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<v Speaker 1>Hello, and welcome to the Audible Ready Sales Podcast. I'm

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<v Speaker 1>Rachel Klett Miller. Quick here at the top. Have you

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<v Speaker 1>checked out a sender mad a sender dot co. If

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<v Speaker 1>you like the content we're putting out on the podcast,

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<v Speaker 1>you'll love the content we're publishing on a sender almost

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<v Speaker 1>every day. Be sure to check it out. Brian Walsh

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<v Speaker 1>is joining me today to dive into a topic that

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<v Speaker 1>I think a lot of you are dealing with.

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<v Speaker 2>Hi, Brian, Hello, Rachel. Hello.

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<v Speaker 1>All right, So today we are going to talk about

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<v Speaker 1>pilot projects. Some of you may be in those sales process.

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<v Speaker 1>You're in these meetings, you feel like you got a

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<v Speaker 1>great position here to move a deal forward, and the

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<v Speaker 1>customer says, hey, let's just try a pilot project first. So, Brian,

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<v Speaker 1>I know we're going to kind of dive in and

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<v Speaker 1>how you deal with that and how to counteract that

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<v Speaker 1>and when you want to do it and when you don't.

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<v Speaker 1>But first, let's talk about why these projects pop up

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<v Speaker 1>and make their way into our sales caps.

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<v Speaker 2>Okay, So the obvious answer is the economy, right, It's

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<v Speaker 2>the it's it's the old line from politics, it's the economy. Stupid. Uh,

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<v Speaker 2>so that wasn't at you right, correct? Yeah, But you

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<v Speaker 2>know everything's got more pressure, everything's got more heat and light,

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<v Speaker 2>everything's got more people involved or you know, fingers in

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<v Speaker 2>the in the pie. And that's typically the number one reason.

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<v Speaker 2>But even if it's not the economy, this happens all

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<v Speaker 2>the time, even when the economy is good. And I

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<v Speaker 2>think that's one of the big questions, right, So I

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<v Speaker 2>I know we can go deeper here in a second,

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<v Speaker 2>but the why is always the first question I got

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<v Speaker 2>to ask myself, is that really what's happening in this

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<v Speaker 2>moment in time? Because in this moment in time, it'd

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<v Speaker 2>be easy when somebody says, oh, I think we need

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<v Speaker 2>to do a pilot, to just assume, oh, it's the economy,

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<v Speaker 2>but it might not be especially and so even I

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<v Speaker 2>it's I'm like, this is my nephew economy. When the

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<v Speaker 2>county is good, it's definitely not the economy. So the

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<v Speaker 2>first question is, well, why, what's the why behind that?

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<v Speaker 2>Is this a political landscape conversation. Is it a resources

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<v Speaker 2>conversation other than money, like people or time? Is it

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<v Speaker 2>is it a competing project with a completely different alternative?

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<v Speaker 2>Is it a competitive conversation. So digging under the covers

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<v Speaker 2>to get to the why, I think is always the

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<v Speaker 2>first place to start.

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah, and there's reasons why you may want to move

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<v Speaker 1>them forward. And if we look at the why, why

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<v Speaker 1>would we want to move why, is it a good

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<v Speaker 1>reason to take on a pilot?

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah? Okay, so I think there are four things. It's

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<v Speaker 2>the who, the why, the how, and the when. And

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<v Speaker 2>doing a pilot for any of the wrong reasons against

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<v Speaker 2>these four questions is never a good idea. And it

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<v Speaker 2>often happens because we have a tendency to react to

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<v Speaker 2>a request because we are good people, we're problem solvers,

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<v Speaker 2>and we want to react to a requests instead of

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<v Speaker 2>stopping and really thinking through all of those factors. Right.

