Pay-off: Eliminate this costly mistake that many technical experts make
Investment: 2 minute read, 5 minute video
If you’re an expert in technical sales or professional services, or if you’re in BD or sales, this video that’s been doing the rounds is worth 7 mins. (5 if you set it to x1.5 speed in ‘settings’ of the video window. They’ll talk fast, but you can handle it.)
I’m not claiming it’s hilarious or deserves an Oscar but what goes on will surely resonate.
It certainly reflects what people are thinking. I work with intelligent sales people and technical experts, and you should hear the things they say about each other when the other aren’t in the room!
(Obviously, the technical experts blame the sales people and the sales people blame the technical experts.)
What people think about this video
In the YouTube comments, most people have reacted to the video as expected. They’re saying things like “this is so true”, or “experts get such a hard time as sales people over promise” or “customers have ridiculous expectations”. Many of the comments reflect similar reactions. Apparently we ourselves are totally fine. It’s the others that let us all down. Idiots.
Well let me tell you something about that. The technical experts working efficiently to out-perform the rest (who are commenting and agreeing on YouTube) just don’t give a [insert whichever colourful word you like here].
The only thoughts running through their mind on this topic are:
“It is what it is. Here’s what I’m gonna do about it..”
To think and react in agreement with the video (although don’t get me wrong, I know it’s tongue in cheek) suggests to me the victim mentality which will surely hold you down in your career. You’re busy being annoyed by those you’ve chosen to work with, or serve. Do you really want to spend your professional life feeling like a ‘victim’?
Cheerio those who do.
Onward those who don’t.
If you’re still with me, you’ll know there’s little point focusing on and complaining about what others are doing that hurts your own progress.
You’ll realise that whilst you’re doing that, the competition are working hard, training, creating value and closing deals that you’d probably like to be a part of.
And deep inside, you know that your job, always, is to:
1) take charge
2) do the right thing
Or as comedian Bill Burr suggests (for men at least), “be a man, deny your feelings, and act like you have answers!”
Upgrade yourself to a true expert
True experts aren’t just masters of their area of expertise, but they can also influence how problems are defined and communicated, how expectations are set and exceeded, how they can collaborate better with their team (e.g. the sales people) in order to explore and create opportunities and how they can talk professionally to customers in a value-building manner.
Or in short, my own take on this is, – and look, I’m going to shamelessly display this as a quote:
You’re not a true expert until you can sell your expertise and value.
Action
In any client conversation you can approach it as a victim, feeling that those around you don’t act how you’d like them to. Or you can take charge, do the right thing, accept that it is what it is, and figure out what you are going to do about it to influence the interactions.
So what are you going to do about it?
(You could start by upgrading yours or your technical/non-sales team’s capabilities to handle such meetings accordingly – click here.)
