State of Soft Skills Chapter 6: How A Software CRO Thrives

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?

CRO: Maintain Trust with a Solid Project Team

Beju Lakhani
Chief Revenue Officer
Majente
LinkedIn

‘Building a visionary company requires 1 percent vision and 99 percent alignment.

James C. Collins

The challenge is always that sales typically does a better job at speaking to the customer in their language. It tends to be a bigger picture, business focused conversation, whereas project meetings are technical and functional.

Alignment builds the trust required to win deals, but continuing that through the project is critical if we want to maintain lasting relationships. It’s naturally tougher to do because we have to shift the conversation in a direction that customers are less comfortable with.

The first step is having the right people. Hiring consultants that are both experienced technically and able to communicate effectively with customers is easier said than done, but it makes a huge difference. A consultant that has a couple of years less experience, but who has excellent communication skills is going to be more successful in the role.

When it comes to process, ensuring you have multiple touch points for the customer and a consistent approach. This can help areas where individual contributors’ communication skills are weaker. The process itself instills trust and confidence.

Seth’s Comment: Beju has hit the nail on the head. If you can keep the big picture alive and clear throughout the project, your customers will love their experience. The best way to do this is by empowering solid people to drive a solid process.

Takeaway Challenge: Make sure that your project process has key touchpoints throughout with all important client and vendor stakeholders. Hold open and honest conversations on these calls to get feedback, right the ship where needed, and build trst.