Overcoming being single threaded...

Lee Gallerano

In my opportunities, I often find myself in a situation where there's a central point of contact managing a particular project. When I reach out to others involved in the project, I worry that I might upset this person. Another common scenario is when I ask the point of contact who else I should be talking to, and they insist that everything should be funneled through them.

In other words, my opportunities are frequently single-threaded. Can anyone offer advice on how to navigate this hurdle with my customers? How can I make bold requests without offending the customer?

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

John Boney

Navigating single-threaded opportunities can be indeed challenging. Here are some strategies that might help

Patience and Understanding: Try to understand their perspective and show patience. They might be under pressure or dealing with other issues that you’re not aware of.

Clear and Concise Communication: Ensure your communication is clear, concise, and respectful. Be as clear as possible about your needs and expectations to avoid potential misunderstandings.

Seek Higher Intervention: If the situation doesn’t improve, you might need to escalate the issue to a higher authority within your organization or the client’s organization, if appropriate and with tact.

Maintain Professionalism: Regardless of the difficulties, always maintain your professionalism. This not only reflects well on you but also sets the tone for future interactions.

Alternative Channels: If possible, try to find alternative channels or points of contact within the organization who can help you navigate the situation.

Feedback: Provide constructive feedback about your experience. This should be done in a non-confrontational manner, focusing on the impact of the behavior rather than the person.

Remember, it’s important to keep the project’s best interests at heart and work towards resolving any issues in a constructive and collaborative manner. Good luck! 😊

Lee Gallerano

This is great. Thank you, John!

Ben Fleishman

Thanks for that answer, @John Boney! Great question, @Lee Gallerano!

Whenever we're dealing with someone that's more of a gatekeeper than a coach or champion, I try to remember that they're probably really fearful. Something is causing it, so I try to be as reassuring as possible and ask them to join calls with the people I'm also looking to connect with. So I'll say something like, "Oh, let's keep funneling it through you, but we should invite on some of the other people that you'll be giving the final say to."

It keeps them in control and it allows them to be the power in the room.

By the way, I'll keep that fully genuine, too. I'll keep them locked in as my point person, but once I make contact with some additional authority, I can then loop them in, too, and do it in an authentic way that doesn't diminish my initial contact in any way.

Joern Wozny

In my experience, you shouldn't wait too long to approach other stakeholders. Because if you have only spoken to one contact for too long at the beginning, a kind of “social hierarchy” has developed that makes it difficult to approach other people bypassing this person. So my additional tip is to approach others relatively early on.