Resources > Articles

View from the Top

Author
  • Kent Petzold

    Kent Petzold is the CEO of GFS Technology Inc., an Arizona State University spin out, developing enterprise-class security for mobile devices. Previously, he led three software companies to international dominance in their fields and subsequent successful exits via initial public offering or strategic acquisition. He was a partner in a venture capital fund, a managing director of an investment bank specializing in mergers and acquisitions for technology companies and has launched more than 25 successful products. He serves on the boards of public, private, charitable and faith-based organizations. He can be reached at [email protected]

View from the Top

When I was running a public company, a salesperson told me how another software firm had implemented his solution and, as a result, improved productivity. It was a pretty standard presentation about saving time and money, so there was nothing surprising there. But then he really got my attention by applying the expected productivity improvements to my earnings per share and the anticipated uptick in stock price. What did that salesperson do right? He connected with me at a meaningful level (earnings), prepared well for the call (used real data about my company) and gave me hope for a better future.

CEOs are almost always pressed for time, and we need people—both internal and external—to communicate efficiently with us. In the salesperson example, he kept the conversation at a high level. He presented an effective elevator pitch about his company and products and quickly got to the punch line. In other words, he valued my time and his, and kept the conversation at a cadence and level that was effective in light of the limited time we had together.

Here are a few additional suggestions on how to effectively communicate with CEOs:

Talk net. CEOs are accustomed to operating at a strategic level. We understand that there are numerous implications and nuances to any decision—some are apparent, some are not. Talking net is part of a bigger theme of “don’t waste my time.” Avoid going through every little detail when presenting to a CEO. Keep the conversation at a high level, unless you’re invited to take it into the weeds. Give us the opportunity to probe into the areas we really want to know more about. Your ability and choice to talk net will be appreciated.

Align the conversation with corporate strategy. Link your discussion to the goals, objectives and benefits that are strategically important to my company. This isn’t hard to do, even if you’re an outsider. That’s because many company objectives are almost universally true, and they’re not highly guarded state secrets. For example, nearly all organizations have plans to acquire and retain more customers, increase profits, gain manufacturing or distribution advantages or achieve a more defensible market position. You don’t need access to the business plan to know that those are key areas of importance to most CEOs. And with a little research, you can be even more knowledgeable and better prepared for a targeted and meaningful discussion.

Know that being “delegated down” is a good thing. I don’t want to waste my people’s time any more than I care to waste my own. Their time is an important corporate resource. I’ll only refer you to a vice president or a director if I think your offering might be useful to our organization. If I think your product really affects distribution, finance or another department, I’m not going to roll my sleeves up to dig deep into what you’re saying. Instead, I’m going to send you to the person that I’ve handpicked and trust to do those evaluations and make those recommendations. This is a good outcome.

Give me bad news early on. I prefer to hear bad news quickly and clearly. The focus isn’t about attributing blame or excessive posturing; it’s about how to organize our efforts toward the best outcome. Everybody knows the old adage that “nobody likes surprises.” But if problems fester, valuable time is lost and corrective options become limited. More lead time means more options about what can be done. Don’t procrastinate in bringing bad news forward.

Present solutions, not just problems.To grow an organization, you really have to rely on the judgment of your people. I try to surround myself with smart, thinking and capable people. When an issue arises, I expect them to explore well-thought-out courses of action. In fact, if an employee routinely reported problems without possible solutions, I would wonder whether we’ve hired the right person.

To summarize, bring me strategically important information that gives me hope for a competitive advantage. That will remind me why we’re meeting in the first place. Combine that with talking net and you’ve got a good chance of keeping a CEO’s attention.

Author
  • Kent Petzold

    Kent Petzold is the CEO of GFS Technology Inc., an Arizona State University spin out, developing enterprise-class security for mobile devices. Previously, he led three software companies to international dominance in their fields and subsequent successful exits via initial public offering or strategic acquisition. He was a partner in a venture capital fund, a managing director of an investment bank specializing in mergers and acquisitions for technology companies and has launched more than 25 successful products. He serves on the boards of public, private, charitable and faith-based organizations. He can be reached at [email protected]

Author:

Other Resources in this Series

Most Recent

Article

Four Methodologies for Prioritizing Roadmaps 

In this blog, we'll explore four common approaches to roadmap prioritization and discover the practical tools and frameworks that can propel your product to new heights.
Prism photo: Product management Lessons from Pink Floyd
Article

Product Management Lessons from Pink Floyd: a Lighthearted Look into Their Epic Music and Unlikely Product Expertise

Few people (actually, no one!) spontaneously associate product management with Pink Floyd, but if you look closely, you can find good examples of best product management practices in their journey, as I hope to reveal...
Creating a product roadmap: what should you include
Article

A Guide to Product Roadmaps: How to Build One That Works

A product roadmap is a frequent request from the sales force and others in the company. ‘What’s coming in the next release and the ones after that?’ Long buying cycles common with strategic products often...
Dry erase board with product roadmap drawn on it
Article

How to Build a Brilliant Visual Product Roadmap

Building roadmaps is a crucial part of a product manager’s job. Yet most product managers still use outdated tools for roadmapping—Excel, PowerPoint, wikis, etc. The good news is that there’s a better way. Executives have...
Product Datasheet
Article

How to Write a Kick-Butt Product Datasheet

If your datasheet passes the all-important skimming test, it's more likely that buyers will read it in detail. Here are 10 tips to help you write a datasheet that buyers actually read.

OTHER ArticleS

Article

Four Methodologies for Prioritizing Roadmaps 

In this blog, we'll explore four common approaches to roadmap prioritization and discover the practical tools and frameworks that can propel your product to new heights.
Prism photo: Product management Lessons from Pink Floyd
Article

Product Management Lessons from Pink Floyd: a Lighthearted Look into Their Epic Music and Unlikely Product Expertise

Few people (actually, no one!) spontaneously associate product management with Pink Floyd, but if you look closely, you can find good examples of best product management practices in their journey, as I hope to reveal...

Sign up to stay up to date on the latest industry best practices.

Sign up to received invites to upcoming webinars, updates on our recent podcast episodes and the latest on industry best practices.

Training on Your Schedule

Fill out the form today and our sales team will help you schedule your private Pragmatic training today.

Subscribe

Subscribe