The Top 5 Sales Skills Every Project Manager Needs. An FGI white paper. ITIL, PRINCE2 and MSP are registered trade marks of AXELOS Limited.

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1 The Top 5 Sales Skills Every Project Manager Needs An FGI white paper 2014 FGI Limited All Rights Reserved A il P j tm t d Ch M t t d k fth APMG Li it d Telephone: Fax: enquiry@fgitraining.co, Web:

2 Wait, there must be some mistake. Sales skills for Project Managers? Project Managers don t work in Sales, so why would they need sales skills? True, the nearest that most Project Managers get to Sales is when they have to implement a project that has been sold by someone else. However, just because selling is not part of a Project Manager s job description, it doesn t mean that they will never need the skills that most great salespeople use on a daily basis. Project Managers often find themselves in customerfacing (whether internal or external) positions where sales skills are a vital part of their armoury. Project Management is not just about getting a project finished on time and within budget; it is also about producing an output that satisfies the customer. To do this effectively, that customer needs to be supported throughout the project: they need to be listened to, consulted, engaged, and involved. Project Managers often talk about the need to get buy-in to a project. But how else to do this other than sell the project? Yet, training and personal development for Project Managers normally focuses on methodologies and processes, organisational skills, time management, and communication. This paper will review those sales and customer care skills that Project Managers need, but rarely get trained in. Skill 1 Questioning and Listening Although these are actually two separate skills that can be improved independently, it is of little use to ask great questions and then not listen to the answers given, or be a great listener but fail to ask the right questions. A key to sharing and selling a product, service or idea effectively, is to ask questions and then listen quietly and carefully to the answers. Many Project Managers try too hard to convince people, instead of discovering what their customer really wants, needs and desires from the project. These questioning and listening skills will help Project Managers build win-win relationships with their project stakeholders, while creating engagement and buy-in throughout their customer and user bases. Ask high-value questions When trying to engage their customer, many Project Managers ask low-value questions that do little to engage their stakeholders in understanding the objectives of the project and its potential benefits. Examples include: Are you interested in saving money?, What are your needs?. As a result, project stakeholders see such conversations with 2

3 the Project Manager as a waste of their time and believe (perhaps correctly) that the project will not satisfactorily address their requirements. Sales professionals know how to ask high-value questions. Questions that encourage the customer to share details and information about their business that, in turn, will help them position their solution effectively. High-value sales questions can transition into tough, penetrating questions. Questions that make your stakeholders sit up and think. Questions like: What challenges are you experiencing trying to reach your targets?, What problems are costing you most in terms of lost revenue, customers or market share?, What impact is that having on your business? On you?, How important is this project compared to the others on your plate?, What could potentially prevent this from moving forward?, What internal challenges do you need to deal with before this project gets the go-ahead?. When you develop the ability to ask high-value questions, you will not only learn a huge amount of valuable information about your stakeholders and their situation, but you will also stand out from other Project Managers and consequently, your project will be more likely to gain more visibility and buy-in from your customers and users. Put your ego and agenda to one side - We are sometimes so excited to share everything we know about what we re offering that we forget it is about our customer s expectations. Remember, the buying process is not about your project s benefits, it is about the customer s needs. Don t assume that what is important to you is important to your customers and users. The purpose of any project is to service customer and business needs, and you can only do that if you know what it is your customers and the business wants. In his book, It s Not All About Me, Robin Dreeke, the head of the FBI s Behavioral Analysis Program, says that, suspending your ego is nothing more complex than putting other individuals wants, needs, and perceptions of reality ahead of your own. Most times, when two individuals engage in a conversation, each patiently waits for the other person to be done with whatever story he or she is telling. Then, the other person tells his or her own story, usually on a related topic and often times in an attempt to have a better and more interesting story. If you push your agenda too hard, you are not going to listen well. Leave your agenda at home and sincerely focus on your customer and how your project and its output can best serve their hopes, dreams and goals. As Zig Ziglar, the motivational speaker and author put it, You can have everything in life that you want if you just give enough other people what they want. Find out what the customer really wants As a Project Manager, you must find out what your customer wants, needs and expects from the final output of your project, otherwise you will have great trouble in delivering that solution. Also, as the final deliverable from your project 3

