“I already know who to staff”
Practice Lead · Resource management
A Practice Lead who knows their people doesn't need help staffing their own team, and probably does it well. Don't suggest otherwise. Ask about the people they don't know: how they find someone outside their own team when a project needs a skill they don't have.
Practise it before the real call
Free to start. No credit card.
What the buyer says
I know my people. I don't need software to tell me who to put on a project.
How to handle it
Listen
Hear "my people". Within their own team, they're confident and probably right. The gap, if there is one, is beyond it.
Acknowledge
Agree that nobody knows their team better than they do, and that software shouldn't second-guess that.
Explore
Ask what happens when a project needs a skill nobody in their team has: who they call, how long it takes and what happens if they can't find someone. Ask how often they hire contractors for skills that might exist elsewhere in the firm.
Respond
Position your product around finding people outside their own team, and around seeing who's about to come free. Leave staffing their own team to them.
Say this
“That's fair. Nobody knows your team better than you do.”
Say this
“What happens when a project needs a skill nobody in your team has?”
Say this
“How often do you bring in a contractor for a skill that might exist elsewhere in the firm?”
Variations
- Engagement Manager: “I just message the people I've worked with before.”
- Partner: “I've staffed my own projects for twenty years. I don't need a system.”
Questions people ask
How do you respond when a manager says they already know who to staff?
Agree that they know their own team best. Ask what happens when a project needs a skill nobody in their team has, and how often they hire contractors for it, then position your product around finding people beyond their own team.
Why do firms hire contractors when the skills exist internally?
Often because managers can't easily see who else in the firm has the skill and is available. Staffing through personal networks works within a team but misses people further away.
More objections in Resource management
- “We could build it ourselves”
- “Our partners will never give up control”
- “Show me the payback in our numbers”
- “Our people won't want an algorithm deciding”
Practise it before the real call
Free to start. No credit card.