1. Build your story: By the time you get around to presenting a plan, you will know the subject inside and out. The people you are sharing the plan with will likely have no context or understanding, so methodically build your story. Too many people jump around between the details, big picture, strategy, execution…It becomes a confusing mess. Tip: If you are delivering the plan as a presentation and need a slide with lots of bullet points, you might as well stop talking, everyone will read the slide and ignore you. Either give people time to read the bullets before speaking, or (sparingly) use animation to build the list and unfold … Read More
Rethinking Customer Success Selling
For customer success to be successful, the value proposition must deliver results for both the company and the customers. Unfortunately, customer success managers tend to resist doing anything that even remotely feels like selling; thinking it’s a violation of their trusted advisor role. Using a simpler example, let’s have another look. The hotel equivalent of a CSM is a small team consisting of the bellman, concierge and the front desk. Their job is to drive customer loyalty and retention by making sure your stay is successful, your needs are met, and you have the best possible experience. Imagine you return to the hotel from being out all day. You are … Read More
Tools + People = Alignment (And Happy Marketers)
Streamlining People, Processes and Tools in your Digital Marketing By Kyle Parsons and Greg Bear One of the most common frustrations we hear from digital marketers is the long road between the conception of a new tactic and launch. After expending effort crafting a piece of content geared toward a specific goal or campaign, they’ll have to wait weeks or even months as a piece moves through various hands, teams, departments, and approvals before it’s finally published and on the website. Publishing content on the web should be incredibly easy to streamline. The Bear Group team helps build websites–on CMS or eCommerce platforms–that make the publication and content management aspect … Read More
Getting Software Implementation Right – Sustaining
If you have had the fortitude to endure this series on software implementation, you are rewarded with a short final installment. In prior posts we covered preparing the implementation, selling the implementation, and doing the implementation work. This post covers how to move a customer out of the implementation process and into a healthy sustaining relationship with your company. Graduate If you have ever been on an implementation team you know that it is sometimes nearly impossible to get a customer to stop calling you when they need help. You did a great job making them feel comfortable, well supported and welcome as a new customer…Maybe too good of a job?? … Read More
Heroes Don’t Scale
A clear view of your business as a system provides the foundation to scale without killing your people or systems in the process. This is delivered through proven methods of system thinking and the international standard of BPMN 2.0. A clear view of the people, process, and technology that make up the system emerges to provide the clarity to obtain and maintain operational excellence. People are your most valuable resource. Supporting your people with documented processes arms them with the confidence to consistently deliver, make the right decisions and measure performance. Clear process removes the stress and inefficiency of creating process on the fly and establishes a foundation for consistent … Read More
Getting Software Implementation Right – Implement
This is the fourth post in the series about Getting Software Implementation Right. We have covered why implementation matters, preparation, and selling. This post picks up after the kick off meeting has occurred, and we are digging into the implementation work. Kickoff recap It was mentioned as a Pro Tip in the last post, but I am going bring it up again because it is SO important. If you are going onsite for the project kick off, bring your implementation team along and require the client to commit to having their team available all day for several days following the kick off meeting. Yep…require the team to be available. If … Read More
Optimize Your Product Investment
An informed organization has the power to take the right actions supporting strategy. Clear shared processes is a great way to build an informed organization. Have you ever seen a great product fail to live up to its potential because it drifted away from its true vision? Have you ever seen a good product fail in the marketplace when small adjustments could have made the difference? If the product development process is aligned with strategy, those responsible can move fast and get the product to market. Whatever the strategy, having a shared understanding of the process allows product development to move fast and meet strategic expectations. As a new product … Read More
Getting Software Implementation Right – Sell
I have never met a salesperson that wants to talk about implementation during the sales cycle…never. “It will kill, slow down, confuse (fill in your own negative verb) the deal!” Well, if the implementation is not trivial, and you don’t tell the customer what to expect: · Best case: They will not trust the salesperson anymore · Typical case: Their order sit in the implementation backlog awaiting them to fund and staff the project · Worst case: They kill the deal after the contract is signed Explaining implementation does not have to get complicated, confusing or frightening. They will have to go through something similar with any solution they choose, … Read More
Getting Software Implementation Right – Prepare
Any software implementation is going to have ups and downs, but your experience and your team’s preparation are critical. Even though it may be the same package you have deployed 100 times, the environment in which your operating is brand new. Being prepared takes on several dimensions of which you must account for them all in order to guarantee success. Creating the Customer Experience Professional services/the implementation team should never define the implementation experience…but they usually do. This responsibility lands squarely with Product Management. Of course, Professional Services must collaborate with Product Management and Finance to determine what level(s) of service is feasible to deliver, but the determination between boot … Read More
Getting Software Implementation Right – Why It Matters
Many software packages don’t require implementation, you simply sign up with a credit card and go. That is a great model because there are usually no long sales cycles, the customer receives value immediately, and revenue recognition starts on month-one. Not all software works that way, especially when it comes to larger packages that are an industry-specific solution or something large like a financial system or ERP. When it comes to a system like that, there are a ton of things that can go wrong that will slow down the implementation, or in the worst situations, end up killing the sale after it’s been made. This blog series is about … Read More