4 will be handed over to your customer to use and maintain in the future, they will be responsible for delivering the benefits expected from the project. Your customer is going to have difficulty doing this if your project produces an output that has little value or use to them and the user base. Marketing experts develop buyer personas to understand what the customer s wants, needs, and perceptions are, forcing organisations to think about who the customer is and what they really want. This technique can also be used on projects. For example, Project Managers should ask the customer to tell their story first. It not only makes the customer feel important and valued, it also allows you to tailor what you communicate to the customer later on. Asking questions to establish customer and user requirements is key to this process. When you truly listen to your customers, they let you know what they want and how you can provide good service. Did you know that customers are biologically conditioned to accept our requests to help? That s why one of the most effective ways to engage a customer is to ask a simple, but powerful question: what can I help you with? Dreeke says that, As human beings, we are biologically conditioned to accommodate requests for assistance. The compulsion is based upon the fact that our ancient ancestors knew that if they did not provide assistance when asked, the assistance would not be granted to them if requested at a later date. The best way to do this is to simply ask how you can help the customer in an altruistic manner and then do it. Practice Active Listening - You can ask all the questions in the world, but if you don t listen carefully to what the other person tells you, you are wasting time. Active listening means actually hearing what people tell you. Taking the time to ask your customer questions and really listen to the answers shows respect for them, and gives you a clearer idea of what they want. The following tips will help you listen more actively: Ask clarifying questions when the other person says something vague or that requires elaboration; Ask the customer follow up questions in the form why, how, and when. Asking people to explain what they re saying by asking follow up questions is a great way to engage them; Focus your full attention on the other person - stop multi-tasking during a telephone conversation, don t type notes into your computer, scan s or anything else; Listen for underlying meanings, clues and cues and respond accordingly; Quickly recap the key points your customer mentioned as being important; Ask how you can improve. Encourage and welcome suggestions about how you could improve. There are several ways in which you can find out what customers think and feel about your performance. 4

5 If you re talking, you re not listening - Most salespeople (and Project Managers) are natural talkers. Unfortunately, even the greatest speaker will only get so far without a little listening. So, how can you tell if you're doing enough listening? In your next stakeholder meeting, ask an open-ended question and then force yourself to be quiet for at least a minute (or until you are absolutely sure the responder has finished). You will notice right away how strong your urge is to jump in and say something before the other person has stopped talking. Far too often, Project Managers believe that the most important part of the communication process is to talk. Remember, communication goes two ways: send and receive! Asking openended questions such as tell me why that s important to you, will usually elicit a great deal more than a yes/no answer and enable you to rebalance your conversations with your customers and users in favour of them talking and you listening. Skill 2 Handling Objections Objections are a natural part of the sales process. How you respond to them can make or break a project. First, it is essential that you outline the objections you hear most frequently. Then determine the most appropriate rebuttal. Before you respond, follow these three short steps first: 1. Empathise - this means verbally stating that you understand, respect or appreciate the other person s concern. Mr. Smith, I understand that you have budget issues to deal with. 2. Clarify - restate the objection back to the prospect in your own words to ensure that you clearly understand it. So you see the value in this product, it s just that the purchase exceeds the budget you had allotted, correct? 3. Seek permission - ask the other person for permission to offer a solution. Mr. Smith, would it be okay if I took a minute to discuss a few options? Follow this process and you will find that most people will be more receptive to hearing your solution. No matter what you're pitching, your audience will probably have some objections or reservations. If you haven't prepared for this, then it may cause you to become frustrated and lose some control. That's why knowing how to think on your feet to overcome these objections is so important. It's helpful to realise that objections aren't a definite "no." They show that your audience is willing to ask questions and state their concerns. So, objections are your opportunity to address their fears, reassure them, and move forward positively. Whenever your audience presents an objection, you should ask questions. When you approach objections with questions, it helps you find the real root of the issue. It also shows your audience that you are aware of their concerns, and that you want to work with them to find a solution. 5

