ARTICLES

The hairy hand in strategic account management

By Michael Blackstone, Vice president of marketing, Shapiro Negotiations Institute
and Andrew Baird, Client services director, Shapiro Negotiations Institute

Strategic account managers prefer to be in their comfort zones.  Like most business professionals, they want to know what to expect before walking into a situation or encounter.  However, this tough economy has placed increased pressure on SAMs to weed out any inefficiencies in their regular routines and expenses.  And even when the economy has fully turned back around, the pressure on them to maximize their efforts will remain.  SAMs always try to uncovercreative ways of looking at challenges.  But it's tough to try something new, especially when maintaining a similar approach to challenges has been successful in the past.  If you had to think of a new way to explore the everyday challenges SAMs face, how would you approach it?  Would you be willing to try a new experience to create even greater success?

Advances in virtual technology have finally afforded us the opportunity to truly be more creative, particularly in the way we deliver applicable tools and skills training. But how can SAMs appreciate how virtual training will help make their own lives easier?  First they have to get past the thought that it is hard to use and something only video-gamers or younger generations will appreciate.  Next comes the tough part: SAMs have to allow themselves to think in a world that has no walls or borders.  The single limitation to virtual training platforms is that of the human mind.

Our company has been a premier global provider of negotiation and influencing training for more than 15 years.  Shapiro Negotiations Institute's instructor-led training programs are delivered all over the world in the most entertaining, educational way possible.  Our facilitators tell many stories to help anchor and illustrate the delivered learning points.  We use one story in particular about the negotiation between the famous Italian painter Michelangelo and Pope Julius II regarding the Sistine Chapel's "hairy hand."  In short, legend has it that Michelangelo knew that no matter how perfect his paintings were on the chapel's ceiling, Julius (envision Donald Trump with an army) would want changes.  Therefore Michelangelo decided to put a hairy hand on one of the ceiling's figures.  Julius saw this and called for its immediate removal.  Michelangelo resisted just enough to allow the pope to feel that his input had been heard.  Ultimately Michelangelo removed the hairy hand, which he intended to do all along.

How does the hairy hand apply to strategic account management?  We use the story to teach SAMs that when they negotiate they should always consider putting into the deal a "hairy hand" they are more than willing to give up in the right circumstance but that satisfies the other side's need to feel as if it has gained a concession.  Now that is an interesting story and does get people's attention in our seminars.  But what if you heard that story as you stood inside the Sistine Chapel?  Imagine the colorful scenes you would see from below.  Imagine looking up and even being able to fly to the ceiling to take a closer look.  What if that wasn't a a far-fetched idea?  In fact Vassar College built a replica of the Sistine Chapel on the school's island in Second Life.  Since we started delivering our virtual training programs in Second Life we have been transporting participants to the chapel so they can have a more immersive experience while learning.  People can actually become part of the story rather than simply being passive observers.

As we near the completion of building SNI Island our devlopers are working hard at creating novel structures and ways of interacting with the environments and other people that a few years ago were only hopes and wishes.  (Please see www.shapironegotiations.com/virtual.html.)  Due to the elimination of travel and lodging costs, these virtual learning environments will dramatically decrease overall expenditures and time out of the office.  The virtual world provides unlimited possibilities for types of learning environments and environmental settings.  And it forces active participation, which increases and retains interest and attention at a much higher rate than webinars or teleconferences.  Take a look and see what virtual training environments like Second Life have to offer in terms of collaboration, communication, learning, creativity, productivity and global connectivity.  More efficient training for SAMs is only one of the added benefits.