You know that getting executive attention is a major challenge.
A quick call with you; the answers to your questionnaire; reading information you sent over; or your full-blown meeting request.
Ignored. Denied. Postponed.
Why?
Okay, put yourself in the executive’s shoes.
[There are some assumptions here, suspend disbelief and stay with me.]
You’re getting 20 emails a day from external suppliers asking for something.
That is 20 x 5 x 52 = 5,200 unsolicited requests a year. At 10 seconds per email to process that is 2 days of your work year gone – kaput.
Now, let’s now imagine you say ‘yes’ to 10% of those requests, meaning you now have 520 actions. At an average of 45 minutes per action, that’s another 55 days of your work year gone – mega kaput.
Now, back into your consultant shoes.
To you, the request you made isn’t a big deal … but for the executive, added to their many other requests, it is.
Seeing the number they have to deal with … it’s a completely different perspective, isn’t it?
Not surprisingly their reflex is to say ‘no’, or ghost you – that’s self-preservation. They, or their EA, are filtering your request against a list of important / urgent agenda items.
And they can’t see a fit. That’s why you’re struggling to get a positive response.
So, what can you change to maximise you chances in future?