6 Skill 3 Building Rapport Despite today s heavy reliance on communication technology, developing a personal connection with customers is still vital. People still buy from people. This holds true within the project environment as well, where the Project Manager needs to create rapport with a diverse range of stakeholders, from the project team, to senior decision-makers and customers. Creating rapport with someone means connecting with them. This does not mean that you talk about a photo on their desk or an award on their wall that approach is severely outdated. Instead, you need to be able to speak your stakeholders language. For example, you need to demonstrate that you understand the business problem they face. When you execute this properly, you not only develop rapport with the other person, you also position yourself as an expert. You can also establish rapport by outlining the goal of your meeting, confirming the time that s been allotted and then finishing early. No one will EVER complain about a meeting finishing early! It is also important to use the right body-language to establish rapport. A lot of research has been done about the importance of physical attributes and cues when it comes to effective communication. Evolutionary psychology teaches us that most people assess a stranger to see if they re a threat. Body posture, facial cues like smiling, and the handshake are all important non-verbal communication techniques that aim to help us look non-threatening. More advanced non-verbal cues involve tilting your chin down slightly to look less threatening and angling your body slightly away from the customer. Skill 4 Presentation Skills Um, I d like to, uh, discuss how our project can, um, help you, uh, reduce employee turnover. Not a very compelling beginning for a presentation, is it? Yet, this type of opening or presentation is not uncommon. Two aspects of presentations need to be considered: The content - too many people include far too much information in their presentations and begin by talking about their project, rather than the customer s needs and situation. Resist the include everything but the kitchen sink approach and only discuss the aspects of your offering that are critical for your stakeholders to know. The delivery - consider your pace, timing and actual delivery. The more important a presentation is for you, the more critical it is that you verbally rehearse on more than one occasion. The best way to improve your presentation skills is to video-tape a presentation and watch it afterwards. It can be painful to watch yourself in action but it is the most effective way to see how you actually deliver a presentation. Watch your body language, gestures, and facial expressions. 6

7 The process of creating and delivering a successful presentation has a start, a middle and an end: preparation, pitch and closing. Whether you're selling an idea, a project, a product, or even a job in your organisation, you must enter that situation with an expert understanding of your audience, and of what they care about. Great presentation skills requires lots of preparation, meaning that much of your work will come before you actually deliver your presentation. The following tips will help in your preparation process: 1. Identify your target audience who will you present to? A single person, or a group? 2. Identify key drivers You must understand what's driving your audience and how will your project help them accomplish that goal? 3. Identify the language that people use If you're addressing a technical audience, be prepared to present using technical language and ideas. If you're selling to finance people, use numbers and data to craft your message. 4. Determine exactly what you're "selling" Identify what it is, and learn as much as you can about it. 5. Connect your audience and your project with benefits Great marketers and salespeople understand that there's a distinct difference between features and benefits. This is because your audience cares about only one thing: "What's in it for me?" So, it's crucial to know the key differences. Features are what your product or idea does. For instance, the new accounting software you want everyone to use is fast and easy, and it has real-time reporting. These are the features of the software. Benefits are what those features mean to your audience. For example, the accounting software's benefits are that people will have more time to do other tasks, they'll be less stressed when they're using the system, and they'll get up-to-date information from it. Features are boring, and people have to think quite hard to see the possibilities within them. But when you translate those features into benefits, you bridge the gap between your audience and your product. 6. Understand the needs of your target audience Identify problems that your product or idea will help solve, and needs that it will address. This will directly impact the way you pitch, or sell, your project. If you're speaking with people who are not in your industry, make sure you use words and terms they can understand. 7. Highlight your Unique Selling Proposition (USP) People buy the best possible solution that meets their needs and their budget. Make sure that you highlight what makes your project uniquely relevant to them. Here are a few guidelines to follow during your pitch: 1. Slow down the rate at which you present new information - speaking slowly and pausing to allow customers to catch up to what you re saying is certainly important, but there are other forms of communication, such as the amount of information we 7

