getting everyone on board with your laserfiche initiative

BAS 123: Getting Everyone on Board with Your Laserfiche Initiative Melissa Henley Director of Marketing Communications, Laserfiche

Audience: You!

Agenda

‣ Assessing and addressing the needs of internal and external stakeholders

‣ Building a value proposition for your project

‣ Creating and delivering a successful presentation

‣ Q&A

Addressing Stakeholder Needs

What’s the Problem?

‣ You can’t build your team, brainstorm solutions or crunch numbers unless your business need is crystal clear

Who are the Key Players?

‣ Beneficiaries ‣ Subject-matter

experts ‣ Stakeholders

Who’s Calling the Shots? ‣ Champion: Invested in

your initiative; will help you get to “yes”

‣ Decision-Maker: Risk-averse, accountable for results

‣ Influencers: Departments that have sway in the final decision

‣ Blocker: “No”

What Do They Care About?

‣ Gather intelligence from above

‣ Consider your stakeholders’ track record

‣ Understand your organization’s priorities

Building Your Case

Clarify the Need

‣ Talk to beneficiaries ‣ Analyze processes ‣ Agree on what the

solution should accomplish

‣ Document!

Build Your Team

‣ Finance ‣ Beneficiaries ‣ Someone who talks

with customers ‣ External experts

Consider the Alternatives ‣ What would another

department do? ‣ What have other

customers done? ‣ What would Laserfiche

do? ‣ What happens if we do

nothing?

Think Through the “How” ‣ What has to be done

first? ‣ Who will do it? ‣ Where will major costs

be incurred? ‣ How will roll out take

place? ‣ What training will be

required?

Crunch the Numbers

‣ Start with the option you consider most viable

‣ Explore alternatives by adjusting the numbers

‣ Stick to two or three alternatives

Costs ‣ Project Costs

• Project expenditures: Occur at the beginning - development, testing, training and deployment (incurred by department doing the work)

• Capital expenditures: check with Finance ‣ Operating Costs

• Personnel, office space, licensing fees, ongoing expenses (can be incurred by any department)

Benefits

‣ Revenue • Money you generate through sales

‣ Productivity Savings • Can be related to product or overhead costs • Overtime, error reduction • Not usually personnel-related

Calculate ROI Method Answers the

question … Expressed in …

Typically used for …

Breakeven Analysis

How many sales do we need to recoup the investment?

Units sold Market-focused projects, such as product development; entrepreneurial endeavors

Payback Period How long will it take to recoup the investment?

Months or years

Projects with a heavy upfront investment, such as facilities projects; productivity projects that accumulate benefits over time

Net Present Value (NPV)

How much is this project worth to the business?

Dollars Projects with large expenditures

Internal Rate of Return (IRR)

What rate of return will this project deliver over its lifecycle?

Percentage Projects that the company reports on externally, especially those that require you to borrow money

Avoid Common Mistakes ‣ Failing to address the

company’s goals ‣ Ignoring other

perspectives ‣ Neglecting transition

costs and timing ‣ Glossing over risks ‣ Using too much jargon

And Don’t Forget …

‣ Don’t be intimidated

‣ Take the time up front

‣ Make use of your resources

Delivering a Successful Presentation

Prepare Your Story

‣ Your document should stand on its own

‣ Slides should be clear and to the point

‣ Follow a standard format if there is one

Structure Your Argument ‣ Opening slide ‣ Business need ‣ Project overview ‣ Schedule and team ‣ Impact ‣ Risk ‣ Financials ‣ Closing slide

Know Your Audience

‣ Stakeholders are very busy

‣ Speak to what they care about

‣ Display ROI prominently

‣ Use bullet points!

Business Need ‣ Problem

• Manual AP process has 15 steps • Loss of prepayment discounts costs $1.5 million/year

‣ Solution • Upgrade Laserfiche system

‣ Benefits • Invoice payment times drop from 41 days to 48 hours • Recoup investment in six months

Test Your Pitch

‣ Getting buy-in from two people are critical: • Head of the department

that will lead the work • Head of the department

that will benefit the most ‣ Meet with other

stakeholders in advance

Make Your Presentation

‣ Start with the need ‣ Be brief ‣ Be personal ‣ Highlight your experts ‣ End on a positive note

Address Objections Calmly

‣ “This is too good to be true.”

‣ “But you haven’t thought of …”

‣ “We’ll never get that done!”

Get a Decision

‣ “Yes, let’s move ahead.” ‣ “We can’t make a decision

yet.” ‣ “No, the project isn’t a

priority.” ‣ Give them help: put a time

frame on your project

And Remember …

“Good luck is a residue of preparation.”

Jack Youngblood

Resources: This Month in the HBR

Resources: Laserfiche ECM Blog

Resources: ECM Buyer’s Kit

Thank you!