do I identify the real influencers inside a business?

Start by asking simple questions. Who will use the product every day? Who maintains it? Who specifies it? Who controls the budget? Who has the final authority? You’ll often discover that influence extends well beyond the organisation chart.

Can this approach work for small businesses as well as large organisations?

Yes. The ladder may only involve two or three people in a smaller business, but the principle is exactly the same. Before presenting your solution, understand who will be affected by the decision and whose support you’ll need.

The Takeaway

Research doesn’t stop when you’ve found the Managing Director’s name on LinkedIn.

It finishes when you understand how decisions are really made inside the organisation.

In my experience, companies rarely buy because one person says yes. They buy because nobody important is left saying no.

Read More – 🟦 Business After 60 Conversation – Getting the right meeting.

🟦 Business After 60 Conversation

In last week’s article, I explained why the “gift of the gab” isn’t what makes a great salesperson.

Today, I’d like to challenge another common misconception.

One thing that has always surprised me is how little attention most sales books give to securing the meeting itself.

Most assume you’re already sitting in front of the customer and dive straight into building rapport, questioning techniques, handling objections, and closing the deal.

Mine doesn’t.

After more than forty years in B2B sales, I’ve learnt one simple, unshakeable truth.

No meeting. No sale.

Everything else comes afterwards.

Very few sales courses explain the critical work that happens before you ever walk through the customer’s door. Yet this is exactly where many major sales opportunities are won—or lost.

The Journey to the First Meeting

We are incredibly lucky these days with the sheer volume of resources available at our fingertips.

When I was starting out in the 1980s, doing company research meant a trip to the local library, hunting through physical directories, relying on creative word-of-mouth referrals, and actually navigating with a paper A-Z map.

Today, there is no excuse for going in cold. The journey to a successful B2B sales meeting follows six distinct steps:

Step 1: Research the Company

Before you make contact, build a digital profile of the target business.

Utilise everything available: their company website, LinkedIn, Google Maps (to see the physical scale of their operation), Companies House, the trade press, local news, and their direct competitors.

Step 2: Find the Right Decision Maker

Don’t settle for anyone who is simply willing to meet you.

I learnt this lesson the hard way as a young, enthusiastic salesman back in the days when you could still get away with cold calling.

I decided to pop in and try to speak to the owner of a major local electrical contracting firm—a serious outfit with over ten sparkies, a massive yard, and a full-time storeman.

I strolled into the office and asked, “Can I speak to Mike, please?”

A voice replied, “Mike speaking.”

Fantastic, I thought. I spent the next 30 minutes delivering what I believed was a magnificent, flawless presentation. I showed him the latest product offers, the new Crabtree cooker sockets, and the new plastic socket boxes.

He seemed genuinely interested, nodding throughout my presentation.

At the end of my performance, he looked at me and said these immortal words: “I am just the yard man and the cleaner.”

He was certainly the smartest, best-dressed cleaner I’d ever met.

When I commented on it, he smiled and said, “I’ve just changed because I’m going to see my bank manager.”

Meeting the wrong person wastes everybody’s time. You must target the individual who actually owns the problem you can solve and holds the budget to fix it.

Step 3: Get Through the Gatekeeper Professionally

Treat receptionists and PAs with genuine respect. They are not barriers to bypass; they are professionals who often know far more about the inner workings of the business than people realise.

Step 4: Secure the Appointment

Whether you use the telephone, email, LinkedIn, or a combination of whatever works best for your industry—always keep your eye on a single objective. You aren’t trying to sell your product yet. You are simply making an appointment with the right person.

Step 5: Confirm Everything

Once the date is set, lock down the operational details:

• Who exactly is attending from their side?
• Where is the meeting being held, and what time?
• What are the parking arrangements and security procedures?
• What is the dress code?
• Do you need to bring specific presentations, samples, or documentation?
• How much time have they allocated for you?

Step 6: Turn Up Prepared

Pack your literature, your laptop, your samples, your pre-written questions, and your core objectives the day before. On the day, arrive early, relax, and use those extra minutes in reception to observe your surroundings.

Applying the Four Pillars: Look, Read, Watch, Listen

In Week 1, I introduced the four habits that form the foundation of my entire sales process. Here is how they apply to the journey before the meeting even begins:

• LOOK: Examine the company’s physical and digital presence. When you arrive on-site, look at the premises, the delivery vehicles, the reception area, and the staff. It tells you everything you need to know about their company culture.
• READ: Read everything you can find about them online, on social media, and in print before you make your first approach.
• WATCH: When you step into their building, watch how the staff interact, how busy the environment is, and how visitors are treated.
• LISTEN: Listen to the background noise in reception. Listen to the gatekeeper. Listen to the tone of the customer when they greet you.

Sometimes, you will learn far more about a business before the meeting officially starts than you ever will during the meeting itself.

Continue the Conversation

If you’d like to use the same planning process I’ve developed over the years, just drop me an email…

It’s a practical working document that I still use to prepare for important customer meetings.

The Professional B2B Sales Pre-Meeting Planner includes:

✔ Company research checklist
✔ Decision-maker planning sheet
✔ Telephone preparation notes
✔ Meeting objectives
✔ Travel and logistics checklist
✔ Equipment and literature checklist

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Why shouldn’t I just meet with anyone who says yes to a conversation?

It is incredibly tempting to take any meeting when you are trying to build a sales pipeline.

However, meeting with someone who lacks decision-making authority or a real business problem to solve is a trap.

It gives you a false sense of progress while consuming valuable time that you should be spending targeting high-value decision-makers.

How do you handle a gatekeeper who refuses to put you through to the decision-maker?

Never argue, become defensive, or resort to cheap sales tricks.

Instead, pivot to treating them as the internal expert. Ask for their professional advice:

“I respect that he is incredibly busy. Based on how your team manages engineering procurement, what would be the best way for me to send over some brief technical data for him to look at when he has a moment?”

What is the single most important detail to confirm before travelling to a meeting?

The exact time allowed. There is nothing worse than arriving prepared for a comprehensive 45-minute technical discussion only to be told, “I’ve only got 10 minutes before a board meeting.”

Confirming the time allowed ahead of time ensures you can structure your approach flawlessly before you step foot in the room.

One thing I’ve learnt over the years is that successful sales meetings rarely happen by accident.

They are usually the result of careful preparation long before anyone shakes hands or opens a laptop.

Get this stage right and everything that follows becomes much easier.

Join the Conversation

What’s the biggest mistake you’ve ever made before a business meeting?

Whether it was getting lost on the way, presenting to the wrong person like I did, or forgetting your samples—let me know in the comments below!

Coming Up in the Business After 60 Conversation Series

Behind the scenes, each conversation is also becoming part of a growing library of practical tools, planners and guides for entrepreneurs and business owners.

• Week 1 – The Truth About Becoming a Great B2B Salesperson
• Week 2 – Getting the Right Meeting: The Most Overlooked Skill (this week’s article)
• Week 3 – Research That Wins Business & Finding the Decision Maker
• Week 4 – Asking Better Questions & Building Trust
• Week 5 – Presenting Value, Handling Objections & Closing Professionally
• Week 6 – After the Sale: Building Customers for Life

Read More – The Truth About Becoming a Great B2B Salesperson