Thursday, August 15, 2013

Successful Tech Firm Communication Part 1: 5 Things Sales and Project Managers wish Developers Didn't Do

I would imagine if you are reading this, you fall into one of three categories:
  1. A developer, blissfully unaware you are agonizing your sales team
  2. A developer, tired of unrealistic demands from sales, wondering why they don't get it
  3. A client, sales exec, or biz dev person who wishes developers understood your concerns better
Regardless of your current title or situation, I'm somewhat blessed in this area as I have almost 15 years in both sales and development, and not even that, but sales and dev from a freelance role where I had to wear both hats, and also in corporate environments where I played one role and depended on the other. 

Before I get into the list, I'd like to provide some context as to how the miscommunications even come about. If you don't care or already know, you can skip to the list here :)

In a nutshell, tech firms really have two tiers: 
  • Sales and planning
  • Design and development