I’m very pleased to say that my presentation at BA Summit Southern Africa (2016) entitled “The Indispensable BA and the Surprising Truth: You Work In Sales” was recorded. You can watch the session below, which is around 41 minutes long. A massive thank you to the conference team for videoing the session, and for providing me with a copy!
Here is a brief abstract describing the session:
Business analysis is an essential discipline for organisational success. Our discipline spans not just projects, but also the definition of strategy and much more. As organisations mature, BAs are often seen as internal consultants acting as a liaison amongst stakeholders and our scope for engagement widens.
As this happens, the skill-set and capabilities required by BAs and BA teams subtly shifts. We might not be guaranteed early engagement on every project and proving our worth becomes essential. The art of sales—building awareness and interest in the holistic nature of the consultant analysis services we provide—becomes paramount.
In this presentation, Adrian Reed will explore the importance of softer “sales” skills, avoiding the clichéd “shiny-teeth-and-cufflinks” sales approaches that we all dislike. You’ll hear practical tips including how to:
- Gain wider engagement for the team by articulating a BA value proposition
- Sell the benefits of engaging an internal consultant business analyst
- Foster and manage ongoing stakeholder relationships
If you are interested in the topics discussed in this video, you might find my follow up article “we all work in sales” interesting too.
I hope you find the presentation useful and enjoyable, and if you do, be sure to subscribe.
Kind regards,
Adrian
PS — If you are in South Africa, or if you can get there, I would highly recommend considering attending BA Summit Southern Africa 2017 in Cape Town. There was a real buzz at last year’s conference, and I can’t wait to attend the conference this September!
About the author:
Adrian Reed is Principal Consultant at Blackmetric Business Solutions, an organisation that offers Strategic Business Analysis consulting and training solutions. Adrian is a keen advocate of the analysis profession, and is constantly looking for ways of promoting the value that good analysis can bring.
To find out more about the training and consulting services offered at Blackmetric, please visit www.blackmetric.com
