When I started my company One97 Communications, eight years back, I did not have any sales and business experience to inherit. All I had was my engineering degree and the experience from my previous jobs. I also had some invaluable advice from my father and my manager in my first job and they remain the most useful tips for me till today.

In my early childhood, my father taught us never to be insecure. He said insecurity breeds disaster.

People tend to loose confidence or become hostile due to their insecurities. Overcoming insecurity keeps things in perspective and allows one to take brave steps, which become the stepping stones for success.

So anytime I feel low and insecure what I immediately focus on are things I am confident about and draw my strength to address insecurity. 

At my first job, my manager Rakesh Shukla stressed on two things — first — never sell a product, always sell value. In a market, filled with too many products and services, never try to sell your product or service. Sell that what the customer will appreciate as a value. Understanding the gap of customer requirements could deliver a necessary value addition by your product.

The second advice was that in any negotiation or discussion, one must first identify the motivation of the other person. Once you have identified it, you can, and you will quickly focus on the core point of discussion. The sooner you detect the reasons for someone’s behaviour, the faster you can respond to.