Alright, so you’ve already read about the first two 100K qualities in my previous post (Part 1) and you’re curious to know what else you need to have. Let’s take a look again at invaluable experience. One quality that I’ve seen countless times in candidates who are snapped up and pursued by clients is the invaluable experience of WORKING CLOSE TO THE CUSTOMER.
Client-facing skills - the ability to talk and listen to customers and to build and maintain relationships with customers, are so incredibly important because at the end of the day, "business" is all about people working, making products, servicing, helping, and selling to other people. People skills are those "soft skills" that every single hiring manager looks for in a candidate - no matter what the position is. Take any job ad, and I can guarantee you there will be something included in the desired or required skills of "excellent communication skills". In other words,
- Can the candidate explain his ideas with other people so they can easily understand?
- Does he listen well to others and find out what they really need?
- Can he get along well with others?
- Does he put in the effort of working with other people to benefit other people in getting great results?
If you look at it in another way, we are talking about RECOGNITION of being effective. Who better else than customers could acknowledge your effectiveness? If you look after their needs, listen to them, give great support and become a resource for them regarding your technical knowledge and/or product(s), they will value YOU, and therefore, your company. Customers are normally the ones who have the power to appreciate and validate your effectiveness – they see how you deliver results and represent your company.
Bottom line: You impress customers; you impress your company. You impress your company; you get more traction with getting paid more.
Note:
Technical skills are indeed incredibly important too, BUT if you have that AND those ESSENTIAL PEOPLE SKILLS, then you’re that much more of added value for your company and closer to getting 100K. Now, this doesn’t mean you have to be in sales. You could be in a technical role that requires a lot of customer service. For example, you could be a technical support consultant, a business analyst who works closely with the software development team and the client, or service delivery lead who manages the systems implementation for a client.
So if you are involved with customers in any capacity, take it and run with it. If you aren’t, then find a way to get closer.
Action Points:
- Assess your current position. Are you in any way involved with customers or end users of your company’s products/services? How?
- Do you see any opportunities within your position, department, or company in which you would be working closer to the customer? If so, how can you get there?
For those who are 100kers, what are your thoughts, and how did you make your first six-figure salary job?
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