State of Soft Skills Chapter 5: Understand Your Customer Throughout the Project Lifecycle

It’s 2024 and Soft Skills are more important than ever before. I talked to some of the absolute best people I know in many different roles and in different stages in their careers. In this series, we’re sharing why soft skills are crucial for success. Missed a chapter?

Enterprise software projects start in sales, move to requirements gathering, then are developed. In today’s chapter, we are hearing from three cloud software experts on the importance of understanding the needs, motivations, and emotions of others.

Tech Sales: Find Fits with a Consultative Approach

Relationship building is all centered around trust and empathy.

I like to position myself as not only working for my employer but also working for the client. I’m hired by two parties to get a possible deal completed.

When this is done, a prospect doesn’t feel like I’m just selling them something, but that I am being their consultant.

That’s the only way you can show true trust and empathy as a sales professional.

Seth’s Comment: Mark has surfaced a powerful approach. At the end of the day, the best business relationships revolve around all sides being happy with the arrangement. Mark finds this fit first, to guarantee the customer a great experience.

Takeaway Question: How can I show my customer that I have their best interest in mind?

Salesforce Solution Architect: Listen, Understand, Adjust

One of the most impactful soft skills I’ve found is social awareness. 

It enables me to uncover clients’ underlying motivations, resulting in more nuanced and empathetic communication. 

By understanding the emotions, needs, and dynamics of my audience, I can adjust my communication style, demeanor, and approach to the project.

The simple act of listening and demonstrating understanding to clients builds a lot of rapport. When your client sees you as their trusted guide, everything else in the project, from navigating risks to handling change requests and additional work, flows smoothly.

Seth’s Comment: Lina has made the complex act of building trust very simple. Listen. Understand. Adjust. If you do this, customers will view you as a trusted advisor over time.

Takeaway Practice: There is so much to what Lina has shared above, so here is one thing to start doing. After your customer has told you something, ask them if you can “play it back” to them to ensure you heard it correctly. This builds trust, and also gives both sides an opportunity to confirm that your notes are accurate.

Salesforce Developer: Code Translators, Fueled by Connection

I believe it’s all about making genuine connections as a Salesforce developer, whether you’re understanding what frustrates or motivates your users, brainstorming with colleagues, or breaking down tech lingo into bite-sized chunks for your clients. 

I heard it before and I really feel it, your job is like being a tech translator, where you’re not just coding but also actively listening, empathizing, and communicating to ensure the solutions you build truly hit the mark. 

It’s crucial to keep up with Salesforce tricks, but remember that it’s really your ability to blend these with a human touch that makes good solutions great. 

So, don’t be afraid to dive into those team huddles, keep the feedback loop going, and always make room for more understanding and collaboration.

Seth’s Comment: Nermin is the best tech translator I’ve ever had the joy of working with. Focus on teamwork and how code solves problems, and you will thrive in software development.

Takeaway Challenge: ask a trusted team member for feedback on how effective your communication is.