ADVEN T U RE S I N C O NS U LT I NG
I’ve done a number of software development projects for a firm fixed price,
under a contract that comprised three
tasks: Task one, it’s ugly and balky and
frustrating, but if you can manage to get a
full set of test data in, the output indicates
that the computations are being done correctly. Task two, the program fully meets
specifications: output in formats specified
in the task order, user-friendly, doesn’t
break under intense challenge testing.
Task three, I fix everything they didn’t
like after it met spec. The three tasks are
equally funded.
This contracting approach prevents
the usual “requirements creep” and continuous wrangling over change orders. It
has the added advantage of weeding out
quite a few bad clients, as people will never sign a contract like this if they can’t acknowledge to their bosses that they can’t
write a perfect spec.
Now, as you prepare to go selling, remember these three things:
11. In a successful sales call,
the salesperson does about 5 percent of the talking. Listening to the
customer is critical, and not just to
learn what you could say next. Once
I saw a super-salesman interviewed
on the Tonight Show. Johnny Carson
asked, “How would you sell me this
coffee cup?” The salesman promptly
40
|
A N A LY T I C S - M A G A Z I N E . O R G
responded, “Tell me all the things you
could do with this cup.”
12. Humor can be a very good icebreaker. You have to have a good feel
for what the other person thinks is funny,
though. Humor with strangers is risky.
That’s precisely why it’s so effective when
you get it right. In any case, pay close attention to cues that let you know whether
you’re breaking down barriers to trust.
Remember you’re there to get them to believe you understand their problems and
can solve them, not to entertain them or
show them how smart you are. Techies
often blow sales calls by talking too much
about technical details.
The right way to show your capabilities without talking too much:
13. You have to keep replenishing your intellectual capital. If you
concentrate exclusively on billable
work, your skills will be obsolete within
five years. Take courses. Participate
in professional societies – especially
your clients’ and prospects’ professional societies. Read. Listen. Write
articles, do presentations and pay attention to the feedback. Find knowledgeable people and ask questions.
Mentor others; their questions will
stimulate you. Learn new methods,
new application areas and new ideas,
W W W. I N F O R M S . O R G