These words were the first I heard when I began to help my dad with projects around our home. Every time I begin a new initiative, they come back to me.
When an organization is transforming their selling strategy to one focused on customer-partnering, the implementation is more successful if the new process is “piloted” prior to full scale launch.
Successful sales people will resist a change away from a selling process that has worked for them. Helping them understand that the new strategy will better communicate the company’s purpose and brand message, increase enduring customer relationships and make their selling efforts more productive will take time. Doubters will be plentiful, so senior leaders should expect a healthy dose of skepticism at first.
Earning support for a change initiative involves behaviors that typically separate into three categories – one third of folks will comprehend the value and enthusiastically support the change, one third will continue to resist the change, and the final third will await the arrival of momentum, the tipping point at which time it is apparent whether advocates or antagonists will prevail. Piloting enables the sales organization to adapt the new strategy to its culture, mission and core values, ensuring that it takes root. It also reduces the influence of those who choose to resist; in the end, there will be some casualties.
Resolve the following questions and you’ll be prepared to build a piloting plan:
- How large should the early adopting pilot group be? Determine the number of sales personnel who will participate and the number of customers who will initially be impacted?
- What characteristics define an early adopter (sales person and customer) and who are they? Strategic thinking, high initiative and organizational commitment are key values for a pilot salesperson. Strong communication skills and high customer empathy are essential. Be certain to include average performers whose success others will notice. It is helpful if the managers of the pilot sales people can be in close proximity to facilitate coaching. For pilot customers, identify those who have the potential to share goals and strategic direction because your trust relationship is robust.
- What metrics can be monitored to measure the progress and results of the pilot implementation? How long should the pilot last? What will determine the timing for subsequent implementation to the rest of the sales team?
Once the pilot project is completed, evaluate the strategy’s effectiveness. What worked, and what must improve before introduction to the entire sales organization. Consider a phased implementation based on parameters similar to those used to plan the pilot.
How has piloting been used for other change initiatives within the organization?
How will barriers that arise during the pilot be resolved?
