Lessons from the masters - getting it right - Most people are...

(Page 4 of 14 )

Most people are a mix of Nathan and Jefferson - if you truly want to be successful, try to make sure you do more and talk less.

Bending the right way; flexibility and accommodation.

Whether you're working alone or as part of a team, it's very easy to become set in your ways and blind to other ways of doing things. Of course, a successful software company has every right to admire their own creations. Nevertheless, they also need to acknowledge that their way is not always the only way, or even necessarily the right way.

With the right attitude, a company should be able to mould their ideas around the needs and wants of their customers - not the other way around. Being able to take criticism isn't enough. You need to be hungry for it, and you need to be able to pick out golden nuggets even from the most mundane or unlikely of sources. Remember, you're not going to buy your own software, other people are. Adapt to their demands, and try to leave your personal likes and dislikes behind you.

Don't go around complaining about bad or nightmare customers, either. It's a waste of time, and unhappy customers are an unfortunate fact of life when you're doing business. Bad businesses fail to respond to what they have to say, and don't stop to consider that there might be a lesson in it for them. Remember how "the customer is always right"? That applies to your customers, too.

Giving it away to sell.

Don't be a stingy software author. The value of your software is in direct proportion to the number of people that know about it, and you need to realize that some people's attention is more valuable than others'.

Next: If you're lucky... >>
 

More Online Business Help Articles
More By Jase Dow