How To Get The "Corner Office"

As appeared in ISHN’s “FDO”

I’d like to comment on the article by Dr. Rick Fulwiler, CIH, on "Finding the Key to the Corner Office". As Dr. Fulwiler points out, the person safety sales reps want to reach "in a large company is likely to be a safety director or director of health, safety and environment. In smaller companies it is most probably the general manager or plant manager'', or someone else and they're all BUSY!

So how do you get these EHS (Environmental Health and Safety) professionals to see you?

First of all, they have new and more ways to hide than before. It used to be secretary Jane who screened all the calls. Well, Jane isn't there any more, thanks to 'right sizing'. The new Jane is voice mail and/or e-mail, which can be assets (just like Jane) if utilized properly (more on that in a future column).

Second, you should recognize and respect that these professionals are very busy, wearing several hats, attending to their (not your) priorities. Plus, they’re regularly putting out fires. The fact is, they're not just sitting around waiting for you to show them something new.

Sooooo .... how do you get in?

Not so fast!  You've got to do your homework. And when the opportunity arises, you've got to be:

- a consistent and reliable solution-solver;

- a trusted, respected advisor; and

- trained and educated – through programs such as the Qualified Safety Sales Professional (QSSP) course, the Certified Safety Professional (CSP) certification program, and other similar programs.

You also must possess:

- relative industrial safety experience;

- the right (and long standing) relationships; and

- the right networks that allow you to be a multi-faceted resource (having access to synergistic product lines) resource.

Finally, you need to be:

- involved in national, regional and local professional and related trade associations;

- a quality trainer with the ability and flexibility to customize training;

- a good listener who hears what is really being said;

- proactively aware of pertinent regulation changes; and,

- proactively aware of new products or programs tailored to fit customers’ needs.

It's not one thing, it's a thousand things - it's all of those things.

Do those things - all of them - and you won't be outside looking in. You'll be in demand in the corner office.

Think about it.

George J. Hayward