Chapter 21

The Working Team Template

Once you've formed your working team and assembled the core messaging assets, it's time for the working team to roll up its collective sleeves and distill the raw materials into the essential whiteboard ingredients. In previous sections we've shared examples of finished products and identified some of the key ingredients at a high level. But in this chapter we will go into detail on each ingredient and explain the specific role it plays.

That process starts with what we call a working team template, a structured document to ensure everything that needs to be considered as part of the whiteboard design project is taken into account. The template doesn't just capture the ingredients that go into the whiteboard. It also captures who you are serving the food to, who the waitstaff are, and which food critics have written you up.

The template also includes elements we have already covered in previous sections, such as whiteboarding objectives, leveling, and scope. But in this chapter we will focus on those components we haven't explored yet. Keep in mind that these whiteboard ingredients aren't all used at the same time in the various whiteboard types we've discussed. You can refer back to each example to see where they are—and are not—included.

Here are the elements of the working team template:

We've already covered numbers one and two, so we'll start with whiteboard name.

Whiteboard Name

Each whiteboard should have a name that can be used to identify it within the organization. Having a catchy or memorable name can help increase the visibility of the whiteboard and the overall initiative.

For example, one company we worked with had a whiteboard story that became affectionately known as “The Diamond Pitch,” due to the fact that the basic structure of the whiteboard was in the shape of a diamond, with the solution in the middle and the various product components arrayed around it in four facets. Once developed and partly distributed to the sales force, the Diamond Pitch took on a life of its own within the organization, due in part to the intrigue associated with its name. It also developed more cachet value with executives, who began stating, “I want everyone certified on the Diamond Pitch,” inferring that the whiteboard was the gold standard way to represent the company's solutions and services.

The lesson here is that adding a memorable name can help you create a brand around the whiteboarding. And putting an interesting visual twist on a whiteboard can provide the fodder for an interesting name.

More generic whiteboard name examples include:

• The [COMPANY] Story Whiteboard
• The [COMPANY] Vision Whiteboard
• Selling Value with [SOLUTION]
• The [COMPANY/SOLUTION/PRODUCT] Whiteboard

Target Complete Date

An average whiteboard design process takes a minimum of approximately five weeks. An effective practice is to work backwards from a compelling event, such as a training session where the whiteboard is going to be introduced to sales. Make sure to leave approximately one week to print whiteboard training tools. If the source messaging content is extremely comprehensive and baked, and if the time frame, resources, and other workload commitments are available, a whiteboard can be completed in as few as three weeks.

Whiteboard Audience

Who is the audience for the whiteboard? In earlier sections we provided a number of examples of different types of whiteboards, but none of them are designed for a specific audience type (with the exception of the Closing Whiteboard, which is targeted at a high-level, economic buyer). All Solution Whiteboards, for example, should be designed to be multilevel, i.e., consumable by C-level audiences down to managers. Even though the whiteboard is consumed by different audiences, the story structure and flow of the whiteboard need to remain consistent. What may change is the amount, and in some cases the nature, of the content that is left up on the board after the meeting.

As it relates to audience, two factors determine what the final board looks like:

For example, take Emeril Lagasse's recipe for Chicken Marsala:

There are a lot of ingredients and steps in this recipe. Now let's take a look at a much simpler recipe for the same dish:

There are some common ingredients (butter, chicken, and Marsala wine), but the second example lacks the fresh mushrooms, chicken stock, chives, and of course, Emeril's Essence! But the benefit is that you can prepare the second example in about a third of the time as Emeril's. The same goes for a whiteboard. The structure and flow of the whiteboard (the overall physical presentation of the dish) is roughly approximate, but the amount of content and detail (ingredients, taste, and texture) will vary.

Delivered by Roles

Who within your organization (specific titles) will be delivering the whiteboard story to end customers? This is typically determined by the whiteboard leveling. Why Change Whiteboards and higher-level Solution Whiteboards are often more easily presented by a much broader group within the organization, including field-facing personnel, channel partners, and even high-level executives. As we will discuss in Chapter 27, even inside sales personnel can now present various types of whiteboards with customers using remote whiteboarding technology.

High-Level Market Trends and Themes

In order to present a whiteboard, you must own the knowledge. This means that whiteboarding positions you as a thought leader and trusted advisor. But you can't just start off a meeting by whiteboarding out your solution. You need to create common ground with your customer by demonstrating you are well educated about the major market trends, themes, and challenges that are relevant to the discussion.

• What is the industry saying?
• What are the third-party analysts, trade publications, or ranking firms talking about?
• How do your competitors frame the market drivers?
• What are your other customers thinking about?

