Want to exponentially increase your chances of getting a face-to-face appointment with a top prospect or closing a big sale? Get an inside coach. An inside coach is someone on the inside of your prospective company who wants you to get the sale.

A recent real experience with an inside coach is a perfect example. I had a huge sales opportunity. The prospect was seriously considering five providers including my firm, and I needed to separate myself from the competition. So, I went searching for and found an inside coach - someone I had worked with in the past and we had mutual respect for each other.

The inside coach did not have direct influence over the decision process but she was able to provide me with an in-depth understanding of the company’s challenges and strategies, which gave me real insight to integrate into my “pitch”.

In my initial meeting with the prospect I was able to communicate a firm understanding of their challenges. To leverage my knowledge further, I took the Challenger Sales Approach and began explaining how my solution applied in a unique and effective way to solve the company’s main problem. Fortunately, I got the sale.

Criteria for an inside coach

Here are the main criteria for an inside coach. Not all of them will meet all the criteria all the time, but the more you that you match, the more impactful your inside coach will be. Your inside coach should be

1. Knowledgeable of the company’s requirements
2. Credible within the company’s organization
3. Considers you trustworthy and credible
4. Wants you to get the sale

How do you find an inside coach

Following are the top ways to find your next inside coach

• Look within your current customer base. Perhaps you’ll find a raving fan among your current customers who may be influential to the decision maker within the prospective company, or may know someone inside the company who can help you get the sale.
• Look within your vendors, suppliers and consultants. Again, you may identify one who is very knowledgeable about the company and/or influential to the decision maker.
• Go to LinkedIn or your other social and online networks to find a contact inside the prospective company with whom you can contact for information.

If you think hard enough and tap into your contacts and networks, it is not difficult to find an inside coach who has credibility, knowledge and wants you to get the sale. Find your inside coach to get a direct referral with the decision maker or at least an insider’s perspective of the company. You’ll have a competitive advantage and a much higher probability of closing the sale.