I showed up early for a meeting this morning so I had some time to kill. Not being one to pass up a chance to enjoy a good cup of coffee, especially when I don’t have to make it myself, I popped into a coffee shop next door.

While I was waiting to order, I overheard a man say: “Oh I see, so you will want a web site with an easy to use content management system that you can update yourself ”.

Clearly a salesperson for a local web development company meeting a prospect.

Still waiting in line to order, I couldn’t help overhear more of the conversation.

Sales guy: “ Ok so what I am proposing may be more than you need right now. My proposal was taking into account growth and giving you a solution than can evolve along with you. Can you tell me again about your business and I will prepare another proposal for you.”

Prospect: “ Like I explained last time, we’ve been in business for a while but we do need to control our costs. We need a website our current staff can manage on their own….”

This went on for a few minutes. The prospect reexplaining her needs and the sales person nodding in perfect agreement.

Now this is speculation on my part but this sounded like a second meeting. The sales person was presenting a proposal and the prospect didn’t seem pleased that he was trying to oversell.

Listening to this exchange I had a strong flashback to when I was that sales guy. I felt a twinge of sympathy for him.

Back then, every sale was mission critical. I had an office lease, employees to pay, leased company cars that one of my brilliant business partners insisted on getting, and way too much overhead.   

I had to make every sale so that all the bills would get paid and maybe, in the near future, I could actually pay myself.

You see back then when I was meeting a prospect, I wasn’t really listening to understand what the prospect was saying I was listening to respond in a way that would help me make the sale.  
So when the opportunity to shed my partners and all the overhead presented itself, I saw it as a door opening.  A beautiful, lovely door to a great place!

A place where I can afford to listen and not worry about making the sale, but instead worry about understanding the need so I can provide the best possible solution to really help and create value.

A place where I can say to a prospect: “ I can’t help you with that personally but I know someone who can. ”

​A place where I can sleep well at night knowing that authenticity and integrity is, in fact, the most important thing.

​Êtes-vous confus par les cryptomonnaies comme bitcoin? Vous n'êtes pas seul. Il est assez difficile d'imaginer que ces monnaies ont une valeur réelle, qu'elles peuvent être achetées et vendues et échangées contre des biens et services.
 
La première chose que vous devez comprendre est Blockchain, la technologie sur laquelle les cryptomonnaies s'appuient pour les rendre possibles et sécuritaires.
Voici une excellente explication de Blockchain du Centre pour la gouvernance internationale et l'innovation.

Are you confused by cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, Ethereum, etc. ? You are not alone. It is quite confusing to imagine that these things have actual value, that they can be bought and sold and exchanged for goods and services.
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The first thing you need to understand though is Blockchain, the technology that cryptocurrencies rely on to make them possible and safe.
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Here is an excellent explanation of Blockchain from The Centre for International Governance and Innovation.