Your prospect is likely relying on these same sources as well, attending trade shows, reading relevant websites, and talking with peers. You must be aware of and have command of these trends and themes if you are going to earn the right to continue the information exchange and progress through the sales cycle with senior-level buyers. These trends and themes will also help determine which corporate and solution-level messaging to highlight in the whiteboard. And remember, if sellers can teach buyers something they didn't already know about, the trust factor will skyrocket.

Company/Solution Capabilities

This section of the Messaging Template is probably the most important. What are the core company and solution capabilities that need to be highlighted in the whiteboard? These need to provide unique and measurable values that other competing solutions cannot deliver. Try to stay away from in-depth discussion of features and functions.

If you refer to the case study we used to demonstrate the whiteboard template examples, Cool Road Trucking had a number of unique capabilities that competing solutions lacked.

Full Life Cycle Services

Cool Road is the only national provider that offers a combination of refrigerated equipment, tracking and monitoring, equipment maintenance, emergency services, and end-product sourcing.

One Point of Contact

Cool Road is the only company to provide a single point of contact for all issues related to sourcing, delivery, and monitoring.

Nationwide Network

Cool Road offers one of the largest networks of temperature-controlled hubs and collection points, with 118 hubs in 36 states.

TempTrust

Competing refrigeration control systems are bolted onto existing semis, but Cool Road's temperature control units are built into—and fully integrated with—trucking equipment.

CleanCool

Cool Road is the only refrigerated trucking company that has the capability to limit emissions of dangerous chemicals and other toxic compounds.

Company/Solution Capabilities Must be “Binary”

These capabilities and defining characteristics are binary. Either you have them or you don't. Either your temperature control systems are integrated or they are not. Either you have a nationwide network or you don't. Either you provide a full life cycle of capabilities or you only focus on trucking.

You want to avoid capabilities and features that are not differentiating and may even get sales resources into trouble during a whiteboard discussion. Here are some examples:

You get the idea. You want to select capabilities to include in your whiteboard that clearly separate you from the competition in a binary, yes/no fashion. For example, if you know that the competitor has a nationwide network, you won't feature that in your whiteboard because it is not differentiating. When we work with our customers, we often have to put a lot of effort into identifying these truly unique elements. The binary rule doesn't just apply to whiteboarding, but to any type of marketing or sales tools. But with a whiteboard, you don't have the luxury of cycling through 30 slides that describe all of your features and functions. You need to be highly selective about what you talk about within the space provided.

Competitive Focus and Silver Bullets

Even basic Solution Whiteboards should have a competitive element to them. If you are designing a Competitive Whiteboard that focuses on a specific competitor, you should identify the key points of differentiation and silver bullets specific to that competitor. In the example of the Typical Approaches Competitive Whiteboard, there are competitive deficiencies common across a number of competitors, when compared to the unique value and capabilities of your solutions and services. You can usually find this data within most marketing and sales organizations, but you need to verify each silver bullet with trusted field resources to ensure they still apply and are binary and defensible.

There are exceptions to the binary rule within the context of a competitive whiteboard. If you are late to market or up against an established competitor that may be further down the sales cycle with your prospect, you may need to use a competitive whiteboard to “level the playing field.” You can highlight capabilities you know the customer needs and that the competing vendor also offers. You've earned the right to stay in the race. Then you can go for the jugular with your unique, binary capabilities.

Key References and Case Studies

All whiteboards—regardless of level or topic—must include proof. You need to show where your company and your solutions have been successfully engaged or implemented, preferably by brand-name organizations. Key references and case studies are often one of the most important content requirements. You can often get these directly from marketing teams or salespeople. Make sure you have permission to use the customer's name. If you don't have permission, you can refer to the reference obliquely, such as “large food store chain based in Chicago.”

If at all possible, use proven success information that is measurable, such as “increased revenue by 25 percent,” or “a 50 percent reduction in operating expenses,” or “reduced implementation time by two hours.” In our case study, Cool Road Trucking's customer FoodAllRight's “time-2-store” delivery metric was reduced by 22 percent. Providing measurable benefits is far superior to saying, “FoodAllRight experienced decreased delivery times.”

Leading with case studies and references is also a great way to open up a whiteboard dialogue, because it piques the interest of your prospects even before the knowledge exchange moves to a deeper level.

Third-Party Recognition

Just as important as proven success is third-party recognition of your organization. This could include industry analyst firms, luminaries, or other third parties who have reviewed, endorsed, awarded, or otherwise validated your company and solutions. These endorsements complement references and case studies and are important validation points used in the whiteboard stories. If you recall, Cool Road Trucking was recently awarded FridgeRoad Magazine's #1 rating and a RideCold Rating Top Pick.

So now you've got your ingredients and are ready to bake your cake. But you'll need just a few instructions on how to mix them all together. We'll look at that in the next chapter, “Formalizing Your Whiteboard Design.”