Project Meetings
The Sales to Service Meeting is is where the project officially hands off from sales to delivery on the implementer side. The delivery and PMO teams review scope, objectives, timelines, and client context shared during sales.
Attendees:
Implementer project team
Meeting Purpose:
It’s your chance to hear what the client was promised, understand the context behind the deal, and align early on what “success” looks like.
Timing:
Before project kickoff
Change Management Value-Add
Why This Matters for Change Management:
CM consultants gain insight into initial commitments, stakeholder expectations, and change impacts to ensure alignment from day one.
You gain early insight into the project’s "Why," which forms the foundation of your future communication strategy.
Questions to Ask Yourself
Expand each section below:
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What were the top 3 frustrations the client mentioned during the sales process?
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What specific benefits or "wins" were promised to the executives?
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Did the sales team mention any "problem" departments or high-resistance areas?
Preparing for the Meeting
The reality is that at this point of the project change management is usually: Not sold, undersold, or sold with unrealistic expectations.
Video (7:01)
You know that sinking feeling when the SOW hits your inbox and the math just does not math? This video is your survival guide for that exact moment.
Key Points
1. Listen for the "Why" Behind the Deal
Sales conversations often surface the pain points, motivations, and emotional drivers that led the client to sign.
These are gold for change management. Was the client struggling with inefficient processes? Leadership turnover? A failed prior implementation?
Understanding why they bought Workday helps you craft a change narrative that resonates with employees at all levels — not just the technical rationale, but the human one.
Deliverable: Change Story / Case for Change Draft
Using what you heard in the Sales to Service meeting, draft an initial "Case for Change" document that captures the organization's core motivations for the Workday implementation. This doesn't need to be client-ready at this stage — it's an internal working document that you'll refine as you learn more. Having even a rough version early ensures your messaging foundation is rooted in the client's actual story rather than something generic you build later under time pressure.
2. Identify Implicit Commitments and Expectations
What was promised during the sales cycle doesn't always make it into the SOW.
Listen closely for any language around timeline expectations, ease of transition, or level of hand-holding the client was led to believe they'd receive.
These implicit commitments often become the source of stakeholder frustration later. Flagging them early gives you the opportunity to either align the delivery team's approach or proactively manage expectations before they become issues.
Activity: Assumptions and Expectations Log
Create a simple tracking document that captures anything heard during the meeting that signals what the client was told, implied, or may be expecting. Flag items that seem misaligned with the actual project scope or timeline. Bring this into your next internal team conversation or project kickoff discussion so the delivery team can collectively decide how to address gaps before they surface with the client.
3. Map the Stakeholder Landscape from the Start
Sales teams develop relationships with specific client contacts — usually senior leaders and economic buyers.
Take note of who was involved in the sales process, who championed the deal, and who may have had reservations. This gives you a preliminary picture of your likely sponsors, resistors, and coalition builders before you've ever spoken to the client.
You can walk into your first stakeholder assessment with a meaningful head start.
Deliverable: Preliminary Stakeholder Register
Build a first draft of your stakeholder register using the names, roles, and relationship dynamics surfaced during the sales discussion. Note who championed the deal, who was skeptical, and who holds influence over adoption. This version will be incomplete by design, but it gives you a structured starting point to validate and expand once you begin direct client engagement during discovery.
4. Surface Scope Details That Signal Change Complexity
Scope decisions made during sales directly affect the breadth and depth of change your end users will experience.
Pay attention to the number of modules being implemented, any phased versus big-bang deployment decisions, and whether the client is moving from a highly customized legacy system.
These details help you size the change effort, anticipate resistance hotspots, and begin thinking about what your impact assessment will need to cover — well before the project formally kicks off.
Activity: Initial Change Impact Snapshot
Document a high-level summary of the modules, deployment approach, and known organizational factors that will drive the scale of change. Think of this as a pre-assessment — a one-pager that captures early signals of complexity before your formal Change Impact Assessment begins. It can also help you make an early case internally for the level of change management resourcing and attention the project will require.