The world is full of project managers (PMs) who are responsible for executing something the sales/AE sold. They are the guts of the solution for most B2B deliverables.
But in many cases, the PM gets no sales training. Oh sure, they get plenty of training in their discipline of project management: time lines, resource allocation, problem solving, job scoping, etc. But most get no training in the area that means the most in Customer Satisfaction: communication/sales training.
I just finished an engagement with PMs and Designers at a technology firm. I thought I’d list five of the many lessons we learned.
- We live in a world of client expectations. Regardless of how well we scope the project, there are always going to be things that don’t go right in the job. If you suggest that there will be no problems, you’re setting yourself up for failure. You must first have the attitude that sh_ _ happens. Be ready for it.
- Handle problems preemptively. This is akin to #1. You can’t foresee all problems, but you must project facts: “There will be problems. What will make this job go right, Mr. Customer, is our ability to work through those to mutual satisfaction.” And then proceed to tell them how you will handle it if we go ‘beyond scope.’
- Go back to the original Project Purpose. People lose sight of the main reason they engaged you in the first place. It’s easy to get buried in the details and forget the pain the client had which was why he engaged you in the first place. “I think it might help here to go back to the original reason we engaged. Can we do that?” Always be willing to say that.
- Get involved upfront. One area we worked on with my PM group is getting involved earlier in the sales process. So that the first time the client meets you is not in the famed “Turn-over Meeting.” Think of how annoying that is for the client–he works with the AE all the way through the sales process and then, all of a sudden, the AE is gone and the PM is here. It helps to introduce the PM in the selling cycle.
- In the Turn-over Meeting, my client now has POINT 6. In their process there are five steps to a successful project. But POINT 6 is a conversation about the process itself–how they want to be communicated with; how to handle it when there is something outside the scope; how to know when we need to bring others in the process.
The bottom line of all this is that companies waste millions of dollars doing free work. Some of that can’t be helped–30 minutes here, 2 hours there. But when those two-hour extras turn into 40 hours, then your margins are squeezed (and you become resentful).
And if you always make the mistake of connecting customer satisfaction with you eating big chunks of lost time–billing, then you’ll opt for giving free work away.
And that’s not a good way to preserve margins. If you have PMs in your company, invest in some sales/communication training. Give them some tools so they can do their job better–and create a Great Customer Experience.
{ 0 comments… add one now }