Status quo perspective provides a safe haven for IoT business decision makers to avoid making decisions. The reason? It’s all about context.
Business professionals who sell, design, develop, engineer and implement in the industrial IoT (Internet of Things) space know all about the status quo.
Dedication to preserving status quo perspective is a silent, ever-present obstacle to forward progress.
Consequently, hunkering down into the comfort of “the way we’ve always done things” provides no real comfort at all in industrial IoT environments. Why, you ask?
Try to wrap your brain around the quality and quantity of hourly and daily technological advances that are the hallmark of the IoT. The sheer dynamics of that scenario makes preserving status quo perspective a non-viable business option.
Not only does the status quo historically leave organizations competitively vulnerable. Also, the IoT takes that outcome and puts it on steroids.
Let’s explore. Ever wonder why today’s industrial IoT business development opportunities and software and engineering projects still (still!) become stalled, derailed or postponed?
Then decide whether any of these scenarios sound familiar. If you finally want to get yourself unstuck from status quo perspective (and your clients), I have several relevant and valuable programs for you.
First, thoroughly clarify BUSINESS AND TECHNICAL CONTEXT to understand why decision makers take a status quo perspective.
Context is everything: yours and theirs. When you think about it, everyone has all sorts of information that they are not inclined to discuss with you, initially or eventually. In addition, within dynamic industrial IoT environments, there’s a lot of proprietary information involved. Unless decision makers trust your integrity and professional competence, they are not inclined to share these critical, game-changing details.
Either become an artist at continuously clarifying business and technical context. Or stop being surprised when sales deals and projects go south.
Believe it or not, business decision makers who are worth collaborating with really appreciate professionals who focus on context.
There aren’t many folks who are capable, comfortable and conversant in rigorously putting executives through their paces. In fact, decision makers test business, sales, IT and engineering professionals by intimidating them. That’s why it always seems like these leaders default to status quo perspective rather than waste their time with people they consider to be amateurs.
If you are intimidated selling to or working with skeptical technical decision makers, especially in industrial IoT environments, download my white paper. I demystify the CONTEXT for you and get you unstuck and more professionally productive.
Alternatively, determine whether status quo perspective indicates leadership indecision.
Identifying the context of this type of prospective business or technical client also is part of clarifying context: yours. After all, you also have the option of opting out of working with clients who might under utilize or mis-use your skill sets and solutions. Professional incompetence happens.
While many companies want to walk the industrial IoT walk, determining context helps you understand whether they only are capable of talking the talk.
Look, I have been contracted by small contract manufacturers who eventually told me their real agenda. They wanted me to make them look “bigger” than they were. Their goal was to attract the business of large automotive manufacturers. I walked away from the contract. Why? Well, size doesn’t matter as much as competence does. My decision not only is a matter of my own business ethics. Also, the client had a status quo perspective. Overall, they were not willing to change anything. Yet they needed to retool and recalibrate (literally) to earn new industrial IoT business.
Finally, exploring context allows you to propose appropriate, robust and enduring solutions. Otherwise, a status quo perspective results in same-old products and services which aren’t solutions at all.
Focus your team on thoroughly doing their homework. I guarantee you will make forward progress with clients. Over time, you earn their trust, respect and, subsequently their business. Why continue to provide decision makers with an opportunity to opt-out?
When professionals become complacent, they offer one-size fits all, unimaginative solutions rather than tailor-made innovations.
Have you noticed how industrial IoT decision makers are uber sensitive to sales people in a rush to place their solution so they can make their numbers? Not only that. How many times are sales engineers brought in to demo even though they may not fully understand how context influences design parameters?
Consequently, decision makers find that proposed solutions lack relevance and long-term value. How does the saying go? “The devil’s in the details.”
If anything, dynamic industrial Internet of Things environments are all about continuous change.
Consequently, preserving status quo mindset really isn’t a viable option for remaining competitive. As a result, technical and non-technical professionals serving these industries must remain on top of their collaborative game.
Take the next steps.
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- Download tools, tips and white papers under the “Free Resources” section of my website.
- Are you a Decision-Maker, Executive or Manager? Contact me at info@salesaerobicsforengineers.com for a brief consultation.
Babette Ten Haken is a corporate strategist, facilitator, storyteller, coach and speaker. She humanizes the Voice of the Industrial Internet of Things ecosystem. Her focus: customer success for customer retention. Her One Millimeter Mindset coaching programs help professionals, teams and organizations achieve breakthrough performance results. Her book of cross-functional collaboration hacks, Do YOU Mean Business? is available on Amazon.
Image author: @Michael Brown Image source: Fotolia
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