„I am a developer. Why am I attending this meeting?

“The diaries of a developer who is involved in a meeting with a client.“

One day while we were standing in the office and talking about the most common comments we have heard about the meetings between the software teams and the client.

We all agreed that for most developers and IT professionals it is a total waste of time and they often do not understand why they attend meetings with clients. So, there are sales people for that!

Well, yes, but no!

We decided to make a short ranking of the top 5 reasons why I as a developer should attend the meeting with the client.

 

Reason 1:

We are a team!

Sometimes people miss that winning a project is a group effort of many people.

Of course, the role of Sales is the key, but no matter how good he / she is, he / she cannot replace the technical people.

A spring bird does not rule, but the flock is another matter.

 

Reason 2:

1+1=3

The simple rule of synergy applies here as well. By acquainting the client with our specialists and people who will potentially work on the project, he gains confidence that he entrusts his investment to competent persons. By showing our expertise we create trust between the two parties. So, if you are an IT specialist and you are in such a meeting, just treat that as a compliment for your knowledge and skills.

 

Reason 3:

“Word of mouth, finally noone understood nothing”

No matter how much documentation is prepared for the project, how many times you have talked to the PM, it is always an advantage when you, the person who will work, have the opportunity to hear from the source what the idea, the goal and the business behind the assignment is. Sometimes an hour spent with a client can give you many more benefits than you expect. We will disappoint you by saying that  documentation is important and you will not run away from it, but nothing replaces personal communication.

 

Reason 4:

I need your opinion!

Sometimes it happens that when the client meets the team and benefits from his experience and advice, he is willing to rethink some decisions, affecting the technical side of the project.

Often these meetings go through a presentation, questions, discussions, where there is always something important that the client may recognize as appropriate for him.

The benefit for you is that you have the opportunity to share your opinion and point of view. Of course, all this must be backed up with good argumentation and appropriate language.

 

Reason 5:

You upgrade the level!

You think you are wasting time in these meetings, but this is definitely not the case! Yes, the deadline is approaching, you have 100 more things to do and you have already heard that. This is one side of the coin, but the other is different. The more meetings you attend, the more you improve your skills to communicate with clients, to be part of a team, to present arguments in a technical aspect. Last but not least, you learn how to interpret business logic and what the "big picture" everyone is talking about means.

 

We can give you the answers to such or different questions during our short but focused workshop sessions part of our MultiTraining program. It can help you build competencies in “Understanding of the clients’needs and problems”

 

We give you the opportunity to choose this topic as part of your MutiTraining Silver Card.

 

You know how to find us!

We are waiting for you!

 

bTalks team

 

Author: Zvezdena Encheva