10 takeaways from a workshop on buy-in (Guildford, 2018)
Posted on: September 13, 2018
Thanks to Stevens Bolton https://www.stevens-bolton.com/ for hosting a Professional Marketing Forum workshop on buy-in Guildford http://www.pmforum.co.uk/locations/guildford.aspx After a lively session including exercises, discussions and sharing ideas, the delegates selected the following top 10 takeaways:
1. Face-to-face contact
A recent HBR report suggested that face-to-face requests were 34 times more likely to be accepted than those by email or telephone. The importance of face-to-face contact in selling situations is explored further here: http://kimtasso.com/two-big-guns-of-communication-face-time-and-reframe/ We also talked about the power of proximity in cross-selling situations.
2. Empathy and Emotional intelligence
Empathy is the ability to see things from another person’s perspective. We need to understand people before we try to influence or persuade them. When we understand their point of view it is easier to adapt our message (stressing the benefits to them, “move towards a gain” or “shift away from pain” etc). Emotional intelligence is explored further here: http://kimtasso.com/faq/emotional-intelligence-eq-important/ and this EQ book is recommended http://kimtasso.com/book-review-emotional-intelligence-2-0-travis-bradberry-jean-greaves/
3. Motivation
We explored some models of personality that showed general differences in motivation (i.e. dogs – motivated by affiliation, cats – motivated by achievement and bears – motivated by power and control). We also spent some time considering the different motivations of those we wish to influence including money, power, recognition and reputation. More about motivation: http://kimtasso.com/faq/how-do-you-increase-motivation-for-marketing-and-business-development/
4. Push and pull communication
If we push, people will resist. So we need to pull in their interest. This requires a relationship, engagement, mutual understanding and a recognition of what will be attractive to the other person to earn their interest. Push communications are directive. Pull communications are on the other end of spectrum with consultative and coaching styles. http://kimtasso.com/coaching-skills-power-questions-2017/
5. Listen
It is easy to get wrapped up in what we want to say. But we need to understand other people’s perspectives and views. So we must ensure that we listen carefully to what they are saying – both the words that are used and the way in which the words are spoken (i.e. the non-verbal communication). Active listening skills are explored here: http://kimtasso.com/coaching-skills-importance-active-listening/
6. Personal power
We considered our personal credibility. We considered the importance of trust (see http://kimtasso.com/trust-better-business-relationships/) And we considered the PIA model of personal power with reference to characters Jessica Pearson and Harvey Spectre from the TV series Suits http://kimtasso.com/jessica-pearson-nine-tips-assertiveness-impact-effectiveness-marketing-bd-executives/ Let’s be more Jessica! Let’s ask more incisive questions!
7. Power partners
We can enlist the support of powerful partners to act as champions, sponsors, supporters and influencers. They are hugely influential as role models when new behaviours are introduced. They can be our innovators and early adopters. They can act as change catalysts. There are several posts about change management – for example: http://kimtasso.com/driving-change-professional-practices-interesting-bits/
8. Adaptive third
We looked at ways to segment the internal audience – to consider who will be impacted by change and who has influence. We also talked about the research that shows a third of people are more likely to adapt to change http://kimtasso.com/change-management-creativity-third-adapt-easily/
9. Alignment
People are tribal. We get an important sense of identity and belonging when we identify with those in the same in-group. Many of our firms operate in silos. People focus on their area of expertise and their clients and fail to see the bigger picture. We need to find ways to align our aims with their objectives so that we are fighting the same cause and on the same side. There’s a danger we in marketing and business development can get trapped in silos too. http://kimtasso.com/strategy-silos-is-marketing-guilty-too-align-integrate-focus-educate-and-champion/
10. Change management
Achieving buy-in to particular initiatives and projects is usually part of a much greater change management programme. Changing the culture of a firms is an immensely difficult and risky thing to do – we must not lose what has made our firm so successful along the way. While there are many guides to support change management (I particularly like the simplicity of the three stage model in this book http://kimtasso.com/change-management-book-review-switch-how-to-change-things-when-change-is-hard-by-chip-and-dan-heath/) we must also learn to be patient and persistent. ‘Slowly, slowly catchee monkey.’
