Talent Management - July 2008 - (Page 14)

[learning connections] by Kevin Wilde I I Sorry Right Number — , Wrong Impression picked up the phone on the second ring. I realized my mistake as soon as the voice on the line launched into a typical sales prospecting script. “Hello Kevin Wilde, my name is Joe. You don’t know me, but I was referred to you. You are the person in charge of learning, right? I’m a vendor in the learning space, and I would like to spend time with you now to probe your company’s talent development needs and tell you about my company’s solutions.” Well, I would like to slam the phone down right now and escape this dreaded cold call. Instead, I listen politely. A friend handles similar calls in a brisk, businesslike manner: I’ll be more motivated to buy now that they’ve gone over my head. It’s also discouraging when the caller hasn’t done his homework. Sometimes I know this when playfully asking what he had for breakfast. (Hint: I work for a branded food company, so a bowl of Cheerios is a good answer.) In the Google era, it’s not hard to learn about a company’s talent strategy or the person charged with talent development. Finally, know my interests. chief learning ofﬁcer (CLO) or talent leader with a business challenge — whether told via a presentation at a conference or a co-written byline in a respected publication — peak my interest. Moreover, I am impressed when a CLO or talent colleague is so satisﬁed with a vendor he or she is willing to put in a positive referral. Recently, I experienced this while catching up with a friend. Knowing my current challenges, he recommended a ﬁrm he found to be extremely valuable in similar circumstances. It’s also important vendors have a good reputation with other vendors. I will ﬁnd new ﬁrms by asking my circle of trusted providers for recommendations. I saw the opposite of this recently when a nationally known training ﬁrm publicly sued “I am not sourcing these services right now. If you’d like to send me material on your ﬁrm, I would be happy to keep it on ﬁle. That way, when I am ready to talk, I have your information as a reference. In the meantime, I’m sure you agree that your time is valuable and so is mine. Continuing the conversation right now isn’t a good use of our time. Thank you. Goodbye!” The Wrong Introduction I wish I had that efﬁciency. Because while I value consultants and vendors in talent development and have had many important external partnerships over the years, a cold call is a terrible way to make a positive introduction. Going directly to the CEO isn’t much better. The big boss will route the solicitor to me. When I make the follow-up call, I’ll listen, but inside I’ll stew about the vendor’s assumption July 2008 Whether it’s a formal [sales] pitch or an elevatorspeech encounter, try to mention something about that executive’s business or interests ﬁrst. Then succinctly state how the vendor solution will help. About the Author Kevin Wilde is the vice president and chief learning ofﬁcer at General Mills. He can be reached at editor@ talentmgt.com. Whether it’s a formal pitch or an elevator-speech encounter, try to mention something about that executive’s business or interests ﬁrst. Then succinctly state how the vendor solution will help. How I Buy I buy based on trust. Trust in a potential partner starts with visibility. I am more apt to buy when I see someone involved and supporting the learning profession. Sponsoring conferences, communities of practice or trade publications are all examples of how I’ve found new suppliers. I also like ﬁrms that connect me with thought leaders and innovative practices. Credibility is enhanced when a vendor can describe success with my peers from other companies. Stories about how a solution helped a another ﬁrm in a very aggressive and unproductive manner. That company now has zero chance of teaching my leaders about collaboration and skillful conﬂict resolution. The Right Number As I look at my to-do list, it is apparent I need collaborative help from someone new right now. I am ready to buy, but hate being sold. So to all my undiscovered vendor friends, please consider this before calling or e-mailing: I’ll be reaching out to my network of CLO talent-leader friends and inner-circle consultants for leads. So rather than cold-calling, do great work for us and support the learning community. Rest assured, I’ll be calling you. 14 talent management magazine www.talentmgt.com http://www.talentmgt.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Talent Management - July 2008

Talent Management - July 2008 Editor’s Letter Human Performance Leading Edge Learning Connections Guest Editorial Passive Candidate Recruiting: Evolving with a Changing Workforce How Do They Feel? Sec Regulations and Executive Compensation Performance Management: A Retail Perspective Train the Non-Trainer Management-Go-Round: Developing Future Leaders Netflix Creates Its Own Script for Talent Management Intuit Spotlights Strategic Importance of Global Employee Recognition Make HR a Profit Center: Automate Technology to Gather Tax Credit Data Offshoring and the Impact on Talent Management Advertisers’ Index Editorial Resources Full Potential

Talent Management - July 2008

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