Rajiv Ranjan

I am a firm believer in the fact that "people drive businesses". As someone who enjoys building relationships, developing meaningful connections with clients and colleagues is crucial. It not only enhances your skills and builds trust but also leads to greater job satisfaction, making work feel less like work.

At its core, business is about people helping people. Selling a solution is just part of the transaction. Effectively using social skills to shape decisions is crucial. Key aspects include: - Reading the Room: Understand the key stakeholders and their concerns. - Supporting Your Champion: Assist your internal advocate in presenting the deal to senior management. - Resolving Conflicts: Address and resolve conflicts at each stage to ensure smoother negotiations. In summary, while selling a solution is important, leveraging social skills to build relationships and influence decisions is what truly drives success.

Well-timed feedback can significantly enhance performance, advance professional development, and contribute to overall success. - Immediate Improvement: Timely feedback allows one to make immediate adjustments and improvements, leading to better outcomes in ongoing projects and client interactions. Examples include improving one's talk track and tailoring it to the persona involved. - Building Trust: Regular and timely feedback builds a culture of open communication and trust, essential for a collaborative and high-performing team environment.

How a customer is treated during the sales cycle is a strong indicator of how they will be treated post-sale. Regular follow-ups demonstrates commitment and fosters a relationship of trust and reliability, making customers more comfortable moving forward with the deal.

When selling complex technical solutions, it's easy to get caught up in technical details and feature breakdowns. However, what has worked for me is focusing on telling a relatable story and emphasizing benefits over features. This approach resonates with both technical and non-technical audiences, making the solution more appealing and understandable to clients.

Empathizing with your target persona builds trust and allows you to deliver tailored solutions that meet client needs. When customers feel understood, it strengthens relationships and shows you can address their challenges effectively. My experience working with strategic customers on implementations before moving into Sales Engineering has been invaluable. It’s crucial in understanding client pain points and crafting resonant solutions.