Selling Electrical Safety in Your Organization
Copyright Material IEEE
Paper No. ESW2013-18
Tim Rohrer
IEEE Member
Exiscan IR Windows
1645 Lyell Ave.
Rochester, NY 14606
USA
TRohrer@Exiscan.com
Abstract – Statistically, electricity is one of the most
dangerous hazards in the workplace. So why is it so hard to
convince some managers and executives to prioritize vital
programs that could save lives, save money, ensure process
uptime, increase and protect profitability? The reason is
simple: people and organizations only change when they are
sufficiently motivated, or when change is forced upon them.
Therefore, without the ability to force change, one who wishes
to effect change, must learn how to effectively motivate, or
“sell” their ideas up the chain of command.
This paper will highlight the basics of effective sales, so that
the reader can be a more effective change agent.
Index Terms — Electrical Safety, soft skills, influence,
change agent.
I. INTRODUCTION
Many will argue that education efforts are critical changing
the culture of electrical safety. And those people are 100%
correct. The Electrical Safety Workshop, and other IEEE
events, along with the countless trainings and seminars that
are conducted every month around the world are an integral
part of that education. So too are the trade journal articles,
and the message board and BLOGs that promote these
concepts and disseminate them to an even broader audience.
They are all instrumental in continuing to educate and raise
awareness of the critical problems facing electrical safety, and
the best practices that will help to save lives.
But the attendee -- with a mind full of incredible cutting-
edge electrical safety knowledge -- must be able to enlist the
support of his/her subordinates, peers and management after
they return to work on Monday. Without the skills of
persuasion, all of that great education may fail to make a
difference -- and thereby miss the opportunity to potentially
save lives.
A sustainable and meaningful electrical safety program will
require cross-functional participation from various areas of
their organization, including top management. As Lanny Floyd
points out, NFPA 70E and CSA Z462 both reference
management safety standards that “focus on the strategic
levels of management policy and implementation of
processes to help establish the management commitment
and support necessary for planning, implementing, and
assuring sustainable and continuous improvement in safety
performance.” [1]
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With this in mind, anyone attempting to elevate their
electrical safety program needs to ask how they are going to
enlist the support of management. And anyone having trouble
bringing change to their organization needs to re-evaluate
their strategy for enlisting the support of the various
stakeholders in their organization.
II. BECOME A BETTER SALESPERSON
A. Everyone is in Sales
You are selling when you convince management to fund a
thorough arc flash hazard analysis; or when you negotiate
restaurant choices with your spouse; or when you convince
your child that having a good education is a good “backup”
plan in case their rock band does not pay the bills. We all sell
our ideas and our opinions, every day.
As engineers and safety professionals, the personnel in
your facility depend on your ability to persuade management.
How will you convince people that it is more important to
invest time and energy into electrical safety initiatives, rather
than into a new truck or tow motor this year. To help you win
that worthwhile fight, this presentation will provide an overview
of the skills that every good sales person, engineer, safety
professional and manager must master if they are to succeed
in persuading others.
B. Put Yourself in Their Shoes
There is no better tool at your disposal than spending some
time to determine your audience’s goals, motivations,
priorities and competing projects. Doing so will allow you to
approach your subject in a manner that will appeal to them, so
that your project stands a better chance of winning approval.
What is your audience’s boss demanding of them? What
are their top priorities? What is the next promotion they are
seeking, and what type of wins are they looking for in order to
better their chances moving ahead? Is management asking
them to concentrate on safety issues, or some other issue,
like efficiency, quality control, etc.? Understanding their
motivations and challenges will help you to frame your project
in a manner that fits with their goals.
C. Talk Their Language
Are they an analytical decision maker; or do they “feel” their
way through the issues? Without getting into a full Meyers
Briggs discussion, you need to understand how they make
decisions in order to present your solution in a manner that
makes sense to them and motivate them. After all, isn’t that
the point.
Are they a motivated by “winning;” or by people’s opinions
of them; or by increasing bottom line; or by a job well done; or
some other factor? Do they play “follow the leader,” or do they
view themselves as a trailblazer?
Generally top management will want to understand the
impact on the bottom line. So be sure to relate your benefits
back to protecting or increasing profitability. When talking with
the Health and Safety Manager, it’s all about the safety of the
worker -- talk of profits may come across as crude when they
are concerned about protecting workers.
D. Short and Sweet
I know that you have a ton of information that you just can’t
wait to share. But remember, this is a marathon, not a sprint.
Give them just enough to get the ball rolling, or just enough to
get the next step. If you try to give them all the information at
once, you stand a very good chance of scaring them off.
E. Focus on the Benefits
Generally speaking, a random series of facts will not
provide a very convincing argument. Instead, it is your
responsibility to connect those facts to the benefits that are
relevant to your audience, in terms that your audience will
respond to. People will make decisions based on the benefits
they expect the decision to bring them, not based on trivia.
F. Questions, Questions, Questions
Ask questions before starting into your pitch. The questions
will help to clarify that your assumptions about your
audience’s priorities, positions and general disposition. Asking
questions throughout your presentation will also help you
avoid the dreaded “monologue;” and will hopefully allow you
confirm that your audience is on the same page with you, and
that they agree with the direction you are taking them. If their
answers indicate that they are not agreeing with you, it gives
you the chance to take a step back and clarify your position or
frame it in a different way.
