[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BlogPosting","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2019\/05\/02\/sales-compensation-technology-implementation\/#BlogPosting","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2019\/05\/02\/sales-compensation-technology-implementation\/","headline":"Communication styles for a intergalactic sales comp technology rollout","name":"Communication styles for a intergalactic sales comp technology rollout","description":"Communicating the implementation of new sales compensation technology may be a daunting task, but clear communication goals before, during, and after rollout, buy-in will be smooth, assure victory in the end.","datePublished":"2019-05-02","dateModified":"2021-07-29","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/contributor\/eugene-so\/#Person","name":"Eugene So","url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/contributor\/eugene-so\/","identifier":345,"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/6798637ca16a8294ef9ad53533f73459c441ce6ad7d311d8b3b154acfb0a9199?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/6798637ca16a8294ef9ad53533f73459c441ce6ad7d311d8b3b154acfb0a9199?s=96&d=mm&r=g","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"The Future of Commerce","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/logo-foc-schema-app-1.png","url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/logo-foc-schema-app-1.png","width":172,"height":60}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/thumbnail-3fa23fe225fdbbb81ab6a48524355aeb.jpeg","url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/thumbnail-3fa23fe225fdbbb81ab6a48524355aeb.jpeg","height":375,"width":1200},"url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2019\/05\/02\/sales-compensation-technology-implementation\/","about":[{"@type":"Thing","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/sales\/","name":"Sales","sameAs":["https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Sales","http:\/\/www.wikidata.org\/entity\/Q194189"]},{"@type":"Thing","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/sales\/sales-general\/","name":"Sales","sameAs":["https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Sales","http:\/\/www.wikidata.org\/entity\/Q194189"]},{"@type":"Thing","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/star-wars\/","name":"Star Wars","sameAs":["https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Star_Wars","http:\/\/www.wikidata.org\/entity\/Q462"]}],"wordCount":612,"keywords":["Sales Compensation Planning","Star Wars"],"articleBody":"Ever been in a situation before where decisions were made, demos were done, and technology was purchased \u2013 but by the time the system was rolled out, there had been no prior buy-in from the end users, resulting in rebellion and chaos on the scale of the Calamarian Revolt against the Galactic Empire?If you’re considering implementing a new sales compensation technology \u2013 or just about any other new software system \u2013 how do you get buy-in?\u201cIt\u2019s them,\u201d you say, \u201cnot us.\u201d But perhaps there is hope for those who are still in the planning stages of a system rollout for a smooth technology adoption through proper communication.Sales compensation technology: A galactic style guideIdentify your Star Wars communication style or learn from the mistakes of those who have gone before to get buy-in from your team like a Jedi Master.WOOKIEE:\u00a0As well-intentioned as the sales ops team may be, nobody understands the new sales compensation system because it is communicated loudly and abruptly.It may seem that you’re the only person who understands what\u2019s going on, resulting in many emails from the sales team (and finance, and HR) for clarification about the plan. Are you a Wookiee? Don\u2019t just roar and growl until it gets done! Some recommendations:Announce planned changes in advance, even if they are tentative, in order to give end users time to ask questions and understand the new process.Give the sales team dates for when different aspects of the new sales compensation system will start rolling out.Have sales compensation system guidelines clearly documented for smooth adoption.STORMTROOPER:\u00a0Forceful and swift, the Stormtrooper sales ops team rolls out new technologies without any prior buy-in. Unlike the Wookiee, changes may have been announced prior to rollout, but sales reps may feel that they have no voice in what is happening and resent changes.Are you a Stormtrooper using the \u201crule through fear of force\u201d communication style? Some suggestions:Consider who all the end users and stakeholders will be in a new system rollout and involve them early.Survey end users during the planning stages to ask what kind of changes they would like to see in a new system.Clearly communicate the benefits of the new system before, during, and after the rollout.EWOK:\u00a0Ewoks are friendly and great at teamwork, but may be disorganized as a group and leave things in a chaotic state after the job is done.Ewoks may or may not struggle with the same communication challenges as Wookiees and Stormtroopers, but their biggest needs for a new sales compensation system rollout include post-implementation communication. Some recommendations:Anticipate pushback from end users and come up with FAQs in advance to discuss at system launch.Have a phased approach for new system rollout rather than a big bang and communicate future milestones in advance.Establish a clear training timeline for the new system so that end users aren\u2019t spooked by having to learn a new system all at once.Ultimately, we should all strive to communicate new system rollouts like Jedi. The guardians of peace, the Jedi is the best communicator of all. Much like assaulting the Death Star, communicating the implementation of a new sales compensation system may be a huge and daunting task, but if there are clear communication goals before, during, and after rollout, buy-in will be smooth, and victory could be yours in the end.Don\u2019t just consider your implementation specs, but make a clear and realistic roadmap for communicating the new system. Remember \u2013 stay on target, and may the Force be with you.  Ready to become an intelligent enterprise?Get started\u00a0HERE."},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"2019","item":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2019\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"05","item":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2019\/\/05\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"02","item":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2019\/\/05\/\/02\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"Communication styles for a intergalactic sales comp technology rollout","item":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2019\/05\/02\/sales-compensation-technology-implementation\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]