Selling Ideas

I have found there is a great divide within the legal, procurement and contract management communities. It is between those who feel that they are fully accepted and respected by their internal customers (executives, business unit personnel, sales); and those who consider that their role is undervalued.

This latter group generally observe that they ‘are involved too late’, that the extent of their contribution is limited by a failure to consult them earlier in the process. In general, the members of this group significantly outnumber the members of the ‘accepted and respected’ group – I would guess by a ratio of 4:1.

Support groups are right to feel concerned about perceptions of this type, especially at times of economic uncertainty and cut-back. Being undervalued can rapidly translate to being seen as dispensable. So what can be done to address the problem?

There are of course a number of steps that need to be taken, especially if an entire organization needs to shift its image. I have written extensively about these elsewhere in Commitment Matters. But individuals are not powerless to act and I recently discovered some useful advice in a book entitled “The Art of Woo: Using Strategic Persuasion to Sell Your Ideas.” 

The authors highlight the need for each of us to remember that we are selling our competence – and that we must persuade our audience that it is a competence that will help them achieve their goals. They set out 9 questions that any of us should ask ourselves before we go into meetings or conversations with our customers:

1. How does this individual perceive the problem I intend to solve?
2. What is the pithy summary of my idea that will appeal to this person?
3. What roles does this person play in the decision-making process?
4. What is my goal for this encounter?
5. What is the basis for my credibility with this person?
6. Will my idea conflict with any of this person’s beliefs?
7. How might my idea conflict with this person’s interests?
8. Can I leave the relationship better than I found it?
9. What kind of public commitment from this person would best build momentum?

Many times, the groups that feel undervalued turn out to be those that rely upon some perceived executive mandate – for example, related to compliance. While this may indeed be an executive desire, they also want to close business or to ensure speed of execution. What they expect from internal staff groups is not just that we will recite rules, but that we will find solutions, ways to reconcile conflicting priorities.

And that ‘can do’ attitide is what our other internal customers also look for. So if we want to be among those who feel that they are accepted as a part of the core team. remember that we must all be sales people –  we must explain how our expertise or processes are going to assist in achieving the goals of our audience better, faster and with less pain or aggravation along the way.

Our customers don’t use our services because of their inherent virtues; they come to us because they see it as necessaary if they are to reach some desired outcome or result. Therefore, if you want them to come early, willingly and often, you must make them see how your involvement gets them the results they want to achieve.