practice 8: Powerful Communications

Business Relationship Management

IT Management
School of Creative Industries
Persuasion and Influencing
• The Business Relationship Manager must be able to influence their
Business Partner and persuade them to adopt a strategy or course of
action.
• A successful partnership between the Business Partner and its
Provider is built on mutual trust. Trust must be earned.
• BRMs typically work through influence rather than direct authority—
both with their Business Partners and with the Provider organization.
As such, they must be masters of the skills of influence and
persuasion.
Technique on persuasion
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aUpiy67_nt4
The Art of Persuasion
The Science of Persuasion
• Reciprocity – give in order to receive. The idea here is that a gift places an
obligation to respond on the recipient. The gift does not have to be tangible – if
you help someone out then they feel an obligation to help you out in the future.
It’s important that BRM creates the obligation by being the first to give.
• Scarcity – what is unique in your proposal? What do they stand to lose if they
don’t accept it?
• Authority – let the audience know why you are a credible authority. Your proposal
is more likely to be accepted if you are seen to have relevant expertise and
experience.
• Consistency – develop a pattern of behavior. The idea here is that most people
prefer to act consistently and that can be exploited by asking for some small
initial commitments which will lead to much larger commitments later on.
• Consensus – people are influenced by what other people are doing. You’ll be
more persuasive if you can show that others are doing what you propose.
The Influence Process Technique
Expressing a Unique Value Proposition
practice 5: Business Transition Management

Week 5.
Business Relationship Management
IT Management
School of Creative Industries
What is Business Transition Management?
Business Transition Management is an approach for managing the
human dynamics before, during and after implementing a business
change initiative in order to prevent value leakage.
It encompasses all the sorts of things you might expect: stakeholder
management, communication, change leadership, managing
commitment, overcoming resistance and so on.
Business Transition Management ensures that business areas impacted
by an initiative are identified, understand and are prepared for the
business transition - not just the technology transition. Its purpose is to
minimize disruption to business operations and therefore to ensure
that the full value of the project is achieved.
What is Business Transition Management?
The phrase ’business transition’ – is significant. When an IT service
provider brings a new service into operational use, its focus is usually
on the technology aspects – the hardware and software. But IT services
support business activity;
If a new service is introduced, then inevitably the business activity it
supports will change.
Indeed, technology can often transform the way businesses operate
and therefore the way people (both staff and managers) work.
To get full value from a new service the business must transition its
own people and organization from the current way of working to the
new.
Value of Business Transition Management
• It identifies who is impacted by a business transition and the network
of sponsors, change agents and advocates needed to make the
changes happen and paves the way for strong and sustained
sponsorship
• It engages stakeholders, creates buy-in, and prepares individuals and
groups by determining who should be engaged and how (e.g.,
communication, involvement in design, training, etc.)
• It helps your Business Partners plan their ‘readiness’ activities for a
smooth cutover when the initiative is implemented, and ongoing
business operations begin
The Myth of Change
This figure was drawn by Omega Point Consulting to
illustrate the "Myth of Change". This myth is the
common belief that change is easy; that all you have
to do is explain to those affected why the change is
desirable, why the Future State will be so much
better, how the problems of the Current State will be
solved. If you can do that, then people will get on
board and work to make the change happen with
energy and enthusiasm.
Of course, experience teaches us that people don’t
respond like that. They have their own agendas, their
own hopes and fears, their own values, and their own
perspectives. For a variety of reasons people can be
reluctant and even hostile to change. Successful
organizational change must take into account these
human aspects.
Task
• Find examples from companies that have implemented the business
transition management and realized their IT initiatives, finance
initiatives, HR or other services.
• How the Business IQ of this company contributed to the business
transition management?
Lecture 6: provider domain knowledge

