Understand your Client’s Motivation

My proposal and presentation should reflect that I understand my client.

What they say they want, is not always what they need.

For a person I hope will introduce me to decision makers, his motivation is the quality of his introduction. Which means, the materials should be clear and precise. His reputation is at stake. It’s like asking an outside sales person to sell my product/service for me.

Manage Requests

Requests becomes distractions only when I allow them to. There is always something to do, but if I try to accommodate all of them, I end up not getting anything done.

Last night I spent 1,000 yen to learn the following by actual experience:

• Being a first-timer to an event and not knowing anyone feels so awkward. This is true even for seemingly extroverted people. Although they are a minority compared to the regulars and to those who came in groups, event organizers must find a way to keep these first-timers, to allow them to open up, and in the process convert them into regulars.
• Presenting, and presenting well, is really a skill I want to learn and develop. Someday, I will be presenting to a group like this. Someday.
• Three presentations, which I believe had three themes: Technology and Timing, Practical and Simple Solutions, and Design Philosophy.

.. or, “How to react when they try to leave.”

I look at working with employees the same way I look at building my company. If I build a great company someone is going to want to buy it. If I have great employees who work hard, do well and grow professionally, someone will eventually want to come along and “buy” them too…when that good opportunity comes along they should privately pursue and let me know how I can help (and I conclude with, “Just give me a chance to beat the offer.”).

via Why I Cheer When My Employees Leave

As an employee this sounds like a great boss/company to work for, but I’m not a business owner nor have I been a department manager, so I cannot really say what I’d do if I were in their shoes. I mean, will I really be ‘happy’ to see my best people go? (‘course not.) I understand the challenge for me is to create a working environment that attracts – and keeps! – great people, but what about loyalty?

Again, can’t say what I’d actually do when faced with this situation. But I’d like to believe that I’d be the type to strive to create a great work environment that needs no ‘clauses’ to keep great people.

Ok, so I’m not very good with presentations. Here’s what I plan to do to be better:

To improve giving presentations
1. Memorize Basic 会社紹介 Presentation.
2. Present to Clients at least once month. Observe feedback.
3. Ask for internal feedback.

To improve making presentations
1. Make presentations for current clients at least quarterly.
2. Make presentations for pipeline clients at least quarterly.
3. Request for internal review / feedback before presenting to clients ( which means there should be ample time for applying revisions )

To improve understanding of needs
1. Create Meeting Minutes – for every Sales related Meeting
2. Request for internal review / feedback. Can be retrospective.

I’m not very good with presentations.

Not good at making presentations, not good at giving presentations.

Which is a big problem because this is an important activity for Sales Engineers.

I’m slow. I take too much time in trying to put ideas and concepts into words, into diagrams. Ideas that I can’t even organize in my head sometimes. And even after using so much time, the output still sucks!

I stutter, I’m not persuasive. Don’t know how to open, don’t know how to close. The flow of the middle part is usually over the place. Weekly progress reports are fine, Proposals are tough!

It doesn’t end there.

What sucks the most is that it seems I don’t really understand customer needs. I can understand requirements, sure, but usually what they ask for is not always what they need.

This sucks. This really sucks.

I need to be better.

My only consolation is that it took time for me to learn the skills I can do well now. I grew through constant practice, by overcoming disappointments, receiving guidance from mentors, and staying optimistic.

I need to be better.
I want to be better.
I will be better.