{"id":1000,"date":"2015-09-12T11:17:00","date_gmt":"2015-09-12T11:17:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/localhost\/projects\/horsesforsources\/lets-cut-the-bullsht_091215\/"},"modified":"2015-09-12T11:17:00","modified_gmt":"2015-09-12T11:17:00","slug":"lets-cut-the-bullsht_091215","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.horsesforsources.com\/lets-cut-the-bullsht_091215\/","title":{"rendered":"Weekend Rant: Let’s cut this bullsh*t and have meaningful conversations again (please)"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Skeptical\"<\/p>\n

Skeptical? You should be…<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Admit it, people, you’re all being subjected to presentations from many service providers and advisors that have become so confusing you’re actually too embarrassed to say: “I really haven’t got a clue what you are trying to pitch me here”.<\/p>\n

In many cases, you suspect the suit presenting it to you probably doesn’t have much of a clue either, so you just zone out and permit him to portray painfully\u00a0his pre-scripted, professionally puffed-up, potpourri of PowerPoint.<\/p>\n

I don’t believe I’ve ever witnessed a time our services “industry” has descended into such a mind-numbing pattern of meaningless marketing hype and unintelligible bullsh*t. \u00a0It was bad enough when everyone was painting pretty pictures of “transformation” to sugar-frost labor arbitrage deals, but at least we could understand the bullsh*t and detect its scent a mile away.<\/p>\n

Today, we’ve fallen even deeper into a trough of verbose desperation, as most service providers and advisors replicate each others’ sales decks to reel off an increasingly inane plethora of confused rubbish, that is transcending\u00a0further and further away from reality. In most cases, this is much worse<\/em> than mere sales hype, it is hype and confusion squished together in such a confused steaming mess, it leaves most of us speechless to even question it. How can you ask sensible questions, when you just don’t really understand<\/em>\u00a0what you’re being presented?<\/p>\n

When we questioned the understanding of today’s technology enablers with 178 experienced service buyers, the results are quite alarming – and telling:<\/p>\n

\"Click<\/a><\/p>\n

Click to Enlarge<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Despite being the most hyped technology to hit the services market in the last three years, only 50% of service buyers actually understand what Robotic Process Automation<\/a> is? And only a third grasp what\u00a0cognitive computing platforms are? How many more millions need to be spent on these newfangled cognitive\/autonomic platforms until the people who are their prospective customers actually understand<\/em> what the hell they are? \u00a0How many more millions do these providers, analysts and advisors need to spend on stroking each others’ egos at expensively assembled boondoggles, before they realize their actual prospective customers haven’t got a bloody clue<\/em> what they are talking about? \u00a0How many more millions are going to be spent on marketing campaigns that just leave us scratching our heads, confused as to what<\/em> is actually being sold?<\/p>\n

Some vain suggestions to get us back to something closely resembling reality<\/span><\/p>\n

Invest in\u00a0executives who can hold meaningful conversations with your clients.<\/strong> \u00a0“We’re just not talking to the right people,” confined\u00a0one service provider leader to me recently. \u00a0We quickly came to the conclusion this was because his firm had not recruited the right people to have the right conversations with the right level of people. \u00a0This is where service providers and advisors have<\/em> to invest, if they are going to make it past this era of BS. \u00a0Too many are skimping it with cheaper kids and inexperienced sales people who just don’t have the chops and years of experience on the client side, to get them to open up about their challenges and create interest in hiring them. We’re not just selling a software product here, we’re selling services to address fundamental business pain points. \u00a0So waste less money on meaningless marketing and ineffective sales people, and find the talent which can hold the conversations you need to be successful. Be unafraid to change the failing recruitment model in this business – there are hoards of really smart, articulate, experienced people out there. \u00a0Otherwise, you will probably fail.<\/p>\n

Kill the PowerPoint.<\/strong> I can’t believe I am still talking about this one, but it’s got even worse<\/em>\u00a0in most cases. \u00a0And the PowerPoint’s got even more canned and scripted. It’s become an excuse not<\/em> to have a meaningful conversation.\u00a0\u00a0It’s become the glitz the ineffective sales guys can hide behind to avoid<\/em> the meaningful conversations.<\/p>\n

Start with the solution and get to the point.<\/strong>\u00a0People will immediately resonate with you, when you articulate what you are trying to talk to them about. Never be afraid of the blindingly obvious – if people understand what you are talking about, you will get their attention. “Our solution can take out 40% of cost, like we already have for xxxx”… or “We can fix your manual processes in six months with our revolutionary new automation tool and here’s how we’ve done it”. Or “We are\u00a0the leader for high value solutions in healthcare, or banking and this is why” etc. \u00a0Don’t amble on with a dull build up to sound clever, and really avoid the canned Nascar slide, when it’s clearly a hodge-podge of logos of everyone who’s had some vague connection with you. \u00a0It’s cheesy. \u00a0And tone down the incessant use of flashy terminology – we all know it by now. \u00a0Let’s revert to more plain English, please.<\/p>\n

Bring real personalities into play, not sales people.<\/strong> \u00a0As we discussed last week<\/a>, the focus of work today is about increasingly about\u00a0enjoying<\/em> who you’re working with. \u00a0People want to engage with people with charisma, who actually want to create relationships, not the old school sales rep who are “only selling”. \u00a0We’re all in the relationship business and need to create long term relationships with our clients and partners, whether or not they buy from us today. \u00a0People are still buying from people – especially as the technology becomes more and more commonplace. \u00a0There is always a lot more forgiveness factor<\/em> from clients for a sloppy transition or an over-budget implementation, where the relationships are true and strong. We might be in the era where technology is at the center of our world, but this means the real differentiation is with the people<\/em> applying the technology.<\/p>\n

The Bottom-line: \u00a0We have to fix our bullsh*t problem, or this industry will fade\u00a0into irrelevance\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

We’re in the business of helping clients run their operations more productively – that’s never changed. \u00a0We’re not in the business of trying to be the smartest guy in the room. \u00a0And we’re certainly not in the business of creating the largest array of pre-scripted canned marketing hype. It’s time to get back to basics, focus on the people we have fronting our capabilities and making sure our clients understand us – and are engaged<\/em> with us. \u00a0If we’re not, we might as well go home now, as others are coming along who are<\/em> changing the conversation and having the meaningful dialog.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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