Adversity and Opportunity

I’ve always said, “I either win or I learn.”

It's a simple mindset. Even in business, my philosophy has been, "It's okay to lose the sale, just don't lose the lesson." People don't realize that it's okay to lose, to face adversity, to walk away without the win. Sometimes you're supposed to lose in order to learn. Earning your stripes is crucial in your personal and professional growth.

It's not that you suck at your job, it's that somewhere in the process, your intentions didn't meet the client's expectations. Maybe you didn't do enough research on your client and their needs. Perhaps you didn't connect the dots between your products/ processes and their understanding of the project. We take information for granted because to us, it's like breathing. Sometimes you have to remember that not everyone knows what you know. I suggest starting with some baseline questions to see what level of understanding they have. In the end, you need to meet or exceed expectations, so educating to bring them up to speed is necessary.

With every "L" you take, your goal should be to understand why it happened. If it was price, the client didn't understand why you charge what you charge. If it was timing, perhaps you should look at your scheduling and prioritize projects better. If the client starts off with attitude, be glad you took the loss, because you probably weren't going to satisfy them anyway. Once you've gathered this information, you need to ingest it. Learn from it. And share it with your team, so you're ready for future dealings with that prospect. This mentality should filter through your entire organization. Any client-facing position must understand these expectations and communicate them throughout the project to retain customers for life.

Cheers!

-Ruggs