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<v Speaker 2>So with that in mind, it's also a chance in

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<v Speaker 2>that moment when this idea of a pilot comes up

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<v Speaker 2>to also frame the negotiation that's happening before the customer

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<v Speaker 2>even realizes we're negotiating. Now, that might be a conversation

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<v Speaker 2>for another day, but I will say this, we have

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<v Speaker 2>a tendency, as they said, as sellers, to give things

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<v Speaker 2>away without thinking about it because we're solving, like we

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<v Speaker 2>want to help, we're givers. As you know, I like

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<v Speaker 2>to say, but remember every request that comes from a customer,

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<v Speaker 2>including something like this, Hey, let's little pilot, you know,

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<v Speaker 2>you know whatever, especially if it's veil right. You don't

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<v Speaker 2>know why, right, But this is a chance to expand

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<v Speaker 2>the conversation and begin to trade. And so when you

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<v Speaker 2>do that consistently, when you expand the conversation before you

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<v Speaker 2>respond and start to trade on things of value, you're

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<v Speaker 2>actually keeping others in this case the customer, that you

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<v Speaker 2>will never just roll over and give something, but instead

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<v Speaker 2>you'll always look to find ways to create more value

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<v Speaker 2>for both sides before you decide whether or not. In

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<v Speaker 2>this case, the ask of a pilot is a good

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<v Speaker 2>idea for both of us.

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<v Speaker 1>So once you've assessed that, what do you need to

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<v Speaker 1>do as a salesperson? And you know some of this

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<v Speaker 1>is like an implementation of part But what do you

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<v Speaker 1>need to do to increase the likelihood that these pilot

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<v Speaker 1>projects will lead to a more permanent solution.

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<v Speaker 2>Okay, let's stay on our four factors. You might just

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<v Speaker 2>write like it's the who, the why, the how, and

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<v Speaker 2>the when. Right, let's just kind of break each one

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<v Speaker 2>of these down. On the who conversation. I got to

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<v Speaker 2>be asking myself some questions. Who's this person in the

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<v Speaker 2>organization who's asking for this? How much power and influence

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<v Speaker 2>do they have? And what part of the buying decisions

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<v Speaker 2>the economic buying, the technical buying, or just like the

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<v Speaker 2>and when I say just it's not to discount or

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<v Speaker 2>the implementation part of the decision. And are are will

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<v Speaker 2>other people listen to this person? Right? Is this person

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<v Speaker 2>a coach or are they more than that? Are they

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<v Speaker 2>a potential or even a current champion? So those are

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<v Speaker 2>some of the examples of what I've got to be

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<v Speaker 2>asking myself and my team about the who. Then there's

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<v Speaker 2>the why, like what's the real objective of this pilot?

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<v Speaker 2>How are we going to measure the ultimate success? Now

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<v Speaker 2>that this is important, how are we going to measure

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<v Speaker 2>the ultimate success of a pilot? Is one thing, right,

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<v Speaker 2>A six week or a six month pilot has got

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<v Speaker 2>some sort of finish line objectives rights positive business outcomes,

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<v Speaker 2>as we like to say. But the other thing you

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<v Speaker 2>got to have in place is are short term metrics?

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<v Speaker 2>So what are the metrics we have in place to

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<v Speaker 2>ensure that we can course correct during the pilot If

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<v Speaker 2>we're not on track. Right, if I got a three

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<v Speaker 2>month or six on pilot, I better have some shorter

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<v Speaker 2>term metrics in place that tell us whether or not

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<v Speaker 2>this is on track. And this is a critical question

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<v Speaker 2>because without these metrics, you're starting at point A in

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<v Speaker 2>the hopes of getting the point Z with nothing in

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<v Speaker 2>between you to tell you whether not you're still on track.

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<v Speaker 2>And that's never that rarely, rarely turns into anything more

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<v Speaker 2>than like, you know, let's go to church and light

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<v Speaker 2>a candle and the hopes that we get a great outcome. Right.

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<v Speaker 2>And then then there's the how, like so around the

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<v Speaker 2>concept of how, what's the specific plan to include players

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<v Speaker 2>from both sides, the responsibilities, the date, et cetera. Who's

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<v Speaker 2>the sponsor like this of this pilot and what are

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<v Speaker 2>their objectives and level of buy in? How are we

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<v Speaker 2>going to keep everyone informed in a consistent fashion, What

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<v Speaker 2>happens if one side or the other is not holding

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<v Speaker 2>up their end of the bargain? And how will we

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<v Speaker 2>communicate results and move forward based on success or any

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<v Speaker 2>lack thereof. So like, there's all of that going on.

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<v Speaker 2>It's the who, it's the what, it's the well, how

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<v Speaker 2>are we going to make sure this happens. And then

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<v Speaker 2>last but not least, maybe the easier, easiest of the ford.

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<v Speaker 2>But the answer is the when, like, what are the

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<v Speaker 2>real timelines for this pilot? Are those appropriate and achievable?