G. Don’t Sell… Educate
Nobody likes to be sold to. Instead, view the process as
educating your audience to gain their agreement and buy-in.
The more someone feels that the idea was their own, the
greater their dedication to carrying it through.
H. Use 3rd Party Documentation
Remember the old saying “you can’t be a profit in your
home town.” You will find that it is always easier to convince
people on something that some other “expert” has said. So
whenever possible, defer to the wisdom of others. Remember,
it’s not about you, it’s about making a change for the
betterment of your co-workers.
I. Prove Your Audience “Right”
Nobody likes being shown to be wrong. So find areas
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where your audience is doing a good job, where they are
winning. Then help them to improve on that winning track with
some ideas that support what they are already doing. In other
words, help that person look good in front of their boss, and
then help them look even better, and you will have an ally.
J. Gain Agreement and Ask for Next Actions and Timelines
Once you have agreement, assign action items to take your
plan to the next step, and shut up. The worst mistake many
people will make is that they will gain agreement, and then
they continue to “sell.” The danger is that by continuing to talk,
you might actually talk your audience out of what they had
already bought into.
K. Don’t Wrestle with Pigs
As my father used to say, the more you wrestle with pigs
the more they like, but in the end, you always end up looking
dirty, and smelling like pig slop.” In other words, you may run
into a few people along the way that are stuck in the old way
of doing things. Just leave them behind and talk to someone
else that understands your message and is interested in
helping. Let the pigs play off on the side by themselves.
They’ll come along eventually.
L. Promote Your Wins
After your program gets funded and adopted, your job has
just begun. You need to promote your wins throughout the
organization, at all levels. Bulletin board notes, e-news letters,
e-mail blasts. Did you reduce accidents? Did your team catch
a fault that would have brought down a process that would
have cost the company lost revenue? What new changes has
your new program implemented and what are the benefits
they will bring?
Be sure to make the publicity part of the approved plan, as
a way to “keep everyone involved and seeing the benefits.”
That way you are not a show-boat – you are a good manager
who keeps his team and cross-functional teams involved and
motivated.
III. EXAMPLE: HAMMER VS/ FEATER
A. Using a Hammer
Our friend Jack did not read or attend the presentation of
this paper. Unfortunately, Jack is a fan of the “big hammer”
technique.
Upon his return from the ESW – his head full of some great
ideas – Jack rushes into the VP of Production’s office and
says: “Larry, I bet you didn’t know that over 50% of electrical
fatalities occur among workers whose jobs are considered to
be ‘non-electrical’ in nature. I just went to this conference and
learned that we are doing things all wrong, and just on my
walk to your office this morning I spotted several things we
need to change around here. I want you to let me form a task
force to start changing the we are approaching electrical
safety around here.” How much success will Jack have? We
call this trying to use a hammer to change someone’s mind.
B. Using a Feather
Similar scenario -- Bill learns some great things at ESW this
week and prior to leaving Daytona Beach, e-mails his VP to
request just 10 minutes to discuss some things he learned
this week that could “really impact the bottom line of the
company.”
Upon his return, Bill starts the meeting out: “Larry, I just got
back from a fantastic conference and was really blown away.
First of all, it confirmed to me that we are on the right path.
We are doing a really good job in a lot of areas of electrical
safety: The check lists that we implemented last year; the
changes we made to the LOTO procedures; and thanks again
for approving that PPE last quarter -- it’s a huge boost for the
safety of our electricians.
Then this guy Electrical Safety Foundation International
(ESFi) presented statistic for electrical fatalities for non-
electrical personnel -- you know what he said? More than 1/2
of electrical fatalities occur with – guess who, Larry…”
Larry already knows the answer, because Bill just gave it to
him, and replies, “non-electrical personnel?”
“Exactly! Isn’t that CRAZY, Larry? I was floored,” Bill
replies. “Then on my way over here, I saw a painter working
near some overhead lines – that’s the kind of task they are
talking about. What would an accident like that cost us in
OSHA fines? Not to mention process interruptions?
“We could actually be doing some simple education to
protect our non-electrical personnel from the most typical
accidents. I’d like to put together a proposal for you so we can
protect ourselves from some of those accidents and the fines
that would certainly come with them. If I put that together,
would you take a look at it?”
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Who do you think stands a better chance of winning the
VP’s support? Sometimes a feather is stronger than a
hammer.
IV. CONCLUSIONS
Influencing change in your organization requires sales
skills. Stop and think through your strategy before trying to
influence change.
V. REFERENCES
[1] J Cawley. “Appendix A: Electrical Injury Trends and Data.”
Electrical Safety Foundation International. Retrieved
October 31, 2011, from
<http://www.esfi.org/index.cfm/pid/10272/cdid/11512>
VI. VITA
Tim Rohrer earned his BA from Providence College, in 1989.
He the President and Founder of Exiscan LLC. He is a Level
2 Thermographer, and has presented or published more than
a dozen technical papers, magazine articles, tutorials and
conference presentations on a variety of predictive
maintenance and electrical safety topics. He is a member of
IEEE, a member of several standards committees including
IEEE 1584, IEEE 1814, IEEE 1683, and CSA Z462. He is also
a member of the IEEE IAS: Electrical Safety Workshop
planning committee.