Other blogs on buy-in include:
- http://kimtasso.com/jessica-pearson-nine-tips-assertiveness-impact-effectiveness-marketing-bd-executives/ (March 2018)
- https://kimtasso.com/internal-communication-why-how-and-what/ (Feb 2018)
- https://kimtasso.com/coaching-skills-power-questions-2017/ (May 2017)
- https://kimtasso.com/bottlenecks-bulldozers-caught-cross-fire-highlights-stakeholder-management-buy-session-2016/ (August 2016)
- https://kimtasso.com/achieving-buy-oranges-elephants-dancing/ (April 2016)
- https://kimtasso.com/positive-persuasive-and-persistent-therapy-and-theory-of-partner-buy-in/ (June 2015)
- http://kimtasso.com/10-tips-increase-buy-planning-persuade/ (June 2014)
- http://kimtasso.com/top-tips-on-the-psychology-of-persuasion/ (June 2013)
- http://kimtasso.com/getting-it-past-the-partners-all-about-buy-in/ (June 2012)
Many of the psychological and persuasion themes explored in the workshop are covered in my new book “Better Business Relationships – insight from psychology and management for working in a digital world” http://kimtasso.com/publications/better-business-relationships/
Related Posts
- Young Marketing Executives face same old problems
- A-E of cultivating a culture of relationship management
- Coaching and mentoring staff and fee-earners
- Future Marketing Manager – The challenges
- Top tips on the psychology of persuasion
- We’re all change managers in professional services
- 10 tips to increase buy-in: Planning to persuade
- Book Review: “The small big – small changes that spark big influence” by Steve J Martin, Noah J Goldstein and Robert B Cialdini (persuasion science)
- Future Marketing Managers need some Finnish “Sisu” or Japanese “Ganbaru” for success
- “Mavericks, measurement and impatience” Campaign management in the professions – highlights from the West Midlands Professional Marketing Forum
- Positive, persuasive and persistent - Therapy and theory of partner buy-in
- 3 themes from marketing planning – Stepping stones, persuasion and momentum
- Do perfect pitches need proper processes?
- Marketing planning in a nutshell – Selecting a strategy
- Achieving buy-in – Oranges, elephants and dancing
- Bottlenecks, bulldozers and caught in the cross-fire – Highlights from a stakeholder management and buy-in session (2016)
- Driving change in professional practices – the interesting bits?
- Strategy development insights: Curiosity, challenge, creativity, co-creation, culture and change
- Coaching skills – The power of questions (2017)
- Change management – Millennials, metaphors and resistance
- Key Account Management KAM in a nutshell
- Thought leadership, campaigns and project management – Nine insights from a workshop (2017)
- Proactive Marketing Executive – Eight top tips (Feb 2018)
- Better Business Relationships – New book in the pipeline
- Introducing the marketing planning process into a professional service firm
- Referrer and intermediary management – 13 top tips from a workshop (May 2018)
- Book review: Reinforcements: How to get people to help you by Heidi Grant
- Animal magic of buy-in and stakeholder engagement (Video)
- At the heart of what we do – Better Business Relationships
- Book review of Better Business Relationships by Paul English of Grant Thornton International
- Essential soft skills for lawyers
- Improve your resilience
- Ten psychological ideas that employers, recruiters and HR people need to know
- Soft skills for lawyers – research and book in development
- Book Review: Helping people change: Coaching with compassion for lifelong learning and growth by Richard Boyatzis, Melvin Smith and Ellen Van Oosten
- Animal magic and the art of gaining buy-in: Leeds September 2019
- An introduction to emotional intelligence (EQ) and empathy (Video)
- Insights into assertiveness, confidence and effectiveness (2020)
- Leadership: Authenticity, values and culture
- Securing your seat at the strategy table
- Two big guns of communication – Face-time and reframing
- Change management: Building Resilience – Regulation, Reframing, Relationships and Reflection (Video)
- Be more visible – the PVI model
- Conference report: British Psychological Society’s (BPS) Psychology means business
- Team management issues – Managing up, boundaries and broken relationships
- Be more onion, time out from the tsunami and other strategy insights
- Book review: Professional services leadership handbook by Nigel Clark, Ben Kent, Alastair Beddow and Adrian Furner
- Resources to help you deal with difficult interactions
- 10 key points all about buy-in in professional services (Manchester and Dublin 2019)
- Future Marketing Manager – A checklist for success and how to get promoted
- Top 10 takeaways - Proactive Marketing Executive (Feb 2019)
- Book review – Advanced Marketing Management: Principles, skills and tools by Nikolaos Dimitriadis, Neda Jovanovic Dimitriadis and Jillian Ney
- Coaching and Mentoring
- Change management and Employee engagement
- Book review: “The change catalyst – secrets to successful and sustainable business change” by Campbell MacPherson (Change Management)
- Structured programmes for Referrer Relationships
Category: Kim's Blog, Management Skills, Marketing, Relationship Management
Tagged: Active Listening, Better business relationships, Business relationships, Buy in, champions, Communication, EI, Emotional Intelligence, Empathy, EQ, Face-to-face, Influence, Internal Communication, Listening, Motivation, personal power, Persuasion, Power, power partners, Project management, sponsors, stakeholder engagement, Stakeholder Management, Training, upwards management
Share This