All C's Are Not Created Equal
For most technology sales people, getting into the C-suite is the holy grail. But I think that often when selling to C-level executives there's a tendency to assume that once these people reach the C-suite, they're all the same – that they must have the same, or very similar, needs and concerns and challenges given the attainment of the corner office. In my experience with enterprise customers that hasn't been the case.
So it was refreshing to hear the results of CIO Magazine's annual State of the CIO survey. Because the survey brought to light something that we’ve believed here for a while – not all Cs are created equal, or at least they're not all created the same.
The survey revealed that in fact there are three types of CIOs, and which archetype a CIO aligns with has nothing to do with the industry they're in or the size of their organization (it's so tempting to simply segment your audience by vertical industry or revenue). In fact, it has everything to do with how they perceive their role in the organization, the organizational imperatives they believe they should be supporting and leading, and what they feel they, and their organizations, should focus on. It's about how they behave, not simply what they do.
The three CIO archetypes identified by the research team include:
- Functional head
- Transformational leader, and
- Business strategist
One archetype isn’t better than the other, rather it’s about where a CIO allocates his or her time. Functional heads drill down, focusing on improving IT operations and systems and managing the IT budget. Transformational leaders lead change efforts and identify opportunities to redesign business processes. Business strategists take an even broader approach, putting IT in the context of the business by developing and refining business strategy, understanding market trends and identifying opportunities for competitive differentiation.
Sure, they're all CIOs. They're all charged with leading the technology efforts of their organizations. And they all have budget. But, as the descriptions of the archetypes illustrate, they couldn't be more different.
Persona development helps to get to these differences, the ones that matter when developing customer acquisition strategies, messaging and offerings. Sure, persona development takes time and research and a level of insight that requires intimate knowledge of customer behavior. But the results of these efforts have far-reaching implications – and benefit – to your entire organization. Personas can unite and rally an organization around its customers and be used to drive everything from product development to customer service delivery. Not to mention the very conversations your sales people have with customers.
Imagine going in to a sell a "business strategist" CIO with a message crafted to appeal to a "functional head." Or vice versa. Even a one-size fits all approach falls down here, as you can't truly illustrate your ability to meet the needs of one if you’re trying to straddle the needs of all three.
And, I'd argue, these archetypes not only provide insight into the role of CIO, but also the organization in which that CIO operates. Adding yet another level of valuable information and insight marketers and sales organizations need to maximize their efforts.
So the next time you find yourself developing a C-level value proposition take a moment to remember that reaching the C-suite is one thing, but connecting with their sweet spot is what really matters.
