Great reminder not to give up after your first failure, or your second, or third, or any of them. In sales you are going to fail repeatedly. Some sales jobs think that a 10% close ration is amazing. That means a 90% fail ratio. If you can’t handle failure without getting back up to dust yourself off, you’ll never make it in sales. You probably won’t make it much of anywhere if you can’t bounce back from it.
I failed this week understanding a client’s request which led to a large amount frustration for both sides as we missed each other’s messages.
I am learning more and more how much Sales and Software Development really share some of the same principles through my team here at Integrum. The practices and processes we follow here are very client focused, turning each iteration into a mini sales job for the developer. One thing that comes as a result of that is that we really end up working with the client instead of for the client.
Most software places view the development process as a relay race – Client hands development team a specification, dev team hands back a finished product – race over. Integrum looks at it more like a three-legged race. We’re tied at the ankles getting to the finish line together. We can’t take a step without the client being ready and willing to do so, or we both will fall down.
Treat your sales process like the three-legged race as well. Don’t push your client to move faster than they are able, or slow them down to the point where they can’t move. Make sure they are aware of what will happen during and after each step of the process, let the know what you are doing so they don’t feel left out. If you can learn to work with instead of for your client, imagine what that will do for their image of you and any future needs they may have.
photo courtesy of http://www.flickr.com/photos/chrisafer
This isn’t about the new FTC rules about endorsements (no one is giving me anything to write this blog, but I’m willing to take things), nor about stealing people’s images from Flickr or what not. This is about honestly thanking and acknowledging the people who have helped you to get where you are.
When you put on a big event, it was never one person who got it all done. Phoenix Design Week kicks off tomorrow and Mark Dudlik has been effusive in his praise of the people who have helped him to organize it and put it together. This is the right model where there won’t be stubbed egos and hurt feelings that one person is trying to hog it all, if anything Mark has gone out of his way to avoid the spotlight.
Even when you aren’t putting on events, realize that every day you are being helped and carried by those around you. I’m not going to make a whole list of people who deserve partial credit for things I do because I’ll surely miss someone but I’m certainly not doing this alone – anyone who says they are is full of it.
