From: Bizjournals.com

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You’re simply not having success with your initial contact person; they can only say “no”…they cannot say “yes.”

You’ve tried everything you could to win them over, but for some reason there’s simply no connection and they are not going to help advance you (along with your product or service) up the chain.

There are times you might need to break the chain of command in order to get to the person who can make the purchase of your product or service. When this happens and the sale ends up taking place, you know that the results may make your first contact resentful of you.

It greatly behooves you to befriend that first person, because he or she could still play an important role in your relationship with that company. Letting a person save face after you’ve gone over their head — and won — can play a major role in how smoothly your relationship with this new client will proceed.

How to make up

The next time you see or talk to him, express gratitude for his contribution to your obtaining the sale.

“Frank, I really appreciate your help,” or, “Mary, thank you for your support. I look forward to working with you over the next few months.” That’s all you need to say.

I know, he or she had absolutely nothing to do with it. You’re right. They know that. You know that. And they know that you know that. By letting the person save face, however, you are showing your class, protecting their ego, and providing a good reason to work harder to help you from that point on.

In my experience, that person will be on your side with loyalty that’s truly an asset.

The only instance in which this will not work is if the person is so ego-based and angry that he or she is looking to be and stay mad at you. If they are irrational and totally offended by your actions, then coming over to your side probably won’t happen — at least not right away. You’ll just have to make sure your other relationships within that organization are even stronger so there’s no way sabotage can come into play.

Usually, however, that will not be a challenge. Letting that person save face after you’ve gone over their head will generally bring them over to your side and result in their becoming a loyal member of the entire team.