Datasheet

Selling SharePoint
When you make new discoveries about SharePoint’s capabilities, don’t be
surprised if everyone else doesn’t fall in line. You have to see SharePoint to
believe its technologies. That’s why I think it’s so important to ask for a hunt-
ing license. Only by taking on a few projects and showing SharePoint’s value
can you start to get people on board.
When you prepare your case for selling SharePoint, keep the following in mind:
 Remember your audiences. Be ready to present your business case to
multiple stakeholders many times over your project’s life cycle. You
won’t just sell SharePoint once. Consider the different perspectives of
executive management, operations, technical staff, and end users when
you prepare your case. Each of these stakeholders has a different set of
criteria for evaluating SharePoint.
 Get buy-in. If you know ahead of time that a particular individual or
department is a roadblock, court them early and often. If possible, get
them to take a stake early in the planning phases and don’t let people
or departments drop out of this process at any time.
 Know your politics. Be aware of the formal and informal power struc-
tures in your company. If you think that politics might hinder your pro-
ject’s success, consider using a consultant. Management is often more
willing to listen to a third party than to an employee.
A common roadblock to implementing SharePoint is the Not Invented
Here syndrome. All companies have people who are entrenched in using
a current process or product that they refuse to relinquish. If that solu-
tion was hand rolled — as in the case of a home grown portal solution —
it can be especially brutal to convince people to embrace SharePoint.
 Show business value. You have to show your stakeholders how this
project adds value to the business. Again, remember your audience.
To executive management, business value often means financial return.
Operations may see value in a project that streamlines business
processes, whereas ease of use may appeal to a line worker.
Finally, you may very well come to the conclusion that SharePoint isn’t
right for your business. If you have trouble getting people to cooperate with
you, that’s a red flag. You may need to wait until the winds of change come
through. Of course, you’re a shoo-in if you can figure out how to make the IT
manager think SharePoint was his idea.
29
Chapter 1: Getting to Know SharePoint
05_099414 ch01.qxp 3/2/07 6:50 PM Page 29