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<v Speaker 2>And what happens if those timelines aren't met by either side?

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<v Speaker 2>I think there's a level of detail that you've got

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<v Speaker 2>to go into if you're going to do a pilot.

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<v Speaker 2>And oh, by the way, this applies to somebody asking

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<v Speaker 2>for a proof of concept, right, it's very similar, right,

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<v Speaker 2>very similar, but even more so here because the money

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<v Speaker 2>is now on the line. There's more money on the

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<v Speaker 2>line with a pilot than there is even with a trial, right,

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<v Speaker 2>or a proof of concept. So those are the questions

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<v Speaker 2>I'm asking myself or my teammates if we're really trying

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<v Speaker 2>to consider whether or not a pilot is a good idea.

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<v Speaker 1>Great questions. I hope those of you who are getting

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<v Speaker 1>this question a lot from your prospects or writing those down.

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<v Speaker 1>I want to go back to when you were talking

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<v Speaker 1>about the why the metrics conversation. Talk a lot about metrics,

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<v Speaker 1>getting metrics as part of your sales process, with or

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<v Speaker 1>without a pilot project. Right, how are we measuring success,

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<v Speaker 1>and sometimes it can be difficult to get those nailed down.

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<v Speaker 1>So I want to talk a little bit about that, because,

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<v Speaker 1>as you said, it's really critical when we're dealing with

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<v Speaker 1>these pilot projects. So how do I, for lack of

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<v Speaker 1>a better term, force the metrics to that outcome conversation

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<v Speaker 1>with my customer? How do I get my customer to

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<v Speaker 1>see the importance of that.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, this is a really important point, Rachel. And it's

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<v Speaker 2>actually another example of negotiation as a skill that we're

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<v Speaker 2>going to pull on throughout the entire opportunity pursuit. There

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<v Speaker 2>is a cost to a pilot, right, and there's a

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<v Speaker 2>cost to both thoughts. So I would not shy away

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<v Speaker 2>from the question you've it's really really critical. I know

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<v Speaker 2>already mentioned it. But without metrics, both short and long

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<v Speaker 2>term metrics, right, pilots often turn into nothing more than

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<v Speaker 2>science experiments. Yeah, and hey, I'll be the first permit.

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<v Speaker 2>And sometimes the science experiment is okay. Sometimes we want

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<v Speaker 2>to do a science experiment as much as the custom Right,

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<v Speaker 2>it's right, we got something new, we're looking for early adopters, whatever,

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<v Speaker 2>But paf that and choosing to do with science experiment purposefully,

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<v Speaker 2>and even then there should be metrics, you know, the

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<v Speaker 2>back of the majority of time, no metrics equals no decisions.

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<v Speaker 2>And I think that's the key, because you know a

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<v Speaker 2>lot of times pilots are being run by technical buyers,

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<v Speaker 2>and eventually they're the ones who have to go to

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<v Speaker 2>the economic buying audience and ask for more money or

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<v Speaker 2>real money to take the pilot to a larger scale.

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<v Speaker 2>And if you can't answer the business questions that the

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<v Speaker 2>economic buyer cares about, you got yourself with science experiment,

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<v Speaker 2>and as good as your technical buyer I might feel

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<v Speaker 2>about it, it ain't going anywhere else. So you know,

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<v Speaker 2>someone who doesn't want to have a metric conversation is

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<v Speaker 2>a red flag for me. Yep, And I won't do

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<v Speaker 2>the pilot in that case because without success measures and

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<v Speaker 2>an identified sponsor as appropriate level, we're just all kind

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<v Speaker 2>of spin in our wheels. Now, I want to be clear.

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<v Speaker 2>If somebody calls me and says, hey, I have X

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<v Speaker 2>amount of money to spend and I have to spend

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<v Speaker 2>it today by five o'clock, do you want it? Okay?

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<v Speaker 2>I'm not suggesting you should say no, take the deal

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<v Speaker 2>off the street. I'm good with that, but you've got

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<v Speaker 2>to at least understand that if you want this to

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<v Speaker 2>turn into something bigger, Right, if this is an opportunity

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<v Speaker 2>or an account where there's more runway for us, before

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<v Speaker 2>you take that fifty thousand dollars or one hundred thousand

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<v Speaker 2>dollars or whatever they have to spend, you better have

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<v Speaker 2>a couple of these conversations in your in your back pocket.

