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Why I say no to some builds

5 slides · Fit · 1080 x 1350
01Candour
VP.
The part of my job nobody talks about

Most of my week
is saying no.

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02The reasons
VP.
Four honest reasons

When I stop the conversation

01
The process is not written down
Software will make an undefined process faster, not better.
02
Nobody owns it internally
A system with no named owner is a system nobody maintains.
03
The pain is annoying, not expensive
If it costs an hour a month, keep the spreadsheet.
04
It is not our sector
Healthcare enterprise, professional services, SaaS MVP. I say so on the first message.
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03Why
VP.
Someone who admits
she is not the builder
is easier to believe
than someone who
pretends she is.
The same is true of saying no
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04The trade
VP.
What that costs us

And what it buys

What we lose
Deals that would have looked good this quarter
Conversations that felt promising
A bigger pipeline number
What we get
Builds that actually ship
Referrals from people we turned down
A yes that means something
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05Next
VP.
One ask

Ask me for the no

Send me your situation and ask me to talk you out of it. I will if I can.

Message me