About this session
An executive conversation is rarely just a more senior version of a normal sales meeting.
Senior leaders often enter with less time, wider organizational context and a stronger focus on consequences: growth, cost, execution, risk, customers, workforce, strategic priorities and what competing investments are demanding attention.
A seller who simply compresses a standard presentation into fewer slides may still miss the level at which the executive is thinking.
Participants begin by learning how to prepare for the person as well as the organization. A CFO, COO, CIO, CHRO and CEO may look at the same initiative through very different lenses.
The objective is not to stereotype executives by title, but to understand likely areas of responsibility and identify what matters in this specific organization at this specific moment.
The session then develops executive-level conversation skills. Participants practice opening with relevance, asking strategic questions, listening for the business decision behind the discussion and communicating complex value concisely.
They learn to move between detail and altitude so they can answer difficult questions without drowning the conversation in product information.
Finally, participants learn how to turn an executive interaction into decision momentum. They practice presenting recommendations, discussing tradeoffs, acknowledging uncertainty, handling senior-level challenges and closing with clarity about what should happen next.
The goal is not to appear impressive. It is to make the conversation useful enough that a senior decision-maker sees why the issue deserves attention and what decision now needs to be made.
What your people take away
- Prepare for executive conversations around the leader's responsibilities, strategic context and current business priorities
- Open senior-level meetings with relevance rather than lengthy introductions or product positioning
- Ask strategic questions that reveal the decision, consequence and organizational context behind the opportunity
- Communicate complex value concisely without oversimplifying or retreating into product detail
- Frame investment, risk, tradeoffs and business impact with credible evidence
- Close executive conversations with a clear decision, commitment or next step rather than vague senior-level interest
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What each length covers
30 minutes
30 Minutes — Key Points: Think at Executive AltitudeA focused 30-minute session on three key points from Think at Executive Altitude: understand the executive's world, connect to strategic context and identify the decision behind the meeting.
- Understand the executive's world
- Connect to strategic context
- Identify the decision behind the meeting
Covers 3 of 4 points in Think at Executive Altitude.
60 minutes
Make the Executive Conversation CountA focused introduction to executive selling. Participants prepare for one senior-level conversation, sharpen the opening, identify the executive decision, simplify the value case and practice communicating a clear recommendation.
- Executive priorities
- Strategic context
- The decision behind the meeting
- Executive relevance
- Concise communication
- Executive questions
- Business outcomes
- Commercial logic
- Clear recommendations
- Executive Conversation Planner
- Live Q&A
Covers 1 of 4 parts: Think at Executive Altitude.
90 minutes
From Executive Attention to Decision MomentumThe extended session follows the full executive conversation from preparation and opening through strategic questioning, business-case framing, challenge, recommendations and next-step decisions.
- Executive preparation
- C-suite priorities
- Strategic relevance
- Opening with relevance
- Executive questioning
- Concise communication
- Business outcomes
- Financial and commercial logic
- Risk
- Opportunity cost
- Tradeoffs
- Executive objections
- Recommendations
- Decision paths
- Executive follow-up
- Live Q&A
Covers 2 of 4 parts: Think at Executive Altitude and Earn Executive Attention Quickly.
3 hours
Covers 3 of 4 parts: Think at Executive Altitude, Earn Executive Attention Quickly and Make the Business Case Executive-Ready.
Full day
Executive Selling Application LabA hands-on full-day workshop covering all four modules. Participants prepare and practice a high-stakes executive conversation, including the opening, strategic questions, concise value case, recommendation and response to executive challenge.
- Module 1 — Think at Executive Altitude
- Module 2 — Earn Executive Attention Quickly
- Module 3 — Make the Business Case Executive-Ready
- Module 4 — Move the Executive Conversation Toward a Decision
- Executive Context Map
- Decision Behind the Meeting Exercise
- Executive Relevance Test
- Five-Minute Opening Practice
- Executive Question Builder
- Concise Communication Lab
- Executive Value Case Canvas
- Commercial Logic Review
- Risk & Inaction Map
- Tradeoff Practice
- Executive Challenge Simulation
- Recommendation Practice
- Executive Decision Path
- Live Q&A
Covers all 4 parts.
Also available as a 4-week or 8-week program, for change that lasts. Ask us about it.
What’s covered
Think at Executive Altitude
Every length- Understand the executive's worldParticipants examine what the executive is accountable for, which business outcomes sit within their remit and which competing priorities may influence the conversation.
