Plan the Implementation and Recurring Results

Learning Objectives

After completing this unit, you’ll be able to:

• Explain the steps to prepare and implement the project plan.
  
• Start the conversation to generate future opportunities.
  

Prepare for Implementation

Keep in mind the Dale Carnegie Principle: “Praise the slightest improvement and praise every improvement. Be ‘hearty' in your approbation and lavish in your praise.”

Consider what types of things are on your mind at this point. What is presented to the client should align with the previous documents and with their communication and buying style. This is another reason it’s important for the sales rep who has built the relationship to be actively involved in this step. You don’t have to complete everything, but you do need to make sure the client feels like this is a seamless process you have completed many times with success. It’s important to communicate with your actions that they’re important, not pushed off since the contract is signed.

Many times, as a sales person, you may not want to manage the internal coordination that comes with project planning; you may want to just sell. If you are successful in the implementation though, it can lead to more sales. So, it’s important to determine if you—or another member of your team—will take on the role of project manager. Then, help ensure every single item that should be on your project plan is clearly documented.

It is important to make sure roles and responsibilities are determined in the beginning. For the project manager, planning may take hours. Yet, once planning is done and the work takes place, keeping the customer up to date is simple and straightforward and can take minutes at a time, and the sales rep is more productive.

Communication is key to ensuring things are done on time. You can have a standing team meeting to give updates and reach out for help. You can have a solution optimization meeting to talk about tools and what other tactics are available to ensure project success. Share your successful implementation stories internally so others in the sales organization can share them with their prospects and customers where appropriate.

Recurring Results

Now, on to the final step. Some things you should bear in mind as you go through the recurring results.

• Living your organization’s values
  
• Checking in with the client on a regimented basis and course correcting as needed
  
• Being clear on the return on investment (ROI) and making it visible
  
• Removing any barriers that were uncovered
  
• Post sale assessments to measure change
  
  • Measuring client results
    
  • Midpoint and completion conversations
    
  • Testimonials
    

There are a few additional strategies that are a bit more advanced that can lead to some fantastic results and great relationship building. One of these is the completion conversation. The goal in the completion conversation is to open up more opportunities.

During this conversation, take your customer back to where they were in the beginning and paint that contrast. Summarize the solutions you provided. Make the ROI visible. Get feedback from the client—the good, bad and ugly. Why is this important? It is important for you to be vulnerable. Also, this is a critical part of the client collaboration process as outlined in the first unit and in Relationship Selling.

Lastly, you want to discuss your recommendations going forward. Outline what you see happening next. Bridge the gap to the next challenge they’re seeing and take a look at the bigger picture—your continued relationship with the customer.