There’s probably not a software sales rep on the planet who hasn’t had a sales manager give the eternal advice to “call high.” Sales managers at software firms often visualize their reps somehow convincing C-level execs to pony up the big bucks for the mega-licenses. Unfortunately, they often leave one element out of the scenario – most software sales reps have absolutely no idea how to make that happen.

How, then, do you sell software in the boardroom? Short answer: you can’t. It’s impossible, because C-level executives aren’t interested in software. If you start talking about software with C-level executives (with the possible exception of CIOs), if you’re lucky, you’ll get to see their eyes glaze over before they tell you to take a hike.

Software is, by definition, a product. Even if it’s wrapped up with some services, it’s still a “thing” that the customer is supposed to buy. It’s a collection of features, functions, benefits, costs, expense, and other details that simply aren’t of interest to a C-level executive. They don’t buy “things.” They hire other people to buy “things.”

As a general rule, C-level executives are only interested in one thing: business results. So if you’re going to “sell software” in the boardroom, you need to rethink what you’re doing and what you’re selling so that it matches the way C-level executives think. Such executives are only interested in software insofar as it has something to do with achieving those results.

Therefore, if you’re going to “sell software” in the boardroom, you need to be talking, not about some product or service or combination of the two, but about the ability of your firm to manage some key element of that customer’s business.

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