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<v Speaker 2>Need to have Hey, how are we going to measure

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<v Speaker 2>the success of the use of this bend? Because I

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<v Speaker 2>want to help you look good inside of your organization.

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<v Speaker 2>That's all. Like, we don't have to overcomplicate this. Yeah

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<v Speaker 2>we might if it's a twelve million dollar deal, but

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<v Speaker 2>if it's you know, I just want to make sure

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<v Speaker 2>I'm sending that message. You know, everything is appropriate. How's

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<v Speaker 2>that right? Yeah, we're not above that. Yeah that's right.

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<v Speaker 1>No, no metrics, no decision, no successes. Are great takeaways

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<v Speaker 1>from that little segment there. Okay, Brian, what sort of

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<v Speaker 1>things am I doing along the way through implementation of

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<v Speaker 1>the pilot to make sure we're holding tight to what

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<v Speaker 1>was promised in the beginning to keep reminding the customer

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<v Speaker 1>of you know, the endgame here.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, great question, And I might have said this earlier

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<v Speaker 2>or pointed to it earlier. But I think there are

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<v Speaker 2>just three things to remember.

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<v Speaker 1>Right.

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<v Speaker 2>One, you've got to have agreed upon process steps right again,

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<v Speaker 2>short term metrics that we can constantly stay on top

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<v Speaker 2>of so that we can fourth correct if required. And

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<v Speaker 2>these have to be visible, tangible, and or measurable, right,

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<v Speaker 2>That's the first thing. The second is you've got to

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<v Speaker 2>have agreed upon, assigned and aligned roles that have clear

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<v Speaker 2>responsibility from both sides, right. And then, last, but not least,

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<v Speaker 2>you've got to have agreed upon communication processes with the

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<v Speaker 2>right capital right people. Right, Like I'm screaming that the

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<v Speaker 2>right people throughout the pilot with some agreed upon rules

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<v Speaker 2>of the road. I mean, it's really all about the

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<v Speaker 2>front end setup with some well thought out and agreed

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<v Speaker 2>upon standards of how are we going to do this,

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<v Speaker 2>who's doing what and when? And how are we going

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<v Speaker 2>to keep the right people engaged so that we can

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<v Speaker 2>make good decisions throughout.

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<v Speaker 1>Right, Because then it's just an assumes part of the process.

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<v Speaker 1>I mean, you almost embedded into the pilot when you

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<v Speaker 1>lay out those rules of the road. That's right, And

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<v Speaker 1>my next question kind of goes to that when you

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<v Speaker 1>mentioned doing this early. How do I make sure I'm

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<v Speaker 1>anchoring on the if this is If this is successful,

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<v Speaker 1>then we are going to do this sort of that

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<v Speaker 1>crux move into moving these pilot projects into more permanent solutions.

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<v Speaker 1>How do I do that early in the process?

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<v Speaker 2>Great? Another great question. I think this isn't patches to

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<v Speaker 2>the why conversation rights, because if this isn't established, you're

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<v Speaker 2>kind of wasting people's time and money, right, including your

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<v Speaker 2>companies and your own right. I mean, you've got to

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<v Speaker 2>be working on the right deals at the right level

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<v Speaker 2>of depth and breadth, right as appropriate for that opportunity.

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<v Speaker 2>So I'm not suggesting that the app is always the

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<v Speaker 2>same thing, but for every pilot there does have to

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<v Speaker 2>be an objective for that pilot and of corresponding set

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<v Speaker 2>of next step and action. Otherwise, like here, give me

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<v Speaker 2>your money and I'll give you what you want for

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<v Speaker 2>the plot. Like it's kind of a I don't want

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<v Speaker 2>to take a waste of time. That's that's a bad

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<v Speaker 2>way to put it. And it might be now that

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<v Speaker 2>I say it out loud, like you could find yourself.

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<v Speaker 2>Let's let's like, let's play this out. Imagine getting a

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<v Speaker 2>pilot with someone thinking to yourself, this is one department

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<v Speaker 2>and a large organization. I can get this pilot in here,

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<v Speaker 2>and then I can take our solution and go company

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<v Speaker 2>Wi trans and have a transformational effort inside of the company.

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<v Speaker 2>Well that's nice, of course, if nobody inside of the

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<v Speaker 2>customers organization knows that it ain't ever going to happen.

