Feedback

As we keep pushing forward on this journey writing the Chronicles of a Devil’s Lawyer, some of you might wonder where do I get the inspiration for the subjects that we’ve already covered and the ones that are still to come in future editions.

It’s quite easy! They are mostly related to things that happened to me, conversations with customers; an insight from a colleague; family; friends. It can be some daily random stuff or it can be a hard and complex dilemma that makes us reach inside our toolbox for solutions. It can actually be anything. This week it’s going to be about one of the most important subject in sales called ‘Feedback’.

What is feedback and why is it so important? First the inspiration, this time it came from a colleague that I reached out to discuss someelse but before it she gave some very nice feedback about these chronicles.

In this case her feedback served as validation for the work that I’m doing. Although I’m aware that it’s far from perfect, her acknowledgment tells me that I’m on the right track. Like I said before we’re always pushing forward and always learning. I’ve been getting great feedback from the very beginning and that has given me the encouragement to continue this journey. Feedback is great specially when it is unexpected. I’m sure that if she reads this edition she’ll know that’ve really appreciated her kind words. Thank you so much!

Enough on the inspiration. Let’s talk about the importance of giving and receiving feedback.

If you’re a salesperson you know that feedback is important. Why? Every time you answer a tender you expect to receive feedback. It should be a natural part of the process.

You work hard on your business proposal; you put your full effort into it; you review it; check the math; look for misspelling and typo’s; ponder upon the format and in the end when everything adds up and it’s all nice, you send it and then you wait.

I mentioned that feedback should be a natural part of the process. Unfortunately it’s not. Most of the times it is you that will end up chasing the rabbit. I have a theory. If your offer complied with every criteria, based on the assumption that you asked all the right questions to the right person and if you add up some differentiation factor that makes you, your product or service, unique, then it will probably come down to price or lead time or both. If this is the case I would bet that you will get some feedback. Having said that, if you didn’t do your homework and you’re just one among many trying to survive in a highly competitive market filled with booby traps and you are not the price hero, you will probably end up with no info whatsoever. Zero. It’s on you to find out why things went south.

Remember the last time you applied for a job position? It’s the same drill. The difference is in that you’re trying to sell yourself. Not a product or a service. You are selling you as an expert in your field. What’s the difference between a tender offer and a job interview? In my opinion none whatsoever. The least you should expect after going through a - most of the times - hardsome process of searching online for the position and company that meets your expectations; creating or adjusting your resume accordingly; submitting an application; waiting for the call or the e-mail that will get you through the front door; doing the interview s … yikes! Yes, you should expect some feedback.

Like I said before there aren’t many differences between a job application and a business proposal/offer. The level of feedback or the lack of it is pretty similar if not worse. This is a common discussion among Human Resources HR and some statistics say that only 15% of all hiring companies will, in fact, provide you with a well deserved feedback. Unfortunately I couldn’t find appropriate literature or articles that could back these numbers so this could all be hearsay. If you know about any reliable data, please leave it on the comments. I would really appreciate it. If you find this subject particularly interesting, I would advise you to check Peter Cappelli’s (1) article on the May - June 2019 issue of the Harvard Business Review . It’s quite insightful.

Let’s talk about the element of time. There’s a great book by the French novelist Marcel Proust called ‘In Search of Lost Time’. In part one Combray, he writes, “For a long time I would go to bed early. Sometimes, the candle barely out, my eyes closed so quickly that I did not have time to tell myself: I’m falling asleep” (2) . How often do you get an e-mail from a customer asking for a quotation and just a couple of minutes after that and he’s already calling you on the phone because he needs an answer? If only I had pennies for every-time that happens.

The question is that you do need to answer it quickly. You do need to be on top of your game. One of the major differentiation key factors is the quality of your service as an Account Manager. The customer expects this from you based on the premise that you sold him, “I will always be there for you”. So you might as well put your money where your mouth is. Now comes the flip side of the issue. You’re expecting the exact same behaviour from the customer, but alas, the answer will either take too long or it will never come. Don’t waist your time complaining. This is just the way things go. If you want feedback, go after it.

Don’t try to avoid the frustration of hearing a resounding “no”. So many sales people prefer to keep their deals marinating for weeks, even months, just because they wish to avoid the frustration of learning that they’ve lost a deal. I guess it’s part of the human nature to run away from discomfort and pain. Yuval Noah Harari in his book ‘Sapiens’ talks about the key figure of Buddhism, a man called Siddhartha Gautama and explains how he was confronted with the human nature, i.e., the need to avoid pain, and to seek pleasure continuously, “When the mind experiences something unpleasant, it wants to be free of the irritation. When the mind experiences something pleasant, it wants the pleasure to continue and intensify. As such, the mind is always dissatisfied and restless. This is very clear when we experience unpleasant things like pain. As long as the pain remains, we feel dissatisfied and do everything we can to avoid it.” (3) . If you can only take one thing from this edition it’s this: Always seek feedback from your customer. If it’s a ‘no’, ask why it is a ‘no’. What was the criteria that led to that decision. Embrace your defeats the same way you embrace your victories and most important of all, learn from both of them. You will only get stronger and wiser.

Let’s get back to the job offer that we mentioned earlier. I remember a story that a friend told me some time ago. He was passing through the corridor on his way to his office and he couldn’t avoid listening a conversation between a sales manager and someone from HR. The sales manager was complaining, not about how long it would take to hire a new sales rep, but about the amount of time it would take just to start evaluating candidates. The person from HR tried to explain that a process such as this takes time. There are company policies; department policies; rules; strict criteria that you need to comply with, etc, etc. And when everything is in motion and the candidates begin to be evaluated; applicants begin to get dropped; resumes begin to get shortlisted, is it possible to provide the hundreds of dropped candidates with a fair and well deserved feedback? Could it be done? You probably have an opinion about it, I do as well, let’s leave at that.

Feedback is one of the most important things, not only in sales but in everyday life as well. Feedback is what makes us grow and evolve. It will help us decide what needs to be addressed first, what is urgent and what’s not. Feedback is also about validation and we all need validation in our lives. Remember that when a child does something like a drawing and reaches out to an adult he is also seeking feedback, along with other things, but that is something that we will address in the future editions of these chronicles.

Notes

Edition

Bruno M.

Photo

Photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash

References

(1) Cappelli, Peter. Harvard Business Review, June 2019. https://hbr.org/2019/05/your-approach-to-hiring-is-all-wrong

(2) Proust, Marcel. Edited by Christopher Prendergast. Translated by Lydia Davis. New Ed Edition. Vol. Volume 1. Penguin Classics, 2003.

(3) Noah Harari, Yuval. Edited by Miguel Martins Rodrigues. Translated by Rita Carvalho e Guerra. 1.0. Elsinore, 2020.