Telling Is Not Selling: Gaining Leadership Buy-in for Safety Software

Building relationships and understanding the needs of decision-makers are essential for effectively gaining leadership buy-in for safety software solutions.

• By Jill James
• Sep 10, 2024

As a former safety professional and OSHA inspector who now works with sales leadership, “because OSHA said so” is simply not effective for selling safety initiatives or obtaining budget for any manner of things, from medical monitoring programs to software. Someone can’t just draw a hard line and tell them the organization needs a certain solution but must connect with them and show how the investment will meet each of their needs. In essence, to be effective, it’s necessary to “sell” safety to leadership.

Most safety professionals do not consider themselves salespeople. In fact, just hearing “sales” might conjure the traditional image: a used car lot with someone pushing a purchase, often using less-than-friendly tactics. But that is not what selling as a safety professional should be.

Instead, the focus should be on creating or building upon a long-term, mutually beneficial relationship with leaders. Simply put, first secure approval from the people who have the power to make budgetary decisions. Then understand how to make the ask and get the deal done.

Sales itself can be a tricky thing to master. After all, not everyone is cut out to be a salesperson. But here is a five-step sales process that is easy to digest, easy to apply and easy to consistently implement for any situation where someone needs to “sell” to a leader to get approval.

Understand the Audience

The first step of building an internal sales presentation is understanding who will be involved in the decision-making process. A phrase commonly used in sales is “determined discovery,” which involves identifying what is most important to the decision-makers. What are the needs of the audience? How can this EHS software resolve their pain points? While it might be tempting to assume what different leaders are driven by, securing the internal sale requires genuine curiosity about what truly matters to them.

Align the Solution to Their Needs

Once the key concerns and pain points of the executive audience are understood, a case can be built for the proposed software solution to address those issues. It may be necessary to demonstrate how the software can help the company stay current with required safety training, improve the safety record, or increase the frequency of inspections. While it might seem that the price point of the software should be a primary focus, it is more important to emphasize the value and positive impact of the solution, showing that the return on investment (ROI) justifies the cost.

Create Urgency

It might seem easy, particularly from a safety perspective, to create urgency based on fear (“if this software isn’t implemented, these negative outcomes will occur”). While fear can be a powerful motivator, there are more effective ways to create urgency that preserve future relationships. Being recognized as someone who relies on fear tactics to gain agreement is not desirable. Instead, the urgency should be based on insights gained during the discovery phase. Since the EHS software’s ability to address pain points has been identified, a specific timeline should be established to implement the solution. An open-ended plan lacks the urgency needed to secure a positive response from the audience.

Advancing the Sale

Now it’s time to present the sales pitch to the leadership team. However, it’s important not to conclude the presentation by saying, “Okay, great, now the ball is in their court to get back with a decision.” Instead, confidently assert the next steps: “Okay, great, the next steps will be this, and a follow-up will occur by this date.” Every conversation, including the initial proposal, should end with a clear understanding of the next steps and the timeline for completing them. This also applies to when others need to provide relevant information. Regardless of the situation, it’s crucial to be the champion of the initiative, taking responsibility for its progress.

Get it Done

After gaining leadership approval for the purchase, the next and perhaps most critical step is executing the plan as promised. During the initial discovery phase, leadership’s pain points were identified, and the proposed solution was connected to those specific issues. Now, it’s essential to demonstrate that the investment was worthwhile. Leadership needs to see that solutions are not only beneficial to the organization but also effectively achieving their intended goals. By doing so, a trusting relationship is cultivated, making it easier to gain support for future initiatives, whether financial or otherwise.

Conclusion

“Selling” might not feel natural for safety professionals, but these five steps can be effective in internal selling situations where the relationship with the audience is ongoing, rather than a “one-time transaction” sale. The goal is to build on existing relationships with the leadership team and collaborate to implement a mutually beneficial software solution. Each successful implementation of a safety solution that positively impacts strategic goals lays the foundation for the next request, creating a cycle rather than a straight line of sales steps.

It is also important to remember that introducing an EHS software solution to an organization will do more than just “check the compliance box.” An effective program contributes to making the workplace safer and smarter, helping the organization reach that admirable — and attainable — goal by working with leadership.

This article originally appeared in the September 2024 issue of Occupational Health & Safety.