- Connect to strategic contextSenior leaders are more likely to engage when the conversation connects to an existing business priority, material risk, growth objective, execution challenge or strategic decision.
- Identify the decision behind the meetingAn executive meeting should have a purpose beyond gaining executive exposure.
- Know what not to bringExecutive relevance often improves when unnecessary information is removed.
Earn Executive Attention Quickly
90 minutes and longer- Open with relevanceParticipants practice beginning with the business context, issue or decision that makes the conversation worthwhile rather than spending the opening minutes introducing the company.
- Make the conversation conciseConcise communication is not simply speaking faster.
- Ask executive-level questionsParticipants develop questions around strategic priorities, consequences, tradeoffs, organizational readiness, investment decisions and what would make action worthwhile.
- Listen for what changes the decisionExecutive answers often reveal more than information: they reveal what matters, what is constrained and how the leader is framing the decision.
Make the Business Case Executive-Ready
3 hours and longer- Frame value around business outcomesParticipants move from capability language to the changes the organization is trying to produce.
- Build credible commercial logicParticipants identify costs, benefits, avoided consequences and resource implications relevant to the decision and distinguish verified evidence from assumptions.
- Address risk & inactionExecutives evaluate both the risk of acting and the risk of doing nothing.
- Show the tradeoffsSenior decisions often involve choosing between good options rather than between an obviously good and bad decision.
Move the Executive Conversation Toward a Decision
Full day only- Make a clear recommendationSenior leaders should not have to infer what the seller thinks should happen.
- Handle executive challengeExecutives may test assumptions, question evidence, interrupt, disagree or ask for a much shorter answer.
- Adapt when the meeting changesExecutive meetings may begin late, lose half their scheduled time or shift immediately to a different issue.
- Close on the decision pathExecutive interest is valuable only when it leads to appropriate movement.
Tools and materials
- Executive Context Map
- Strategic Priority Review
- Decision Behind the Meeting Canvas
- Executive Relevance Test
- Executive Opening Builder
- Executive Question Planner
- Concise Communication Guide
- Executive Value Case Canvas
- Commercial Logic Builder
- Risk & Inaction Map
- Tradeoff Builder
- Executive Recommendation Builder
- Executive Challenge Planner
- Decision Path Map
- Executive Selling Playbook
Who it’s for
- Enterprise sales professionals who engage senior executives during complex opportunities
- Account executives seeking greater confidence and credibility in C-suite conversations
- Strategic account managers meeting executives as part of growth and renewal discussions
- Business development leaders presenting strategic opportunities to senior stakeholders
- Consultants and professional-services leaders responsible for senior client relationships
- Sales leaders coaching teams for high-value executive meetings and presentations
How booking works
- Book online. Create a free Workbliss profile, then pay with session credits, by card or by invoice.
- Pick a date. Choose a date at least 14 days ahead, or book now and set the date later.
- Choose your expert. Within 3 working days, we send you profiles of the experts available for your date.
- We deliver it. Your expert is briefed on your people and goals, then runs the session live online or at your site.
Questions about Sell to the C-Suite: Executive Conversations That Move Decisions
How long is Sell to the C-Suite: Executive Conversations That Move Decisions?
Sell to the C-Suite: Executive Conversations That Move Decisions runs as 30 minutes, 60 minutes, 90 minutes, 3 hours or full day. You choose the length when you book. A 30-minute session covers three key points from Think at Executive Altitude: understand the executive's world, connect to strategic context and identify the decision behind the meeting. A 60-minute session covers Think at Executive Altitude in full, with a live Q&A. A 90-minute session adds Earn Executive Attention Quickly. A 3-hour session adds Make the Business Case Executive-Ready. A full-day session adds Move the Executive Conversation Toward a Decision. It is also available as a 4-week or 8-week program.
Can Sell to the C-Suite: Executive Conversations That Move Decisions be delivered online or in person?
Yes, both. It runs live online, so every office can join at the same time, or in person at your site, in any country.
How do we book Sell to the C-Suite: Executive Conversations That Move Decisions?
Create a free Workbliss profile with your work email, then open Sell to the C-Suite: Executive Conversations That Move Decisions to see the price for each length and book it. You can pay with session credits, by card or by invoice, and choose a date at least 14 days ahead, or set it later.
Who leads the session?
A vetted Workbliss expert, briefed on your people, culture and goals before the session. After you book, we send you profiles of the experts available for your date within 3 working days, so you can choose who leads it.
Can it be tailored to our company?
Yes. Every session is shaped around your goals, your people and the benefits you already offer, and delivered by experts in your people’s languages.