Hi, future Jennifer here! I wrote this blog about two years ago not long after I started at Broadcat. Ah, memories... 😊
I can't say that my opinion of "sales" has changed all that much, but I can say that I am even more firm in my belief that #compliance folks need to get really good at this - even if they don't like it all that much. It's critical to articulate clearly the value and benefits your program brings to your org. And to do that, you need to be able to back up your points with actual data.
Read (or re-read) the book. It's quick, straightforward, and will help you truly analyze your program. Why? Because we're all about having effective programs. But to really know if your program is effective, you've got to test it. If you need some help with that, reach out!
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If I’m being honest, one of the reasons—perhaps subconsciously—that I got into the compliance field is because it was about as far away from sales as I could possibly get.
After a mediocre run hustling Thin Mints, I learned an important lesson: leave sales to the professionals!
I have a feeling most of you, my dear compliance friends, feel the same way.
Hollywood lied to me.| Source: Sony Pictures' Troop Beverly Hills
Despite my aversion, selling was something I found that I needed to do quite a bit of. It just manifested itself as selling my compliance program to my organization. And that responsibility grew as a core job function as I climbed up the ranks from compliance coordinator, to manager, to director, and ultimately to chief compliance officer. Fortunately for me, I really love compliance work (yeah!)! So, even though I don’t love sales, selling compliance is something I’ve come to love doing.
Loving what you’re doing is super helpful, but it still doesn’t make the process or task any easier. And making the business case for a compliance program can be challenging, but it’s essential and worth it.
Let’s break it down.
First, the good news: Someone somewhere at some time in your organization decided that a compliance program was necessary. And by working in this compliance program, you’re helping ensure continued success and relevance for your company. Don’t let anyone ever tell you otherwise!
Now, the more challenging news: It’s up to you to produce results that continually convince those in control of the budget and direction of the company that you and your program are worth the investment.
Figuring out how to accomplish that can seem like a daunting task.
Lots has been written over the years on selecting metrics to measure compliance effectiveness. (just Google “compliance effectiveness”). 🙄
That’s why I want to circle back to the one writing that challenged me not just to think about metrics differently, but also to think critically about the educational direction of and the communications about my entire program.
Enter Broadcat. 🥳
Here was a company talking about solutions to all the compliance problems I was facing, but they were doing it in a way that was completely different from anyone else! Most compliance folks and vendors were pushing long-form modules and quizzes based on high-level theoretical analyses of big-ticket risks.
Broadcat asked us to stop and think: Are these modules and quizzes getting us the results we’re looking for? And if not, why not?
Broadcat’s founder—Ricardo Pellafone—wrote a (free) treatise titled, “Why most compliance training fails, and how to fix it,” and it signaled a sea-change for me. I needed to stop and think about:
- real and meaningful goals,
- how best to track the results, and
- how to tell the story succinctly.
There’s a lot to take away from this seminal work, but for now I’d like to point you to the section on making the business case for your program and give you a little gift.
We’ve created a one-pager that outlines the inputs, formulas and calculations (yes, your third-grade teacher was right – you will use math every day) that will help you tell your story. Focusing on problems, solutions, as well as outcomes gives you a wealth of opportunities to show effectiveness. And that’s the goal!
I also want to hear from you! Let me know what questions you have and how we can help. This next step in my journey is all about supporting and educating the next generation to push our grand profession forward.
You can connect with me by sending an email to jennifer@thebroadcat.com or on LinkedIn.
Cheers!