Comments on: Embrace Losing

By: Do VC’s Seek Competitive Leaders — Hello?

Do VC’s Seek Competitive Leaders — Hello? — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 22:21:02 +0000

[...] One attribute that I believe most VCs look for in entrepreneurs is competitiveness. I know I do. I like to work with people who hate to lose. Anyone who has ever been around me when I’ve lost at anything I care about will tell you I’m not pleasant. I’m not a poor loser at all. It’s just that I stew on it. I don’t recover easily. I lose sleep. If I have any angle of changing the outcome I will. I replay things in my mind about why I lost and I try to correct my mistakes. If you haven’t read my post on the topic it’s here –> why you need to embrace losing to learn. [...]

By: 10 skills I look for before I write a check - Venture Hacks

10 skills I look for before I write a check - Venture Hacks — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 18:24:41 +0000

[...] of unsuccessful VC meetings, pull your socks up, and go into the next pitch. You’ve got to accept customer losses as learning experiences and see how you can improve next time. You’ve got to see your product weaknesses and plug [...]

By: You’re most vulnerable right after you win a deal

You’re most vulnerable right after you win a deal — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 07:29:33 +0000

[...] I wrote a blog post about how I hated losing, but I embrace it. My starting line with every entrepreneur is that everything I learned about being an [...]

By: Don’t Be Afraid to Lose — giffconstable.com

Don’t Be Afraid to Lose — giffconstable.com — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 03:19:05 +0000

[...] Table, and have really enjoyed his posts on entrepreneurship. He has a good post called “Embrace Losing” that talks about closing sales and learning from mistakes. I’d like to piggyback on [...]

By: Jassim Ali

Jassim Ali — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 20:04:33 +0000

Die hard but wiser …

By: marksuster

marksuster — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 00:15:47 +0000

Jose, I’m afraid there is no advice for an arrogant board other than to change members. Arrogance is baked into your DNA or not. CEO’s who pass blame are the same. I wish there were a solution. In my book the solution = new company. Thanks for your comments.

By: Jose Lezama

Jose Lezama — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 23:58:42 +0000

Mark, thanks for your openness on past failures. Acknowledging and learning from them means strategist greatness.
Do you have by any chance some advice on how to deal with Boards too arrogant to recognize their defeat? Or CEOs blaming every one, instead of leading the learning process?
Thanks again from south of the border (Mexico)
PD Erik Sikola,Great feedback.

By: marksuster

marksuster — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 00:06:02 +0000

thanks for the insights, Adam. re: point 3 (people need to own the idea) – it is one of the biggest lesson in sales and life. And one that is very hard for most entrepreneurs who are almost definitionally ego centric!

By: Adam

Adam — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 22:24:42 +0000

Thanks Mark. These are some great lessons that only life can teach you.

A few I have found in my early days of selling.

* Don’t ever challenge “worse” (e.g. it could be worse). Because it always can.

* Be careful with large up front costs and no residual revenue stream in your dealings (hence your point about low initial price and high implementation costs).

* People like to think the idea was theirs. Make them own it before you leave and they will then turn to you to implement it. It is a delicate balance, but if you can make them feel like they own it, you will win a long term client.

By: marksuster

marksuster — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 04:38:06 +0000

Hey, Chris! Great to hear from you. Well, now you know the story how we lost Thames Water! Hope you’re well.