Tips and Tools to Sell in a Knowledge Economy
Executive Insight Video:
Dan Pink, Journalist, Lecturer and Author of “Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us,” and “To Sell Is Human: The Surprising Truth about Moving Others,” provides applicable tips and tools for the new way of work.
Pink explains that there is a fundamental change in the act of buying and selling- a change in what people are actually buying- a change in when this selling takes place- and the terms of the transactions, and a change in approach is required.
We are no longer as focused on the selling of tangible goods as much as the selling of expertise, ideas, and ways of doing things and inside an organization, we are always selling ideas and concepts, as well as different ways of doing things.
Dan Pink states that this new way of selling requires a new set of ABCs to replace the “Always Be Closing” ABCs of the past. The new ABCs of selling are the following:
- Attunement
- Buoyancy
- Clarity
Watch as Dan Pink elaborates on the provocative ways we need to be selling, and always moving others.
Dan Pink: We are All in Sales
Executive Insight Video:In Dan Pink’s new book, "To Sell Is Human: The Surprising Truth about Moving Others", he says, “Like it or not, we are all in sales.”
While 1-9 workers today are officially in sales roles at work, meaning that their job is to sell tangible good and services- the other 8 in 9 workers are in sales as well. Whether Recruiting, looking for a job, convincing and persuading employees or bosses to do things differently, we are all looking to move people.
The term “sales” has some negative connotations based on the outdated practices of the past-from the days of “buyer beware” when the seller had more info than buyer. Dan Pink argues that big changes have occurred because of the wealth of information at our finger tips- now the sales function and the consumer are evenly matched, and this transition means that we can all master the art of sales.
HP's Competitive Advantage using Predictive Data
Executive Insight Video:Russell Klosk describes the success of HP’s corporate strategy, explaining how they saw the market trends and adjusted their business strategy accordingly.
HP was able to avoid the total reinvention of their company by following industry trends and aligning their strategic workforce planning initiatives to commoditize the human aspect of their business.
Identifying Critical Roles and Separating the Person from the Role
Executive Insight Video:
Burgette Perkins, Senior HR Business Partner at Kimberly-Clark International explains that the first step in laying out a strategic workforce plan for their business units is identifying the critical roles. When identifying the critical roles, they look at both the short term and long terms objectives for their business unit and then connect the critical roles to the objectives. She shares that separating the person from the role is imperative when identifying criticality, as it is the role that will drive the business.
The Buy, Borrow, and Grow Strategy at Kimberly-Clark
Executive Insight Video:In this video, Burgette C. Perkins, Senior HR Business Partner for Kimberly-Clark Corporation explains their use of “build, buy, borrow plans” in the workforce planning/talent acquisition process. First, the organization identifies which roles are critical to execute the business strategy. HR then assesses the current and future supply of internal talent to fill those roles. If no one is ready to fill an immediate or imminent vacancy, HR recommends either “buying” the talent (i.e. recruiting externally) or “borrowing” it internally (e.g. giving the role temporarily to someone from another business unit). For longer term talent needs however, Kimberly-Clark prefers to “build” the talent they need internally for critical roles. This commitment to the internal mobility of employees means giving employees opportunities to grow through short term assignments and through mentoring programs.
