CEOs who sell



hate wasting time, so they target the people and groups most likely to buy from

them. Wasted time in the sales process adds to the cost of sales and extends the

critical time-to-revenue benchmark. Bob Palmisano, CEO of MacroChem, a

transdermal drug delivery company in Lexington, Virginia, learned about

targeting ideal prospects early on at Bausch & Lomb, Playtex and Mobil Oil. "You

must figure out very quickly how you fit in with a given prospect," he says.

"You must back away quickly when what you have doesn't fit what they need."

In addition,

CEOs who are successful in sales have no qualms about calling another

organization's top person to find out whether there's a potential fit between

their respective companies. That means you should be willing and able to do the

same. It's also helpful to identify all the sales that are taking too long to

close. Go ahead, pick up the phone and don't be shy-you'll quickly find out

what's taking so long and speed things up in no time.