Life has its own way of teaching us its most profound lessons.
As I reflect on my journey, two pivotal experiences stand out – they initially felt like big setbacks but ultimately shaped me into becoming who I am today.
The first one is a client experience from my early days.
I remember coming back home that day – tail between my legs and facing the reality that I’m not as good as I think I am.
This client experience, from almost a decade ago, changed my entire perspective…
We were curating a workshop for a large Hong Kong financial services organization into Information Management and talking to them about,
Creating deeper relationships with customers.
Customizing their responses.
Being situationally fluent.
And so on.
Then something unexpected happened…
One salesperson threw it back at me and said – you demonstrate how you would precisely customize your conversation if it is done with a Information Management customer
I fumbled.
I wasn’t adequately prepared nor did I fully know the language or nuances of Information Management in the context of Financial services.
That realization hit me hard—I wasn’t practicing what I preached.
I made a commitment to never be in that situation again, to confront my limitations.
Since then, every time I prepare for a presentation or facilitate a workshop, I ensure that I thoroughly understand:
- the industry’s intricacies.
- the organization’s unique characteristics.
- their current trends.
- their specific terminology.
- their KPIs and other critical details.
This is a non-negotiable.
The formula is, every powerful exchange is built on 3 parts preparation and 1 part engagement.
Meticulous preparation is probably the deepest form of respect you can show to a customer.
The next story goes further back to the start of my career in Wipro.
During the interview, the regional manager stared into my eyes for about three minutes, without a blink, without a word.
Then, he said, “Okay, you got the job.”
I was excited, but not for long.
He decided to post me in Coimbatore, which in those days was a small town.
From morning to night, in the grueling heat I would ride over 100 kilometers a day and come back home, face blackened by the dust.
A lot of times – without anything to show for it.
I remember asking myself, God, why am I going through all of this?
Is this a punishment?
Is this what I did my computer engineering for?
But looking back now, I realize…
It is those bruises.
It is those experiences.
It is those rejections.
It is that hard work, perseverance, and constant curiosity.
That taught me the most important lessons of life – of frugality and showing responsibility towards my customers.
My message for you today is that your difficult times are gifts in disguise.
Life is always happening for you, not to you.
Every setback, every uncomfortable situation, and every apparent failure is an opportunity to learn, adapt, and become better.
After all, it’s not just about where we end up, but how we grow along the way.
Weekly Team Digest from Tripura & Global Coaching Lab
I’d like to take this opportunity to highlight the activities of our other team members and partners.
How Sales Coaching Catalyzes Creative Mindsets for Tomorrow’s Challenges
Prasad Panapakkam on LinkedIn: Stakeholder mapping especially in public sector
Here are a few testimonials from our latest client work.
“Thank you, Venkat! What an amazing training we had today! There has been a lot of learning and opening for me today. Moving forward, I will focus on 1 to 6 rules, understand their motivators. Sequence from org to team to them, and from them to their organisation. I got to know my attributes as a salesperson. Oh I think I can go on and on!! Thank you and I look forward to attending your next session.”
“We sincerely thank Venkat for the intuitive sales coaching that has given insights into various often ignored facets of sales. I am confident that with the right follow-up coaching from Tripura and participation from the team, it could elevate the overall organization’s Sales performance which could truly be a game-changer.”
Feedback received for the Sales Transformation workshop conducted this week for a global workforce solutions company
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