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.
• Tailoring their responses.
• Being situationally fluent.

And so on.

Then something unexpected happened…

They threw it back at me and said – you demonstrate how exactly it is done in Information Management.

I fumbled.

I wasn’t adequately prepared nor did I know the language or nuances of Information Management in the context of Financial services.

The realization hit me hard—I wasn’t practicing what I preached.

I made a commitment to never be in that situation again.

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.

This means that for every moment spent engaging, three times as much effort should be dedicated to preparation to allow deeper connection and more meaningful impact.

This is also the guideline my team follows.

Whenever they prepare for a customer meeting, I always ask them:

Are you adequately prepared?

What insights are you planning to share?

How will you address potential objections?

Meticulous preparation is probably the deepest form of respect you can show to a customer.

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.

Developing the right sales behaviours for long-term success

From Transaction to Interaction: Shifting the Sales Focus for Better Customer Engagement

Sripriyaa Venkataraman on LinkedIn: Metaphors for Coaching

Here are a few testimonials from our latest client work.

“Venkat was inspiring, encouraging, setting example to be bold and soft.”

Feedback received for the VICTORY Sales Foundation Workshop recently conducted for a leading Oil & Gas inspection agency in the Middle East

“Great presence, great knowledge, practical insight. Overall, session was very useful.  Look forward for more such sessions”

Feedback received for the Excellence in Client Engagements Workshop conducted in the Middle East for a global consulting firm.

*** 

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