Over and over people came in with their ideas that they held onto like children.  But when questioned, they were so focused on the person asking the negative question that they ignored the fact that others were still interested!  One couple actually blew the deal because one of the investors asked an, “I’m interested” question while another made a comment about why she was out and they addressed the “I’m out”!  They put all their energy into defense when there was a perfectly good chance of getting the deal if they had just listened and stayed focused on their goal.

If I knew someone going in, I would certainly recommend they accept the “I’m outs” for what they are and hear everyone before they started defense.  They should also remember, as we all should, questions are not negative or positive – they are an indication of interest.  In someone asks you a question, there’s a reason they want to know the answer. So answering it helps move the process along.  Answer them honestly – this is not the time to make promises  you can’t deliver.  If a customer does say “I’m out”, see if you can understand why.  One of the nice things the sharks do is they do explain why they are out.  Most of the time, there is no point in discussing – if the shark doesn’t feel they have any connection to an industry, your talking isn’t going to change that.  But, there are times when they say something that isn’t accurate and the presenter has a chance to explain.  That happens in our sales process too – if a customer says “I’m not interested because…”  you get a chance to really explain why they are wrong.

Now sometimes, they are right.  ”I’m not interested because we have filed Chapter 11″ isn’t something you can answer.  But, can you offer them something?  Put them on a mailing list to keep up with industry trends?  Call back in 1 month when their position will be clear?  The name of a good industry-focused recruiter?  Something? Offering something even to a “no” shows you believe in your product and actually interested in a relationship.  And that can go a long way to turning a no into a yes.

So be careful not to be defensive when talking to people.  If they ask a question, take it at face value and don’t try to read too much into it.  And if they are “out”, try to give them something so at some point they come back in.

In the past, computer users were taught to file things in folders and sub-folders to keep everything organized, much like you would in a file cabinet. Organizational specialists told you to file things based on your first reaction to where it should go so you could easily find them again.  Many people embrace this organizational structure but just as many file everything on their desktop (scary – I know).

Several years ago I implemented a content management system that used metadata to store and retrieve records. We struggled for a long time as to what would be assigned to each record until the vendor asked the magic question – what is the minimum information you would accept to find a document?  Suddenly we had a context. If someone came to the counter and wanted a document, what was the bare minimum information they had to have to get what they wanted.  Example – they couldn’t ask for “some student who was female and graduated in 1992″ (this was a student records program on a campus) but they could ask for “Kathy Breitenbucher, graduated in 1992″.  If the peson requesting had the student’s social security number that was enough, etc.  And so began my discussions of metadata.

Shortly thereafter operating systems started talking about metadata. The idea is you create a document and then assign the metadata to it. Then, when you need the file, you just run a search and there’s your document.  We’re all used to searching the Internet for stuff so what’s the difference?  Well for me, it is changing everything about the way I work.  I considered using the “find file” feature a failing of my organizational structure. I mean, if I put it somewhere, I should know where, right?  So now I’m suppose to do away with all of that and always search. Hard to get used too.

I know David is right and this is the smart way to manage data.  It is more efficient, leaves less room for error or misfiling and in the long run should save time. But giving up my folders?   I’m just not there yet.

Service providers want to say they can do anything you need but how can you be sure? Ask them to describe a time they went above and beyond for a client or what was their most challenging problem to solve and how did they solve it.

The last stage of references is of course is to provide them to the client. Instead of just giving them dry, similar responses, because you asked behavioral interviewing style questions, you now have something unique that can truly provide insight into the candidate.

For example, if I did a reference on a former co-worker of mine, I would say he was hard working, diligent, knowledgeable and accommodating. Great. But if you ask for a story, I would tell you:

“The President called me in and asked for a new piece of software. We were overloaded with work, everyone was stressed and I dreaded having to ask him to work on it. When I got back to the office, before I even said anything, he looked at my face and said, “we can do whatever it is—we’re all in this together.” We then worked together on the project spec, I was able to reassign some of his other projects to someone else because he had them documented so well and he completed the new project ahead of schedule.”

WOW! Don’t you want that guy working for you? And if you can then tell about how the manager told the story—she was clearly still grateful for his attitude five years later—it solidifies an already impressive reference.