Uncomfortable C-level selling word of the day: Fiduciary

I drop "fiduciary" a lot when teaching C-level selling to B2B salespeople.

It tends to cause no small amount of unnecessary discomfort and skepticism.

Why?

Mostly because we were not taught how to use it properly in a guidance-based C-level narrative.

If you are selling strategic assets, this is exactly what you should be selling to... the CEO's/CFO's fiduciary obligations, specifically as they relate to long-term value creation.

This is not the exception, but the rule...and they are all aware of it:

CEOs and CFOs have several fiduciary responsibilities to their shareholders, which are legal and ethical obligations that prioritize the interests of the shareholders who own the company.

Among these, a critical responsibility includes Long-Term Value Creation: CEOs and CFOs are expected to pursue strategies and decisions that create long-term shareholder value rather than prioritizing short-term gains at the expense of the company's future sustainability.

So, a job requirement in public companies.

Map your peer-validated, long-term value creation financial models to their KPI's relative to this fiduciary obligation, especially if their TSR is underperforming, and you will be speaking at their level.

They want business ideas...

Embrace the C-level dialect, affiliate with this tribe, guide their thinking as a peer on assets that they would not know about without you.

On your C-level selling journey, start with your vocabulary.