Skip to main content

On Selling

 Had a small interaction with a sales team of a learning company on "How to sell to L&D" folks.

What is unique about selling to L&D folks? Having been on both sides of the table, here are some of my observations:

As a seller:

L&D teams want complete solutions. That doesn't necessarily mean they will buy the complete solution - but they want to know that you have the complete solution. 

On the other hand they will want to integrate everything you have to everything they have even if it is an xl sheet. Or competency framework. They want everything to talk their language.

They love customization. They will want customization. They will ask customization. They hate to pay for customization though. How to tackle this?

Almost always never get into price negotiations. Get into value conversations. And as the price reduces, convey the value reduction. For this price, you get this - and so on. That doesnt mean you dont reduce the price - there are situations you will do that, but price cannot be your sole point of negotiation.  

My favourite framework for sellers is the Trusted advisor framework by David Maister. As a seller, if I am the first person they can think of when it comes to their challenges - I am in a great place. I want conversations with them where we talk about stuff that is going on even though it may not result in work for me right away. And I often call up such sales people - who know the lay of the land. It helps me stay abreast of what is going in the market. 

You want to get referrals from them. And you often do. A lot of work comes via referrals. So, if they like to refer you - you are in a good place. 

It is a small world. They talk to each other. 

There are people who do proposal scouting. Avoid them. 

There is almost always a question on ROI. And it can be measured - but almost always they wont walk the talk on it. 

Tick in the boxes are real. 

It is a long game. LnD work will repeat every year. 

As a buyer:

On the other hand, if you are a pushy sales guy - na. I hate it. Or if you only talk your product, well, I dont want that either. 

You guys have no idea of how many places I have referred companies to - even though I might never have given business to you directly. 

This is me, but I want unique solutions. I like to try out new stuff. And almost always I give a patient hearing to someone who is creating something new. This is my personal bias. 

I hate it if you send me pushy mails. Or so called "action driven" mails. Can we meet next Wed or Thursday - I can see through that. I am around next week - can we catch up - No. Reminder on reminder - please don't. 

Of course, I want updates. New products. New stuff you got going. Spam me selectively, I will read.

I like it if you guys are knowledgeable. Dont b*s me - please. I know most of the things going around. 

Tips nobody tells you:

For all their talks on risk taking - LnD folks dont take risk when it comes to training solutions. They love trusted partners. The higher your guarantee of success the higher your chance of them calling you back. 

You can move with them as they change organizations. 

TTT's never work - almost. 

L&D for engagement is a real thing for many L&D teams regardless of your (my) belief in them. 

ROI conversations are also real  - so either go after the org goal and sign up for it or agree with stakeholders that LnD is almost a correlation solution, not causatory. (Both work equally well, IMO)
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Be Civil. Make nice!

Popular posts from this blog

The man who saved Pumpelsdrop

This was a story we had in college if I am not mistaken. Perhaps it was in school, but a delightful story it was. The story goes somewhat like this ( reproduced from here ), but the college version we had was slightly different from this.  I t was a dull, gloomy and a depressing morning in a town named Pumpelsdrop in northern England. The Great Depression had brought all the businesses to a standstill. The bored automobile dealer was spending time alone, as usual. But, this seems to be an unusual morning as an odd entity (customer) appeared on the horizon. A man in a bright suit walks up to the dealer and says, "I need to buy a Rolls Royce Phantom II. We have a business conference coming up and I need to impress my customers". Then proceeds to pay 10% of the deal with a single check for 2000 pounds. The rest he says will pay when he takes the delivery.   The auto dealer was stunned. He was delighted to hear that someone is holding a business conference of some kind and ...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Most Powerful Idea in the World

The above titled book by William Rosen (and I am still reading it) has set me thinking. As it goes through the industrial revolution (rather, the beginning of it) - it explores as to why the industrial revolution happened when it happened. Rather, how a lot of factors came to play in making it happen. For that alone this book is worth a read. It is worth reading how a 'dotcom' kind of ecosystem existed in England with the combination of tinkerers, rich patrons, correspondence and of course, the right kind of institutions. When one studies engineering, or even science, what we hear are the rock star stories. For instance, we know that Archimedes had a 'Eureka' moment. Likewise, in this book, I realized how a 'Eureka' moment helped James Watt resolve the problematic steam engine into a workable design. While it is very romantic to believe that discoveries happen accidentally, the fact remains that somebody like a James Watt (or others) slogged through many man...
Post a Comment
Read more

Narendra Modi, Presentation Skills

This is the latest speech by Narendra Modi which was delivered yesterday at the India Today Conclave. Much analysis has been carried out on this speech, but here is a different perspective. I have written about Presentation skills - and to me this is a video that touches upon almost all aspects of presentation skills. For someone who wants to learn public speaking, presentation skills this speech is a great example. It is well worth your time, if you want to see presentation skills in action (and the bonus of a great speech). The speech is largely in Hindi, though there are parts in English as well.  Mr. Modi uses a video at the start (which is missing here) - so the speech uses other media as well - surprising the audience - since politicians arent generally given to videos. That initial video has made the audience look forward to more. The speech is extempore - which can only happen when one knows the subject thoroughly. I personally don't know how much Mr. Modi practices...
1 comment
Read more