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Targeting Public Companies:
Two Steps to Win a Six-Figure Deal

If you’re in sales, here are two situations you might find yourself in:

You want attain meeting with a decision maker at a publicly traded company (Fortune 1000).
You’ve already landed a meeting with an important decision maker, and you want to make sure you shine.

In either of the above situations, these two “little-known” steps can exponentially increase your ability to win a six-figure deal.

Step 1: Read the Company’s Latest Earnings Call Transcript

Public companies are required to present to shareholders and analysts at least every quarter. Many do it more than once a quarter.

These conference calls are converted to written transcript. You’ll find them to be chock-full of details regarding the company’s latest strategies, challenges and priorities for the coming quarter and beyond - direct from the C-Level!

Use these “golden nuggets” of information in your emails, conversations and presentations to your prospects. By tailoring your communications, you will be speaking their language and showing them directly how you can help them achieve their specific goals.

Want an example? Check out this latest quarterly transcript from Humana (#73 in Fortune 500). From reading the transcript, it looks like they have a goal to expand their “Humana Cares” program.

A quote from the article reads: “By spending more to build out this program, we anticipate offering Humana Cares to an additional 25,000 members.”

Sounds like Humana has tagged budget to this project! Is there a way you can help?

Another one to check out is this recent transcript from MoneyGram International. MoneyGram is a billion dollar company based in Texas.

The CEO points out they will be investing in a few key areas. These include increasing marketing spend, increasing their sales force and improving compliance. Can you help in any of these areas?

To see earnings transcripts for your own prospects, you can view them for free at Seeking Alpha.

Step 2: Study the Latest Investor Presentations

Similar to earnings call transcripts, often public companies (and maybe even private companies) will post their presentations on their website. These presentations are available to the general public - for free!

These presentations are usually PowerPoint presentations (converted to PDF). They typically include great slides that provide key basic information on a company, along with strategies and goals.

It’s another great way to get top that next level of detail when it comes to understanding a large company.

As an example, we found this one for McKesson Corporation, a large health care related company based in San Francisco (#15 in Fortune 500). Check it out at: McKesson Corporation’s recent investor presentation (PDF document).

What we like about this presentation are the several org charts they’ve included. You can use these org charts to help identify the right person to speak to.

The org charts can also help you see where people lie in an organization as it relates to the various business units.

We also like how the presentation does a good job of outlining McKesson’s businesses for a good foundational understanding of the company.

Another good presentation is this one from Campbell Soup Company (PDF document). The presentation outlines some of the challenges they have been facing, as well as an outline of their new strategic plan for the next 5 years!

Use these corporate presentations to tailor your own message to your prospect. It will go a long way in demonstrating your focus on their business (vs. other salespeople who only talk about their own agenda).

To find these corporate presentations, they are usually located on the company’s website under the Investors tab (or equivalent). From there, click on the Presentations tab (or similar).

Conclusion

This extra effort might take you a bit more time, but it’s worth it for that deal that can make your month, quarter or year!

Think about it: just one intelligent question or idea on your part can make the difference between getting shown the door, or having a new signed six-figure contract.

The extra digging will also put you head and shoulders above any competitor going after the same deal (who maybe only looked at press releases or a dated annual report).

Thanks for reading and I hope these tips will help you win new and important clients!

About Industry Gems Sales Intelligence

If you like what you see, we invite you to subscribe to our free Sales Gems Triggered Events report (subscription box on top left). Each month, we'll provide you with an additional selection of great articles to help you get your foot in the door at a large company.

Silvia Quintanilla is President & Chief Sales Detective of Industry Gems, a custom sales intelligence company dedicated to helping salespeople win large deals with Fortune 500, Fortune 1000, Global 500 and Public Sector organizations.

If you (or your salespeople) are tired of spending hours researching a large account, or identifying the right people to call, we can help.

Stay ahead of the competition by letting us do the research for you. We’ll find the right companies and contacts to call, so you can focus on what you do best: Sales!