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<v Speaker 2>And now you you sign up for a pilot with

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<v Speaker 2>one person and even maybe they've agreed, but you don't

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<v Speaker 2>have any upfront agreement or alignment or access to other

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<v Speaker 2>people that ain't gonna happen. It's just you know, so

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<v Speaker 2>you are wasting your time, or at least you're dreaming

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<v Speaker 2>about something that ain't gonna.

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<v Speaker 1>Happen, right, and it kind of it just becomes bad

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<v Speaker 1>for your professional brand.

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<v Speaker 2>Right.

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<v Speaker 1>You become an order taker. You're not a problem solve.

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<v Speaker 1>You're not adding value to the customer. You are becoming

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<v Speaker 1>an order taker and to your part, take the deal

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<v Speaker 1>off the street. But in the broader sense, you don't

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<v Speaker 1>want to be doing this consistently.

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<v Speaker 2>I love that you just said that because it reminds

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<v Speaker 2>me too that when you do these well at the

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<v Speaker 2>level that I'm talking about, it's another example of setting

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<v Speaker 2>yourself apart by how you sell, not what you sell.

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<v Speaker 2>And I'm here to tell you ninety percent of organizations

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<v Speaker 2>out there will have significant appreciation for how you handle

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<v Speaker 2>this conversation. And I'm not looking to say no. I'm

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<v Speaker 2>looking to say yes, but I'm looking to say yes

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<v Speaker 2>in a way that is measured appropriately for the opportunity

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<v Speaker 2>and the long term opportunity and puts skin in the

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<v Speaker 2>game on both sides. Yeah, and the appropriate level of skin, right.

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah, Yeah, we're following. Okay, great, and there's a lot

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<v Speaker 1>of great takeaways today, Brian. Then I know people can

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<v Speaker 1>keep the top of mind as we wrap up. Feel

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<v Speaker 1>free to bring in any other final points that you want,

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<v Speaker 1>But I'd also love for you to wrap up by

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<v Speaker 1>giving us a rundown of those key questions you need

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<v Speaker 1>to ask yourself when a potential pilot project surface itself

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<v Speaker 1>in your sales conversation.

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<v Speaker 2>Okay, so I don't want to oversimplify it, but just

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<v Speaker 2>remember these four words who, why, how, and when period?

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<v Speaker 2>And then, like I was having this conversation with an

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<v Speaker 2>organization this week about just getting in a room to

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<v Speaker 2>talk about a live opportunity, this is an example of

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<v Speaker 2>that you're probably going to find yourself in a room

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<v Speaker 2>talking to other people about this pilot. Might be you

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<v Speaker 2>and your manager, it might be you and four other people, right,

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<v Speaker 2>But when you're in that moment, you've got to create

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<v Speaker 2>a culture where other people asking you these questions, will

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<v Speaker 2>who's involved, why should we do this? How are we

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<v Speaker 2>going to make sure it's successful from both sides, et cetera,

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<v Speaker 2>et cetera. When you're getting asked those questions, it's not

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<v Speaker 2>viewed as an inspection, but instead it's viewed as an

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<v Speaker 2>opportunity to look at this deal more strategically so that

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<v Speaker 2>we can make really great tactical decisions. So it becomes coaching,

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<v Speaker 2>non inspection. And I'll just leave it at that. Finish

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<v Speaker 2>with the you know, stay focused on the who, the why,

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<v Speaker 2>the how and the when, and you've got a really

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<v Speaker 2>you got a much better chance of making the right

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<v Speaker 2>decision for that given opportunity.

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<v Speaker 1>Thank you so much, Brian, thank you, thank you. And

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<v Speaker 1>these are the type of topics I'll say it again

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<v Speaker 1>that we are taking on in our platform as center.

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<v Speaker 1>You go through a sales training and you learn the

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<v Speaker 1>big rocks, but sometimes when you're executing your sales project process.

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<v Speaker 1>Things come at that up like pilot projects or asking

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<v Speaker 1>for a pilot project. What do I do? And you

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<v Speaker 1>want to figure out your best next steps? You can

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<v Speaker 1>ask these questions in our community. Brian's taking questions Antonella, John, Tim,

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<v Speaker 1>Patti Mac They're all there. Go ahead and check it

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<v Speaker 1>out my dot assender dot co. And thank you for

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<v Speaker 1>listening to the Audible Ready Sales Podcast