Kevin Price, Host of the Price of Business on Business Talk 1110 AM KTEK (on Bloomberg’s home in Houston) recently interviewed…
Stacey Alcorn owns several businesses including a 14 office real estate firm in Massachusetts, a consulting and training firm, and a fashion business. She owns both B2B and B2C businesses, and her expertise in going after C-Level executives comes from her involvement in two charitable organizations. She sits on the board of the local Habitat for Humanity and she is key fundraiser for the charity Be Like Brit. These two organizations require that she constantly seek out large dollar donations from corporations.
Tell me about your firm (number of employees, location, type of companies you work with, etc.).
RE/MAX Prestige, my real estate firm has 300 real estate agents, throughout MA & NH. My law firm, All American Title, is a firm that specializes in real estate closings and short sales, a perfect synergy for my real estate business. P3 Coaching, my consulting and training firm trains and coaches real estate and mortgage professionals around the world. We started four years ago with that business when we realized that we could scale the training that we were already offering in house to our own agents. My fashion business,
www.MyLittleBlackBox.com originally started out as a jewelry and accessory line, but it took off in an unusual direction. It is now a monthly subscription service for jewelry and accessories and more than 70% of our business is from corporate clients who subscribe to our service to create a better company culture in their own organizations.
Tell us your story about reaching C-Level executives to do business?
I reach out regularly to C-Level executives for high dollar donations for the two charities I am involved in, Be Like Brit, and Habitat for Humanity. I have been effective at raising funds for both and this comes down to three small steps:
1. I subscribe to www.TheofficialBoard.com which has been a saving grace. Sitting on the board of Habitat of Humanity requires that I reach out regularly to work with C-Level Executives to get large corporate sponsorships. This website gives me corporate organizational charts so that I know exactly where to start my quest. I never start at the bottom of an organization with hopes to get passed up the food chain. Instead I start at the top. I’d rather get passed down to HR from the CEO than to wait months to get passed up from a gate keeper.
2. Write a Book – I have written three books. They are not New York Times Best Sellers by any means. They are fairly short, but they are jam packed with my expertise. The book is like a brochure on steroids. I send a long a copy of my book with a personal note to whomever my target is, and often times I end up with an appointment.
3. Executive Breakfasts – If there’s one thing C-Level Executives LOVE it is hanging out with other C-Level Execs. There’s lots a reasons for this. Sometimes, they get to hang out with other executives who they want to do business with. Sometimes these C-Levels wants to keep job options open and they understand the power of networking. I hold networking breakfasts regularly where I bring in great speakers and I bring the C-Levels to me instead of having to go chase for them.
Do you know of other examples of businesses being creative in this endeavor?
No. Where I own several businesses, I am contacted regularly by sales people and even charitable organizations. Most people do the same ole, same ole, and they either leave me a voicemail or send me a postcard. This method is totally ineffective and I rarely respond to such tactics. Getting the ear of someone that is already extremely busy takes effort and most people are not willing to do it.
What lessons, if any, do you derive from these stories?
Be different. Go above and beyond what anyone else would do to get the attention of the C-Level executive. People in high level positions work extremely hard to get where they are and to stay there. They can appreciate someone with a little ingenuity and someone who is willing to help them get what they want, like I’ve done with the executive breakfasts. I start at the top when I contact the organization. I send them a book. I invite them to events where they get to mingle with others of their caliber. These three things put me on the same level playing field with the C-Level executive. I am not a salesperson to them….I am one of them. It’s not that easy to say no to one of your own.
Contact information:
www.StaceyAlcorn.comis the best place to find me. It has links to all the different businesss I own. As well, you can read my articles at www.HuffingtonPost/Stacey-Alcorn
