Like me you’ve seen these guys before, they come into a team meeting having spent the entire day before googling every part of a solution/technology they don’t understand, then they try and grill you in the meeting. Hey I don’t mind it, I find it quite refreshing, but recently it went to a different worrying level.
An internal client had a requirement and I was invited in to give a presentation of my thoughts. I was on safe ground, I could only think of a handful of guys in the company who had the experience to do the work. So I give my presentation, it’s caveated, I’m not aiming too high because the client’s budget is ridiculously low, I’m delivering an expectation based on value.
Then 20mins in, a consultant colleague starts discussing that he’s seen better and is sure we can deliver a better product. He has nothing to back his claims up, I’m left in a quandry, do I enter into a debate with him about his lack of expertise, no, he’s trusted by the client and that trust is important, plus one of us must stay professional, so I take it on the chin.
After the meeting everything becomes clear. He doesn’t like my semi-automated low cost solution that matches the client’s budget. He’s seen a new tool that he’s wanted the division to invest in but has been looking for a project that would support it, and this is it.
He then offers a new solution to the client using the tool we don’t have, stating all it’s benefits and non of its negatives. The client is chuffed to bits.
I ask him whether it was worth belittling me in the meeting and discuss that it’s not a good idea proposing a solution we haven’t delivered before using an expensive tool I have reservations about, not a good decision to ask these questions. He thanks me for my time and states he’ll get in touch if they need my expertise in the future.
My outbox doesn’t stay quiet for too long though, he’s soon inviting me back into an email chain for my thoughts. Looking down the chain I understand why.
He’s costed the new solution, it’s a snip at around 3 times the original price. The client hits the roof, they’ve realised the benefits they were sold were actually benefits to us, not them. The tools automation would only decrease cost for future projects much further down the line and why should they pay.
I won’t go on further with the story as things are still in flux, suffice to say that I’m hoping the consultant will realise the error of their ways, but I doubt it.
That damn google search has a lot to answer for sometimes.
Elearning Technologist 