Throughout my career, I worked alongside a team of highly skilled professionals to build enterprise software from scratch while also handling sales.

This experience refined my abilities in sales, opportunity identification, and software development, providing me with valuable perspectives and lessons learned through both successes and failures.

Here are some of them:

  • A contract can be secured when you address the right points. By anticipating ideas or projects from casual hallway conversations, or by identifying solvable problems, you can transform routine interactions into meaningful discussions that create genuine interest in collaboration.

  • Secure that follow-up meeting—exchange business cards, phone numbers, or whatever works. Don’t squander good ideas by discussing them prematurely. Instead, gather contact information and give it a day to settle.

  • People respond better to tangible concepts they can visualize and modify. Whether it’s a Google Docs document, a few slides with key points, or a conversation script covering essential topics, keep it straightforward and practical. During the conversations, guide it toward your idea and present it as an option, maintaining a human touch rather than a corporate approach.

  • The goal isn't to convince clients about your unique idea, make an immediate sale, or showcase your intelligence. Rather, through conversation, the idea should evolve into something they will look good with and reflect their values—a weird find. This process might lead to involvement in existing projects or the development of something entirely new.

  • Iteration improves everything. Review documents, slides, and ideas with the client, enhancing them in subsequent meetings. Two minds think better than one, and if other stakeholders need to be involved, bring them in and align them for productive discussions.

  • The follow up and the delivery is just as important as the initial presentation. Have a plan to follow up and make the delivery look as a success. They will want to experience the process again if they liked it.

That’s what I have for now. Hope they are useful to you.

Good luck and have fun!