Selling Telecommuting. It’s Beyond the Data.

During our seminar, managers often ask how they can sell a telecommuting program to their senior management. It's not enough to tell them that it's about driving change and being persuasive. They know that. They yearn to know how from real world experience. What's the secret sauce?

They ask, "Can you give me some data and research? My management is asking me for data." My reply...necessary but not sufficient.  Don't get me wrong, data and research is good. I have tons of it, and you need it in a proposal, but most times the decision isn't about the data. Many times, they'll look at the data from company "A" and say, "Oh, they're different from us. So that data doesn't really apply to us." Now what do you do?

The decision to engage in the flexible work option called "telecommuting" is usually not a left-brain (technical data driven) decision. It's usually a right-brain (emotional) one. Figure out what the real emotional roadblock is -- what the decision maker is feeling vs thinking. Feeling a loss of control? Feeling lack of management skill with this type of worker?

Once you understand all sides of the equation, you can put together a holistic persuasive plan of attack. Yes, the plan needs to include a proposal with data but it more importantly needs to include a number of other communication techniques and methods in order to close the sale: finding a "friendly" senior sponsor somewhere in the organization, influencing those to whom decision makers listen, socializing for feedback before you construct a proposal, and gaining some initial data and momentum with an "off the radar" trial.

Comments

[Joey M.]

Wow Corinne, you have some really good information for people who want to telecommute. I was doing some research about telework and I found your site.

I will contact you via email. I would like to speak with you.

I have been working from my home office (run 2 businesses) and see the potential for telecommuting services/consultants in the near future.

managingtelecommuters.com is definitely going to be one of my resources from now on.

Please email me when you get a chance. I would like to prove I am not a spammer or bot.