So Happy Together: Sales, Client Services, and Engineering
Do the developers fight a guerrila war against the sales people? Does the sales process exists in a galaxy far far away from the development process? Are client managers the great disempowered middle child? The resented controller? Do engineers/developers take responsibility for client satisfaction and improving the bottom line? Without force?
Does one person play all three roles? (This session will help you too!) Where does design and strategy fit in? Bonus question: Does anybody, anywhere, know how to estimate?
In this session, we'll explore proven ways to integrate the three aspects of development -- client acquisition, project/client management, and application development -- into one big group hug. We'll explore:
- Scrumming it up: using the scrum process to push all issues towards the person who can resolve them.
- Mutual empowerment: Define common languages and tools that convey necessary information. For example, "Don't geek at me when it's not necessary." and "Don't bottom line me when I'm working over here."
- Sandler as a common tone: Set the tone for *all* client interaction from first handshake to final goodbye to match the sales process.
- Expectations: Ensure that expectations are being set by the people who will meet them. Create systems to ensure that everyone understand what is expected of them and has a voice in the process. (Hint: this is where estimating will come in.)
- The bottom line: An empowered team is a profitable team, so share the responsibility for financial success appropriately.
- Management team meetings: Ideas for tools and strategies that create cohesion.
- Client manager as host: If Drupal development is a party, the client manager is the host. How do you ensure they throw the best parties in DrupalLand?
Comments
Glenn Hilton replied on Permalink
Some excellent issues outlined here. Tim Hamilton is one of the sharpest sales enthusiasts that I've encountered in my last seven years in the Drupal community. Really looking forward to learning more from him and his team from Astonish.
sherakama replied on Permalink
This is a great topic. These battles are different for every shop I am sure. I would welcome the chance to hear about your experiences.
samcllui replied on Permalink
Every company that i've worked for has fought their own battles in these areas. This sounds like a great topic that can improves the general awareness between different departments within the company, improving teamwork and group cohesiveness. This is definitely a session that we can all benefit from!
mcaccavano replied on Permalink
Very cool session outlined here. I can say from experience that this challenge hits home for all of us - whether you are part of a smaller team or larger professional services company. This is a must-attend for me, and several of the folks we will be bringing to Portland.
jwalpole replied on Permalink
Very important topics for growing shops and everyone involved in selling Drupal.