I am not a sales professional, but was fortunate to get some exposure to selling profession. The joy of selling was not only about connecting with the customers, but was also about connecting with my own instincts!!
The year was 2000 and the entire IT industry was buzzing with new Dot Com ideas. Excitement (and of course VC money) was out there for everyone to see. During those days I worked with an HR Consulting firm. Our main focus was Headhunting but we also used to indulge in HR Consulting (yes, that’s the correct way to describe it!).
One day, we had a meeting with a prospect. I was accompanying my Executive Director and we were meeting a gentleman who was well-known for his shrewdness in the hardware industry – someone who had not only founded one of the earliest companies but was also extremely street smart. Lets call him D (He is no more in this world and may his soul rest in peace!)
This gentleman and his partner had a novel idea to set up an e-commerce company and I was excited with the idea. I started talking about their challenges and possible ways to handle them. Their eyes lit up. They called us for another meeting next day and we had an interesting session with theories and stories flowing in all directions. At the end of that meeting, Mr D said “Young man, you have an interesting idea – lets meet again for brainstorming”. Well, by then I was bored! I was sure that they were getting excited with my ideas but nothing was moving forward. In my opinion, there were only two reasons to work on a prospect – BRAND or MONEY – this start-up was clearly the latter! I said, “Sir, Brainstorming is using consultant’s time free!” My Executive Director almost lost a heartbeat when I made that comment and there was a pin-drop silence. Mr D looked at me and said without batting an eyelid, “Well then young man – charge your brainstorming session!” – there was another awkward pause in the room – who the hell knew how to bill brainstorming?? I said with the poise “Sir, I will charge you 5 lacs (Rupees half a million) for five one-hour meetings and today the second meeting is over” I made a conscious attempt not to look at my boss who was shifting in his chair and given half a chance, would have bolted from the room! “Young man, it’s a deal – send me your invoice”. We came out shaking hands as if it was business as usual – once in a car, my boss couldn’t stop laughing till he went completely red in the face! We eventually billed our Brainstorming!
In that flash of a moment I learnt a few things that have always stayed with me:
• If you do not respect your ideas – nobody does!
• If you are convinced that you are creating / adding value for the customer – you must realize the value!
• Social interactions are great but not to mix it with business
I must say that I did not have this clarity when I acted on my instinct at that particular moment. However, when I looked back after the initial euphoria, I learnt a lesson of my life which has stayed with me till date!
The year was 2000 and the entire IT industry was buzzing with new Dot Com ideas. Excitement (and of course VC money) was out there for everyone to see. During those days I worked with an HR Consulting firm. Our main focus was Headhunting but we also used to indulge in HR Consulting (yes, that’s the correct way to describe it!).
One day, we had a meeting with a prospect. I was accompanying my Executive Director and we were meeting a gentleman who was well-known for his shrewdness in the hardware industry – someone who had not only founded one of the earliest companies but was also extremely street smart. Lets call him D (He is no more in this world and may his soul rest in peace!)
This gentleman and his partner had a novel idea to set up an e-commerce company and I was excited with the idea. I started talking about their challenges and possible ways to handle them. Their eyes lit up. They called us for another meeting next day and we had an interesting session with theories and stories flowing in all directions. At the end of that meeting, Mr D said “Young man, you have an interesting idea – lets meet again for brainstorming”. Well, by then I was bored! I was sure that they were getting excited with my ideas but nothing was moving forward. In my opinion, there were only two reasons to work on a prospect – BRAND or MONEY – this start-up was clearly the latter! I said, “Sir, Brainstorming is using consultant’s time free!” My Executive Director almost lost a heartbeat when I made that comment and there was a pin-drop silence. Mr D looked at me and said without batting an eyelid, “Well then young man – charge your brainstorming session!” – there was another awkward pause in the room – who the hell knew how to bill brainstorming?? I said with the poise “Sir, I will charge you 5 lacs (Rupees half a million) for five one-hour meetings and today the second meeting is over” I made a conscious attempt not to look at my boss who was shifting in his chair and given half a chance, would have bolted from the room! “Young man, it’s a deal – send me your invoice”. We came out shaking hands as if it was business as usual – once in a car, my boss couldn’t stop laughing till he went completely red in the face! We eventually billed our Brainstorming!
In that flash of a moment I learnt a few things that have always stayed with me:
• If you do not respect your ideas – nobody does!
• If you are convinced that you are creating / adding value for the customer – you must realize the value!
• Social interactions are great but not to mix it with business
I must say that I did not have this clarity when I acted on my instinct at that particular moment. However, when I looked back after the initial euphoria, I learnt a lesson of my life which has stayed with me till date!
If you do not respect your ideas – nobody does! - Agreed! Thank you for reminding me once again.
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