Week 6.
Business Relationship Management
IT Management
School of Creative Industries
The BRM Competencies
What is a service?
A service
• The international standard for IT service management, ISO/IEC 20000,
defines as service as “A means of delivering value to customers by
facilitating outcomes customers want to achieve without the
ownership of specific costs and risks”.
• a service delivers value
• In the context of an IT service, the business does not buy hardware
and software. Instead, they want what that hardware and software
can do for them.
• A service delivers value by helping the customer achieve their
outcomes.
Service
• What does IT service provide to the business?
• A customer buys a service because they don’t want ownership of
specific costs (means they’re not interested in detailed costs, and
they don’t want to manage them)
• A customer doesn’t want ownership of specific risks either. that’s the
service provider’s problem
Products and Services – what’s the
difference?
Examples:
• A car manufacturer vs taxi service (required a cab and a driver)
Services vs Products
Service Value
As illustrated in the diagram, a service will
deliver value only if it is fit for purpose AND
fit for use.
Fitness for purpose is known as utility; in the
context of an IT service this is its
functionality.
But fitness for purpose is not enough. A
service must also be fit for use; this is known
as warranty. As you might infer from the
diagram, warranty refers to service quality.
Business Relationship Management plays a key role in each of these
three aspects of service value:
• It ensures that business outcomes are properly understood by the
provider and that services support those outcomes.
• It influences customer perceptions of the service they are receiving.
Customers need to be told what a great job the provider is doing.
• It develops an understanding of its partner’s preferences and not only
ensure that they are taken into account by the provider but also
influences their perception of the service they are receiving so that it
aligns with the preferences.
 Characteristics of value:
• The first thing is that value is defined by customer not by the provider.
(if you are selling your house, its value will be determined by the
person who buys it, not by you)
• A service or a product will deliver value if it provides an affordable
mix of features. (same example with house). Customers will select the
service or product that represents the best mix of features at the
price they are willing to pay.
• To provide value a service must help the customer achieve their
objectives which are not always financial. A service could help a
company to satisfy regulatory requirements, improve its security or
protect human life.
• Value changes over time and circumstance. What is valuable today is
not necessarily valuable tomorrow.
Service Definition
Here are eight key questions to be answered when defining a service:
1. What is the service?
2. How do I get the service?
3. How is the service delivered?
4. How do I use the service?
5. How do I get help with the service?
6. What does the service cost?
7. How is the service supported?
8. What does service support cost?
Provider Domain Knowledge
as a competency in Business Relationship Management (BRM)
refers to the understanding and expertise in the industry or
domain in which the organization operates. This competency is
crucial for BRM professionals to effectively engage with business
stakeholders, understand their needs and challenges, and
provide valuable insights and solutions.
 Otbasy bank case study
• 1) Analyze services provided by the bank and understand what values
do they generate for key stakeholders, and who are they?
• 2) make SWOT analysis of the bank
 Otbasy Bank case study
3) Conduct research using reputable sources such as bank reports,
market analysis publications, regulatory websites of finance industry.
Based on findings, gather data and insights on the following aspects:
1. Industry trends: Identify current and emerging trends that are shaping the
industry landscape.
2. Technology landscape: Explore innovative technologies and solutions being
used or developed within the industry.
3. Regulatory environment: Understand relevant regulations, standards, and
compliance requirements governing the industry.
4. Competitor analysis: Analyze competitors' offerings, market share, strengths,
weaknesses, and differentiation strategies.
5. Customer insights: Gain understanding of customer needs, preferences,
behaviors, and pain points within the industry.
 Otbasy Bank case study
• 4) considering all gathered data above, analyze the bank’s domain
knowledge and discuss how it allows the company to drive business
value and innovation.
• 5) present it to the class.
Thank you!
practice 8: Powerful Communications

Business Relationship Management

IT Management
School of Creative Industries
The Art of Listening
Most of us believe that we are effective listeners, and we don't think
we need to develop our listening skills. The truth is, though, that very
few of us do listen effectively.

Effective listening means actively absorbing the information given to

you by a speaker, showing that you are listening and interested in what
they are trying to communicate, and providing feedback to the speaker
so that they know the message was received as intended.
Step 1 – Be Present
• A face-to-face meeting is much more effective than telephone or other
communication methods. Face the speaker and maintain eye contact (but
without 'staring’ which can make people uncomfortable!).
• If you can't be physically with them, it is even more important to 'be
present'— give them you full attention, don't be distracted or fall into the
contemporary trap of multi-tasking.
• You may not have the chance to hear what they are trying to communicate
again. Even worse, if they sense you are not really listening, you will erode
trust and weaken the relationship irreparably.
• Relax, and focus on the speaker. If you are physically present, show your
attentiveness through your body language. Nod or use other gestures to
encourage them to continue, show that you are listening and
understanding what is being said.
Step 2 – Stop Talking
• Listen to what others are saying, without interrupting them, talking over
them or finishing their sentences. Be comfortable with silence. Introverts
need time to process their thoughts before they speak—give them that
time.
• Extroverts tend to think out loud to process their thoughts. The first words
out of their mouth might not make sense or convey what they really are
trying to say—give them time to get to the point. A pause does not
necessarily mean that the speaker has finished. Be patient and let them
continue at their own pace. Wait for the speaker to finish their thought
before responding or asking clarifying questions.
• Focus on what the speaker is saying. Try not to think about what you are
going to say next.
Step 3 – Listen to the Tone Being Used
Volume and tone both add information to what someone is
communicating. Good speakers use volume and tone to shape what
they are trying to say.
Step 4 – Validate Understanding
If you are unsure what they are really saying, ask clarifying questions. If
you think you have understood them, summarize back to them what
you think you heard, in your own words.
Step 5 – Empathize
Try to understand the other person’s point of view and what they are
feeling. Let go of preconceived ideas and have an open mind. If the
speaker says something that you disagree with, wait and construct your
response, but keep an open mind to the views and opinions of others.
Always remember that your objective is to build your understanding
not to score points.
Step 6 – Listen for the Ideas behind the Words
What are they really trying to communicate and why? But don't jump
to conclusions about that—validate by asking questions or by
communicating back in your own words what you think they really
mean.
The Art of Powerful
Questions
Listening takes place in the context of a
conversation. Typically, the listener will guide
the conversation through the use of a series
of questions that are intended to prompt the
speaker to provide the needed information.
This diagram depicts a hierarchy of question
power.
Task
• Based on the case study from week 7, develop a communication plan
for startup owner with its main provider (franchiser) for obtaining set
goals for business expansion.
• What barriers and challenges there might be?
• Provide with solution to these challenges.