5 Things I Strive to Do Better as the Last Man Standing in My 9–5
Don’t be like the guy in the image. Embrace positivity instead.
4 months ago, I became the only person in the office.
The global headquarters decided to axe the Managing Director, Marketing Director, and Office Manager. Corporate downsizing was in full force.
Asia-Pacific is not spared from the Guillotine.
I had 3 months to take over everything.
It includes work I did not sign up for, such as,
- Supplier management,
- Maintaining the financial statements,
- Leading projects.
It is a barrage of work.
And this barrage of work opened my mind to the world of entrepreneurship.
1. Cost Sensitivity
I have never seen stacks of bills piled Eiffel-Tower high.
Of course. My responsibilities did not include receiving, scrutinizing, approving, or making payments.
I merely focused on my job.
The past 4 months had been a moment of reckoning.
It takes a mountain of money to operate a business. There are,
- Utility bills.
- Monthly office rental.
- Corporate Secretariat fees.
- Leasing arrangements with suppliers.
- Office equipment purchase.
- Pantry snacks and water.
- Routine office cleaning.
It was mind-boggling. Imagine going through all statements and tallying the cash outflow.
Questions popped into my head.
- Why are there so many expenses?
- What can I cut?
- How many deals must I close to pay for all these expenses?
The 3rd bullet became my daily obsession.
It changed the way I think about clients and prospects.
2. Clients Over Prospects
The real issue is time.
Sales used to be 100% of my work. Today, it is just one of the things I must do. One of, not all of.
It changes the game.
Now, my mind is focused on the sure thing. I invest more time in my existing clients than in cold leads and prospects.
This is a strategic shift.
Here’s why.
- Client account penetration yields better results (faster) because everyone knows you.
- Word of mouth across client lines of business carries more weight.
- You probably know who the decision-makers are.
See the difference with a cold lead?
I closed more deals (at a faster pace) since I decided to focus my attention on existing client accounts. Ironic, I know.
Prospection and attending to incoming leads became an opportunistic tasks.
That is… when I have time or if they come across as highly qualified leads.
3. The Empathy Premium
I am in the software business.
I meet clients across all domains and from all walks of life. Some are computer savvy. A few are software natural.
Many clients I know are software adverse.
They don’t like it. They escape from my product training sessions.
I used to be annoyed and ignore this group of digital escapees. The truth is, I don’t enjoy dealing with them.
The past 4 months have changed my line of thinking.
Now I know how it feels to be compelled to work on tasks I don’t appreciate. It must be the same for the digital escapees too.
I strive to be emphatic.
Me: “You come here, click this, drag the whiteboard out, let go of your mouse, and then…”
Software Escapee: “How, how? Why is this SO difficult!”
Me: “Okay, see this at the bottom of the screen? Click this, drag the whiteboard out, and then…”
Workshop feedback, specifically on the quality of the trainer, has been steadily climbing for the past 4 months…
4. Developing A Direct Communication Style
I used to be comprehensive.
I would start the meeting with the context, followed by the introduction, then explain the details, go through the pros and cons, present 3 offers for clients to choose from, and have a clear next-step strategy.
Today, I no longer communicate this way.
I got more straightforward.
“Thank you for attending this meeting. We are here to discuss our way ahead. Let me begin by showing the commercial offer I structured based on our previous alignment discussions.”
I start where it matters.
And I leave ample time for iterative negotiations during that meeting.
All updates and agreed pointers are immediately reflected on the presentation copy and distributed. Direct communication is that shortcut to time savings.
5. I Become Grateful
I always tell my clients this.
“Thank you for having me. I’m happy to have a seat at the table.”
I say this before the start of a product training workshop.
“Thank you for attending this workshop. I’m happy to be here and meet all of you.”
One of my client counterparts got intrigued. She asked why I keep parroting that sentiment of gratefulness to everyone I meet.
I told her this.
Because I am.
Parting Keynotes
Running a business alone is difficult. Embracing a positive and can-do mindset makes all the difference.
Instead of drowning in 1-person misery and a heavy workload — Focus on the opportunities we get.
We are learning how to operate a business with a salary. It’s a happy thing, people.
That, for the risk-averse, is the perfect experiment for future entrepreneurship endeavors.
As a content contributor, I write my daily life observations and business exposure. Our life experience is the bedrock of our unique perspectives.