© 2012 Autodesk CM3421: Get IT Approved! How to Persuade Upper Management to Open the Checkbook Dave Pluke Sr. Consultant at BIM-Ready Consulting / AEC IT Pros

© 2012 Autodesk Class Summary Ever had a CAD/BIM/IT project funding request turned down by upper management? In this class, we will discuss ways to make friends and influence the (often, non-technical) executives in your firm. Learn how to express urgency without appearing panicked and how to explain technical concepts in ways that won’t make their eyes glaze over. Using these strategies, your next funding request should carry a higher probability for approval.

© 2012 Autodesk Learning Objectives At the end of this class, you will be able to:  Phrase your proposals in words Executives like to hear  Keep your proposals devoid of words that make Executives cringe  Tailor your proposals for their specific audience  State your case for the Greater Good  Be seen as an Agent of Change  Know what to do after the “sale”

© 2012 Autodesk Basic Truisms: One can learn more from failures than successes. It’s even better to learn from the mistakes of others. You are in luck! P.S. Your Firm does not exist to support Technology – Technology exists to support your Firm.

© 2012 Autodesk Speaker Bio: Dave Pluke is a Senior Consultant at BIM-Ready Consulting / AEC IT Pros, where he assists small and mid size AEC firms leverage Technology to achieve and maintain their competitive edge. Prior to founding BIM-Ready, Dave served as a Principal and VP of Technology at a mid size Structural Engineering firm in Saint Paul, MN Dave guided their Technological and Cultural development for over 20 years, from their first stand alone AutoCAD workstation through a multiple office, virtualized, BIM-enabled environment.

© 2012 Autodesk IT-types are from Mars…

© 2012 Autodesk Know Yourself  Personality Type (introvert vs. extrovert, leader vs. follower, etc.)  Personal Strengths and Weaknesses  Perceived Strengths and Weaknesses  Communication Skills  Powers of Persuasion  Potential Allies (may be situational)

© 2012 Autodesk Know your Decision Making Entity (DME)  Single Authority, Small Group or Committee  Level of comfort with Technology  Fiscal Tendencies  Major Motivations (including Greatest Fear)  Personal Interests  Trusted Influencers

© 2012 Autodesk Know your Situation  Core Business  Level of Competition  Fiscal Soundness  Current Status  Priorities / Urgency Factors

© 2012 Autodesk Watch your language!  Instead of:  Cool  Cost  Freeware or Open-source  Work from home  I or mine  Cutting edge or latest thing  New (feature)  Tera, Giga or Mega  Everyone else has one  Say:  Fast, Powerful or …Cool*  Investment  Publicly Supported  Enable Users  We, Us or Ours  Industry-leading or Break-through  Productivity-enhancing  Chunks, Bunches or “x times”  Our competitors are looking at one

© 2012 Autodesk The Art of the Sale

© 2012 Autodesk Know your Audience  Speak from their Perspective - use their lingo  Phrase everything as “we, us or our”  Appeal to their “hot buttons”  If appropriate, detail your Process  Use pictures!  Present “ Good | Better | Best” options  Make Budgets realistic, but allow for Contingencies  Address Cost of Inaction  Don’t take “No” for an answer (test Objections)

© 2012 Autodesk After the Sale

© 2012 Autodesk Care and Feeding of DME  Summarize Proposal and publish Status Reports  Compare % Complete to % of Budget  Openly Communicate with impacted Parties  Report on Unintended Consequences  Give Credit to others  Reinforce the Decision  Feel free to remind DME with next Proposal

© 2012 Autodesk In Summary:  Phrase your proposals in words Executives like to hear  Tailor your proposals for their specific audience  State your case for the Greater Good  Be seen as an Agent of Change  Follow through after the “sale”

© 2012 Autodesk Any Questions?

© 2012 Autodesk Autodesk, AutoCAD* [*if/when mentioned in the pertinent material, followed by an alphabetical list of all other trademarks mentioned in the material] are registered trademarks or trademarks of Autodesk, Inc., and/or its subsidiaries and/or affiliates in the USA and/or other countries. All other brand names, product names, or trademarks belong to their respective holders. Autodesk reserves the right to alter product and services offerings, and specifications and pricing at any time without notice, and is not responsible for typographical or graphical errors that may appear in this document. © 2012 Autodesk, Inc. All rights reserved. CM3421: Get IT Approved! Dave Pluke – Please remember to fill out your Evaluation. Thanks for attending - Have a great AU 2012!!!

© 2012 Autodesk Autodesk, AutoCAD* [*if/when mentioned in the pertinent material, followed by an alphabetical list of all other trademarks mentioned in the material] are registered trademarks or trademarks of Autodesk, Inc., and/or its subsidiaries and/or affiliates in the USA and/or other countries. All other brand names, product names, or trademarks belong to their respective holders. Autodesk reserves the right to alter product and services offerings, and specifications and pricing at any time without notice, and is not responsible for typographical or graphical errors that may appear in this document. © 2012 Autodesk, Inc. All rights reserved.