Exploring Soft Skills for Successful Salesforce Consulting
I entered the tech world from a non-tech background, and in the early days of my career as a Salesforce consultant I often felt that some of my colleagues underestimated me and the value I added to projects. What those colleagues did not see or understand was that I was the glue holding things together. I excel at reading body language and identifying the person in the room who isn’t fully grasping or understanding the concept or discussion. I know how to rephrase a question to ensure that everyone understands and is on the same page. I am able to put myself in another person’s shoes in order to deeply understand the problem we are trying to solve. Sometimes this is identifying how to ask the same questions in multiple ways until I can see the concept or idea “click” with the audience.
Having these skills in my back pocket has allowed me to grow and sustain a word-of-mouth consulting practice for the last 10 years. Here are a few key strategies to enhance your consulting approach:
Listen to Understand
Listening to understand is the opposite of listening to respond. When you are listening to respond, you may be feeling pressure to immediately add your opinion or provide an answer or solution. As a consultant, when you are learning about your client, learning about their needs, learning about what type of product may need to be built, you should not be doing the majority of the talking.
Ask questions
If you aren’t getting more than a two word response, ask the question in a different way
If the response doesn’t make sense, ask the question in a different way.
If you aren’t understanding the answer, ask clarifying questions
If the answer leads you to more questions… keep going down that path until you fully understand the answer to your original question
If you need to process and don’t have a follow-up question, say that you need time to think it through. Don’t feel urgency to provide a quick answer.
Pay Attention to Body Language
Paying attention to body language will improve your interactions. This can be challenging in the days of online meetings. Many large consultancies keep their cameras off as a rule. I challenge that. Turn on your camera even if no one else does. It shows that you are present and listening. I frequently tell clients that they will get the most out of our sessions if they turn their cameras on. It helps me to see if they are following what I’m saying. It helps me understand if I should pause for a moment or repeat what I’m saying in a different way.
Be Empathetic
Empathy is the awareness and sharing of another person’s feelings, experiences and emotions. Putting yourself closer to the problem and deeply understanding the pain of the problem will help you arrive at a solution that fully solves the problem.
Many consultants make assumptions about the nuances of a problem. Don’t be afraid to have a messy conversation so that you truly understand the problem you are trying to solve.
Move Slower than you think you should
Take a deep breath. Pause in between questions. Why? Give people the space to speak. It may feel uncomfortable, but you’ll be surprised about what pops up in the dead space.
