Ways to distinguish yourself – #67 Understand the 3T rule

Ways to distinguish yourself – #67 Understand the 3T rule

By Rajesh Setty on Sat 26 Nov 2005, 11:26 AM – 2 Comments

There is one rule that is hard to break and it’s called the “Things Take Time” (3T) sometimes rule.

During the initial days at CIGNEX

(back when I co-founded the company in late 2000) I wish I had

practiced the 3T rule. Those of us in the technology world know that

those times were tough and nobody was buying anything from anyone. If I look back and reflect on those times, it seems funny (now)

* We had compelling offers for our

customers and I thought prospects would like to hear about them.

Unfortunately that was not true

* When we did get a meeting, I thought they would seriously consider our offers. Unfortunately, they didn’t!

* When they did consider our offers, I thought they would buy. Unfortunately, they didn’t!

* When they did express interest in buying, I thought they would buy NOW. Unfortunately that was not true!

I had learnt a simple and powerful lesson – “Things take time.” Just

because I was in a hurry to make a deal did not in any way mean that

the other party was in a hurry too. Things just take time. There are

times when you have to hurry and there are times when you don’t. The

wisdom is to know the difference. It take years for a tree to grow and

nine months for a baby to be born. No point in hurrying up.

Of course, over the years I have met people who are struggling with the

3T rule and those that have mastered it. Those who are struggling are

typically hurried, restless and frustrated. They want results now. They

send an email, leave a voicemail and sometimes stop by to meet and

follow up on the request. On the other hand, those who have mastered it

are typically calm, composed and in control of their time. They

understand when I say I will get back to them in a few days. They know

– things just take time!

The danger of not mastering the 3T rule is that we might think working

hard is the answer to speed up things (and break our back bones) when

all we needed to know was that things just take time sometimes.

 

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2 Comments so far, Add Yours

Gary Vaynerchuk on “Secrets of Success” | Life Beyond Code  on January 12th, 2009

[…] Summary of Traits: #1 – Patience (Things Take Time.) My $.02 – The 3T Rule […]

K.R.SHANKAR  on March 30th, 2009

when we talk of our requirements only and not of customers 3T happens.

if we talk of customer benifits they may listen and act only when they feel the benefit.

understanding the situation and need when we approach things happen

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