This is the second in a series of four articles on how to engage Big Data CXO's.
In our first article of this Big Data CXOs series, we talked about the concept of the "surgical strike" and how it can help you close bigger deals, faster.
We also offered you a valuable tool to get started: a free list of hundreds of CXOs with known big data initiatives in place. Many of you have written to ask, "How did you get this information?"
The answer is, plenty of hard work and hours of research. We also promised to share some tips for finding this information on your own. Here they are:
1. Google is the best free resource. Always start there. Aside from Boardroom Insiders, which is a subscription service, there is no free database where you can get this information easily.
2. Search terms are key for uncovering this hard-to-locate info. Google the executive's name and the company name plus terms that connect to what you are selling. So for example, if you are selling big data solutions, google "Joe Smith" "Company Name" "Analytics" or "Joe Smith" "Company Name" "Business Intelligence". If you don't get results, just google the company name plus your keywords--you typically find that while the company has an analytics initiative under way, it is owned by one of Joe's direct reports, not Joe himself.
3. Also try more general key words alongside the company name such as "technology strategy" and "information technology." This often yields presentations, interviews and even job listings full of valuable information that will help you craft your pitch to the company.
4. Finally, read the company's latest quarterly conference call report. Even though technology executives seldom sit in on these calls, sometimes the CFO or COO will give an overview of significant technology deployments as well as cover the company's strategy with regards to business intelligence and analytics.
"The average company is only analyzing a fraction of the data they have, and most likely not collecting all the data they should be."
Stuart Kippelman
VP and CIO
Covanta Energy Corporation
If you are not up for all this heavy lifting, talk to us. By doing a keyword search of the Boardroom Insiders database, you can instantly generate a list of hundreds of CXOs with current initiatives in place that align directly with what you are selling. This is exactly how we generated the list of Big Data CXOs that we are currently offering for free. Get it now by clicking this button.
Want to learn more? In our next installment, we will tell you how to connect the dots between what you're selling and a company's big data initiatives.
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