This is based on experience working with large tech companies - not sure how similar this will be for your targets
- Be ready not to hear back (looks like you already are)
- Use linkedin. It will help you understand the org structure and who is between the people on the management page (CEO, etc) and who picks up the phone when you call their 1-800 number. The people you want to be talking to at first are probably somewhere in the middle. With a lot of companies you can start to guess what their pattern for email addresses is. If not InMail works occasionally
- If you are reaching out to someone cold or semi-cold, try to connect what your company is doing with some hot button issue or topic in the industry (as they are likely already thinking of ways to work on this). Offer up something that would be interesting to them (e.g. info on how companies similar to them are approaching the problem - ideally something that they couldn't find out by surfing the web). This is often a way to start up a conversation and understand if there really are opportunities to work with the company
- If you are working with their customers, partners, competitors (even peripherally) - leverage that. In the end you are going to have to show them how your product is going to drive more revenue, gain more market share, cut costs for them (or whatever your value prop is)
- Make it easy for them to say yes i.e. be flexible. don't ask for them to drive 2 hrs to see you. offer up some some possible times for a call, etc
- Sometimes it helps to start lower down on the chain. It will give you a lay of the land and maybe some introductions to the right people. Leverage your connections (friends, investors, etc) - its worth talking to anyone in the company rather than not talking to anyone.
- Conferences can be a good place to try and corner people :)
- If you really have no way of getting to someone in the company - customer service reps will likely be a dead end. Sales people will be slightly more help, but mileage will vary. If the company has some sort of partner program try and join it. At the least it will get you connected to someone in the company
- Its a process. You will likely talk to 10 people before you get to the right one
- Timelines are always longer than you expect. Nothing is done until its done.
This is based on experience working with large tech companies - not sure how similar this will be for your targets
- Be ready not to hear back (looks like you already are)
- Use linkedin. It will help you understand the org structure and who is between the people on the management page (CEO, etc) and who picks up the phone when you call their 1-800 number. The people you want to be talking to at first are probably somewhere in the middle. With a lot of companies you can start to guess what their pattern for email addresses is. If not InMail works occasionally
- If you are reaching out to someone cold or semi-cold, try to connect what your company is doing with some hot button issue or topic in the industry (as they are likely already thinking of ways to work on this). Offer up something that would be interesting to them (e.g. info on how companies similar to them are approaching the problem - ideally something that they couldn't find out by surfing the web). This is often a way to start up a conversation and understand if there really are opportunities to work with the company
- If you are working with their customers, partners, competitors (even peripherally) - leverage that. In the end you are going to have to show them how your product is going to drive more revenue, gain more market share, cut costs for them (or whatever your value prop is)
- Make it easy for them to say yes i.e. be flexible. don't ask for them to drive 2 hrs to see you. offer up some some possible times for a call, etc
- Sometimes it helps to start lower down on the chain. It will give you a lay of the land and maybe some introductions to the right people. Leverage your connections (friends, investors, etc) - its worth talking to anyone in the company rather than not talking to anyone.
- Conferences can be a good place to try and corner people :)
- If you really have no way of getting to someone in the company - customer service reps will likely be a dead end. Sales people will be slightly more help, but mileage will vary. If the company has some sort of partner program try and join it. At the least it will get you connected to someone in the company
- Its a process. You will likely talk to 10 people before you get to the right one
- Timelines are always longer than you expect. Nothing is done until its done.
Good luck!