Learning Launch

Challenge  Around 2 years back, I shifted from handling “software delivery” function for a business unit in a  software services organization to establish a Solutions team. One of the responsibilities of this team is to  showcase our capabilities to impress the visiting prospects. The established way to do that was to make  presentations using PowerPoint decks. Our success rate in terms of impressing the visitors to enable  sustained connect and/or signing off deals was average. Our revamped deck to highlight our new  innovative domain solutions didn’t seem to help much. Importantly we also realized that our Sales team  – long used to set the agenda for the customer visits – wasn’t on board with the new solutions.

After one such “average” visit, the Business Unit Head tasked the Solutions team to figure a way out  before another prospect visit for an important deal.

Selection  The team sat about brainstorming and decided to take a 3-pronged approach to help us understand  expectations with priorities and multiple ways of hosting prospect visits, viz.

  Talk to sales team and to the Business Unit Head

  Rope in our Marketing division

  Conduct secondary research by talking to other Business Unit Heads and Sales Heads and  equally importantly ask “Google guru”

Our team’s main thought process was to showcase our relevant and innovative solutions during these  visits and co-manage the visit with the Sales team. The team segregated all this information as  expectations and possible solutions and documented it in the form of slides.

The top expectations that came out suggested we should

  Provide a completely different, unique and relaxed environment to the visitors

  Showcase our home-work about the visitors’ organization

  Showcase our solutions to provide our visitors a sneak peek at disruptive innovations

This exercise threw out multiple solutions like

  Showing relevant presentations and demonstrations in the conference room

  Taking a “one booth per solution” approach in addition to conference room presentations

  Setting up an “Experience Zone” where visitors can “experience” solutions and presentations

The team created a “booklet” with all the information tagged with pictures and photographs. Another  round of deliberations with the larger team using this “booklet” helped list down what each of us liked  in the suggested solutions. At the end of it the conclusion was to set up a “Customer Experience Zone”  for the upcoming prospect visit and customize our innovative solutions for the purpose. Simultaneously  we carried out seminars on market disruptions for the Sales team and provided them repeated  demonstrations of the solutions and allowed them access to “experience” our innovative solutions. This  approach enabled us to work together with Sales team to set a solution driven agenda. With the

upcoming visit of a prospect delegation, we decided to use the “Learning Launch” experimentation to  validate our approach.

Application  For this visit, we decided to set up the experience zone in the lounge area of a conference room. We  designed huge posters depicting our corporate information and strategy, showcasing whatever we knew  about the prospect organization and their vision, displaying a welcome message with photographs and  information on visitors and posters. Additionally, the team created user stories to map the journey of  customer’s customers using infographics on posters and customized our innovative solutions in line with  the journey creating a theme on which the customer visit was planned and executed.

The posters lined up as “walls” in the entry passage and in the lounge which it led to. Simple yet elegant  lighting illuminated the passage creating a “mood”. The lounge was equipped with a big screen to  ensure that all can see the demonstrations properly and the couches (no chairs and tables) were  rearranged to make it convenient for all.

Insight  Not more than a handful Powerpoint slides were used during the prospect’s visit. Explanations were  done using the infographics on the “walls” and actual demonstrations. The visitor delegation tired from  an onslaught of 425 Powerpoint slides they had seen earlier at our competitors’ organizations were  “pleasantly surprised” and left “highly impressed” in the words of their CIO and understood our point of  view on market disruptions and how we can help with our innovative solutions.

Approach  Our team deployed this technique for 2 subsequent prospect visits. While the visits were termed as  success, we picked up improvement points in our approach in terms of solution selection/prioritization,  selection of appropriate presenter for solutions and cost control. While our team is in the process of  incorporating these points, we already have an approval from our CEO to set up a permanent  experience zone; of course, with timeline and budget conditions…


Learning Launch Challenge Around 2 years back , I shifted from handling “ software delivery ” function for a business unit in a software services organization to establish a Solutions team . One of the responsibilities of this team is to showcase our capabilities to impress the visiting prospects . The established way to do that was to make presentations using PowerPoint decks . Our success rate in terms of impressing the visitors to enable sustained connect and/or signing off deals was average . Our revamped deck to highlight our new innovative domain solutions did n’t seem to help much . Importantly we also realized that our Sales team – long used to set the agenda for the customer visits – was n’t on board with the new solutions . After one such “ average ” visit , the Business Unit Head tasked the Solutions team to figure a way out before another prospect visit for an important deal . Selection The team sat about brainstorming and decided to take a 3 - pronged approach to help us understand expectations with priorities and multiple ways of hosting prospect visits , viz .  Talk to sales team and to the Business Unit Head  Rope in our Marketing division  Conduct secondary research by talking to other Business Unit Heads and Sales Heads and equally importantly ask “ Google guru ” Our team ’s main thought process was to showcase our relevant and innovative solutions during these visits and co - manage the visit with the Sales team . The team segregated all this information as expectations and possible solutions and documented it in the form of slides . The top expectations that came out suggested we should  Provide a completely different , unique and relaxed environment to the visitors  Showcase our home - work about the visitors ’ organization  Showcase our solutions to provide our visitors a sneak peek at disruptive innovations This exercise threw out multiple solutions like  Showing relevant presentations and demonstrations in the conference room  Taking a “ one booth per solution ” approach in addition to conference room presentations  Setting up an “ Experience Zone ” where visitors can “ experience ” solutions and presentations The team created a “ booklet ” with all the information tagged with pictures and photographs . Another round of deliberations with the larger team using this “ booklet ” helped list down what each of us liked in the suggested solutions . At the end of it the conclusion was to set up a “ Customer Experience Zone ” for the upcoming prospect visit and customize our innovative solutions for the purpose . Simultaneously we carried out seminars on market disruptions for the Sales team and provided them repeated demonstrations of the solutions and allowed them access to “ experience ” our innovative solutions . This approach enabled us to work together with Sales team to set a solution driven agenda . With the upcoming visit of a prospect delegation , we decided to use the “ Learning Launch ” experimentation to validate our approach . Application For this visit , we decided to set up the experience zone in the lounge area of a conference room . We designed huge posters depicting our corporate information and strategy , showcasing whatever we knew about the prospect organization and their vision , displaying a welcome message with photographs and information on visitors and posters . Additionally , the team created user stories to map the journey of customer ’s customers using infographics on posters and customized our innovative solutions in line with the journey creating a theme on which the customer visit was planned and executed . The posters lined up as “ walls ” in the entry passage and in the lounge which it led to . Simple yet elegant lighting illuminated the passage creating a “ mood ” . The lounge was equipped with a big screen to ensure that all can see the demonstrations properly and the couches ( no chairs and tables ) were rearranged to make it convenient for all . Insight Not more than a handful Powerpoint slides were used during the prospect ’s visit . Explanations were done using the infographics on the “ walls ” and actual demonstrations . The visitor delegation tired from an onslaught of 425 Powerpoint slides they had seen earlier at our competitors ’ organizations were “ pleasantly surprised ” and left “ highly impressed ” in the words of their CIO and understood our point of view on market disruptions and how we can help with our innovative solutions . Approach Our team deployed this technique for 2 subsequent prospect visits . While the visits were termed as success , we picked up improvement points in our approach in terms of solution selection / prioritization , selection of appropriate presenter for solutions and cost control . While our team is in the process of incorporating these points , we already have an approval from our CEO to set up a permanent experience zone ; of course , with timeline and budget conditions … 