CWS 3.0: May 14, 2014

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Sell Your Program to Solve a Problem; Success Follows

Successful contingent workforce programs are built like sales initiatives. I like to say “sourcing is sales,” which means the most successful programs are centered on the end-user. Because many programs are not mandated, successful program managers need to be customer focused. The customer can be an internal stakeholder or an external client, such as your supplier or provider.

It makes sense when you think about it, because you have to be able to sell a program in such a way that solves a problem. For the internal user, that would mean providing access to talent while mitigating risk, for cost savings. For your external suppliers/clients, that would mean providing visibility to requisitions they might not otherwise see, which presents an opportunity to grow their business. I also believe in presenting the best client experience to your suppliers in exchange for better service and pricing. Focusing on their experience often results in an opportunity to improve your own systems and processes while negotiating financial incentives.

So if we assume that contingent workforce management is a sales role, what are some of the things we can apply to be more successful?

There is a tremendous amount of information and literature on effective sales strategies. The easiest to apply and the one most obvious to many is handling client concerns with the “feel, felt, found” technique of objection handling. We all most certainly have been on the other side of this at some point or another, but truth be told it’s still very effective at building positive rapport. A typical exchange using this method with a skeptical hiring manager would sound like this:

You: “Mr. hiring manager, I understand how you feel about the new VMS program, many others have also felt concerned that they will lose out on the best candidates when we roll out the new program. But what they found was that the technology actually resulted in greater talent quality and at a better cost”

Now if we apply the same communication to a skeptical supplier:

“Mr. Supplier, I understand, how you feel about the upcoming VMS program rollout. Other suppliers also felt similarly about losing the contact with the hiring managers. But what they found was that the program provided a great deal of efficiencies that resulted in better sales and faster payables.”

While these techniques are fairly rudimentary, they are nonetheless very effective. Regardless of how you word it yourself, the fundamental objective is to make sure you build a program narrative that focusses on what is important to your client while satisfying your program mission objectives. Only by doing that can you be assured long-term success.