8 include on a presentation slide, where this technique can pay dividends as well. People are unlikely to remember more than three things from any conversation you have with them. Emphasising those three key points in a slow and deliberate manner and pausing to ensure understanding is critical. 2. Have a conversation You want to connect with your audience, so your presentation or pitch should feel more like a conversation. It may be unappealing to your audience and to you to get up in front of people and "sell" them something. But you can talk enthusiastically about the project that you really believe in, and you can then discuss how it will help your audience. 3. Ask questions Involving your audience is key to keeping them engaged. If you meet with someone individually, then be sure to listen as much as you talk. If you're presenting to a group, invite questions at key stages during the presentation. 4. Focus on "helping" instead of "selling" Consultative selling means that you identify what your audience needs. Focus on these, and keep your own goals and agenda out of the conversation. 5. Watch body language Pay attention to everyone's body language during your pitch. If people start to look bored or move their hands and feet a lot, then you need to finish, or move onto the next part of your pitch. It is really important that you get closure from your presentation. You may require a decision, or commitment of resource or budget. If you can't get a decision on the day, because your audience need time to think about things, don't leave this open-ended. Your chances of a successful result drop dramatically if you don't get some kind of commitment from them by the end of the presentation. As you're finishing your pitch, set a specific date or time to speak with them again. This will also give you the opportunity to tailor your pitch if required, based on any issues or objections they may have. Skill 5 Deliver great customer service Selling your project at the outset is naturally very important, but the buy-in that you have won from your stakeholders won t last long unless it is backed up with great customer service. During the difficult times that some projects experience, you will see that winning your stakeholders over was the easy part; keeping them on board and satisfied with the project is harder! Giving great customer service is an art, rather than a science, but the following are some ideas that you might find helpful: Identify and anticipate needs - customers don't buy products or services. They buy good feelings and solutions to problems. Most customer needs are emotional rather than logical. The more you know your customers, the better you become at 8

9 anticipating their needs. Communicate regularly so that you are aware of problems or upcoming needs. Make customers feel important and appreciated - treat your project stakeholders as individuals. Always use their name and find ways to compliment them, but be sincere. People value sincerity. It creates good feelings and trust. Think about ways to generate good feelings about working with you. Customers are very sensitive and know whether or not you really care about them. Thank them every time you get a chance. Help stakeholders understand the project management process you might use Best Practice methodologies, such as PRINCE2, for managing your projects, but if stakeholders don't understand them, they can get confused, impatient and angry. Take time to explain how your process works and how it simplifies the management of the project. Be careful that your methodology doesn't reduce the human element of the project. Remain people-focused as well as task- focused. Appreciate the power of "Yes" - always look for ways to help your customers. When they have a request (as long as it is reasonable) tell them that you can do it. Figure out how afterwards. Look for ways to make doing working with you easy. Always deliver on your promises. So what now? Hopefully, you have now gathered some new tips that you can use to gain customer buy-in to your projects. How are you going to take this information and actually use it to improve your sales and customer service skills? 1. Identify your priorities don t try to change too many things at once. Instead, focus on one selling skill as your priority and really make a step-change improvement. Maybe it is a skill that you really need to have to apply on your current project, or perhaps something consistently identified as a development objective during appraisals. 2. Create a plan with timescales identify your goal, the activities required to reach it, the effort required and the (realistic) timescale required. Also, highlight any dependencies, for example, key meetings or presentations at which you want to practice your new skills, or colleagues that you would like to coach or mentor you. 3. Devote one hour a day to improving your skills get into a habit of spending a little time each and every day working on developing your new skill. At the outset, you might worry that you could be using this time to get something else off your to do list, but as time goes on you will see the new benefit of your improving skills. 4. Review progress plans have a nasty habit of going awry when they are put into action, so make sure that you plan in and carry out reviews of your progress on a regular basis. Be honest with yourself. If you haven t achieved a goal, identify the work required to get you there. Celebrate your successes. 9

10 5. Refocus if and when necessary and once you have reached your first goal, start working on the next. If you need to refocus your efforts, simply work through these steps again. Learn from your experience: what you should do differently this time to ensure greater success. In this paper, we have reviewed the five most important sales skills that a Project Manager needs to develop. Of course, Project Managers need many other skills and training, for example in structured approaches to managing projects, such as PRINCE2 or Agile Project Management. However, without approaching a project with a sales and marketing mindset, Project Managers can fail to get the resources required to carry the project out. Sales and Customer Service skills may not be the most obvious attributes required by a Project Manager, but without them a Project Manager will find it almost impossible to gain buy-in from their project s stakeholders, which in turn creates resistance to the project. If the project s customer doesn't know they have a problem, a Project Manager becomes a valuable asset, shifting from problem solver to problem finder. Sales skills help gain buy-in from sponsors, stakeholders and team members to this solution. Part of the power of persuasion comes from knowing the audience and then tailoring language to the target audience instead of using specialised lingo. Project Managers should also focus their pitch on what motivates the team - have fewer conversations about how and more about why. Projects will not succeed without people and these softer skills will help create all-important stakeholder engagement in your projects. 10