Program Manager Role in License Sale

In course of selling commercial software, there will inevitably come a time when a potential sale begins to slowdown or even  stall.  This can occur for many reasons including:

1. Uncertainty of internal risks of large project
2. Uncertainty of load of project on internal staff
3. Uncertainty of how project tasks are inter-linked
4. Uncertainty if vendor is capable of successfully completing the project
5. Uncertainty if services staff understands the business and can model the business within the tool

For a IT executive, these items can slow or even prevent a software sale.  A Program Manager can help by briefing the executive staff on these items or any other concerns expressed by the prospect.  The software sales team can leverage the Program Manager in this capacity to close the sale as the Program Manager can build confidence within the prospect that is difficult for the sales team to achieve.

Given this opportunity in my past, the following item have helped me.

• Brief an implementation/development methodology including key decision points and risky aspects of the implementation

Whether the project is a commercial software implementation, custom development project or any combination thereof, the PM can begin with the overall approach to the project.  Start with a template or shell project plan and define the major phases including the major objectives and activities in each.  Keep the conversation at a high level and focus on the flow of the activities and their relationship to the project objectives.  The staffing needs, key decision points, and risks will naturally fall out of the discussion.

Identify the activities where deliverables are produced and where intense business involvement may be required.  The initial requirements gathering sessions are a typical example.  Describe how these activities have been conducted in the past, highlight and stress the interaction between the vendor staff and the technical and business staff of the prospect.  This reiterates the consultative nature of the activities and that the prospect will drive the end product.

• Focus on the non-technical aspects of the project including communication, training, testing, risk management, and change management

In my experience, many of the concerns come from the non-technical areas of the project and include: How will we manage change?  Will we come in on time and within budget? How will we ensure the prospect staff is trained and able to operate the solution once built?  How will the solution be tested?  How will data be converted from the legacy systems?

Walk the audience through the project plan template and highlight these areas in a separate discussion from above.  This will demonstrate the completeness of the template, sensitivity to the long term operation of the solution, and and also enable the audience to focus on individual areas of concerns outside the context of the technical aspects of the plan.

• Present multiple options for business related issues without committing

Always present multiple options for consideration as the options will be discussed and that decisions are made during the requirements and design phases of the project.  Attempting to make them in this timeframe is premature until all topics are thoroughly discussed.  Having multiple options to consider demonstrates an overall understanding of the industry and that the project may uncover additional business improvements not previously identified by the prospect.

• Present business examples directly related to the prospects business and how they were solved previously

In preparation for the meeting, work with the sales team to understand and identify multiple business examples from the prospect's current environment and that are relevant to the project scope.  The audience will relate much better to examples from their business rather than more general examples. If there are no known examples from their business, keep all the examples within their line of business as a retailer will likely have difficulty relating to a business example from a financial services company.

When presenting the business examples, focus on the solution to the problem and ideally the conditions under which the decision was made.  This helps the audience identify the problem solving and consultative skills of the Program Manager and how the teams will interact during the implementation.

• Explain the rationale behind any preferences

During the project plan template discussions, the Program Manager may have desired implementation options, techniques, or tools.  When identifying any constraints such as this, explain the rationale behind these preferences and how this preference has prevented issues in the past.  This level of transparency highlights the thought process behind the decisions and helps the audience understand how decisions will be made on the project.

• Questions from the executives typically highlight areas of concern

During the presentation, questions will inevitably be asked.  These questions tend to identify the areas where the audience is concerned and provide insight into the areas to focus the presentation.  The Program Manager should spend any time necessary to address these questions.  The main presentation is of secondary importance to addressing these questions.

Have a second services individual in the room with you as well to read body language.  This person can also help steer the conversation to address additional areas of concern, provide additional business examples, or additional options to consider.

In Summary, the Program Managers can be very helpful in closing business when the prospect has implementation concerns or questions.  By introducing to the prospect the individual who will be with them throughout the process, the sales team and PM can build the necessary confidence to close the sale.