People who make decisions are usually quite busy. Busy people like to spend time with those who can help them accomplish their objectives. You have the best chance of getting a positive hearing for your proposals when you make an appointment in advance and when you are prepared.

There is usually a "best time" to discuss new ideas with an individual decision maker. Try to find out when that time is and then suggest an appointment at that time. With some, it is early, before the start of the day. Others prefer late afternoons, evenings, etc.

Try the telephone and e-mail first. If you have trouble getting past the gatekeeper, a brief letter or post card (which few people in sales use anymore) can be effective. The decision maker's own e-mail address may be hard to obtain and may be ignored. Gatekeepers who may screen telephone calls usually will not toss out a letter or card without letting the decision maker see it. You must give the decision maker a good reason to want to invest time in a meeting with you. Create a degree of curiosity when possible, then deliver with a well-planned presentation. Since you should always anticipate success, be prepared to suggest the next steps needed to implement your plan of action. 

A couple of stories:

Once, when I assumed a sales territory, I learned that nobody from my company had ever been able to meet with the factory manager of my largest account. The lack of communication with the top decision maker left us vulnerable and I decided to remedy the situation. The factory manager's office was separate from the plant itself and appeared impregnable. The factory manager's secretary was adept at protecting access to her boss, turning away my telephone requests for an appointment. Not content with the status quo, I decided to send the manager a postcard stating a date and time that I would be at the factory to meet with him to discuss additional ways that I planned to help him improve the factory's performance. I gathered up every scrap of courage I could muster and climbed his office steps, coming face to face with his stern secretary. Smiling and nervous, I introduced myself and handed her my card, expecting the battle for her boss's ear to begin. Instead, she help up my postcard and smiled back at me. "He's expecting you, Mr. Morgan, let me show you in." As it turned out, he was not a three-headed monster after all. He quickly understood that I was providing useful assistance to his plant engineer. I summarized the savings our collaboration with his maintenance team had achieved in the past year, and outlined the actions in progress at the time. As I suspected, the plant engineer had never mentioned my company's cooperation to the factory manager. I left with an open invitation to keep him informed and to meet with him any time I felt it would be helpful. He walked me out and let his secretary know that I was always welcome.

Sometimes, it takes a creative approach to finally get to the decision maker. Once there, you must demonstrate your concern for that person's needs and why you deserve to be welcomed back. In another hard case, the key to that first interview, learned from the plant maintenance engineer, was to arrive before seven o'clock in the morning with two cups of hot coffee and a bag of donuts. When the plant manager arrived minutes later, he invited me into his plush office. He appreciated the potential savings ideas I presented as well as the unexpected breakfast. That initial early morning meeting lead to the acquisition of my major target account within thirty days.

Conclusion: A well-planned and effectively executed sales approach that keeps your prospect's interests and needs in the forefront is rare. Your prospect may at first be shocked, then favorably impressed by your professionalism. You transform yourself into a respected business representative for your company rather than "just another salesperson." You still have to convince your prospect that you can help, but a professional start earns you blue chip status and, at the very least, will make future interviews more productive.