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Well, if I knew what went there, it wouldn't be a question mark. My best guess is "luck," though I feel like that's kind of a facile answer. I don't have a bett

by chc 12y ago

Well, if I knew what went there, it wouldn't be a question mark. My best guess is "luck," though I feel like that's kind of a facile answer. I don't have a better one, at any rate. What do you think it is?

tptacek 12y ago
The most important two secrets to sales: know how to qualify a deal, and ask for the sale.
- chc 12y ago
  That's good advice, but the problem is that the ??? comes at the point where your only sources of prospects are morally equivalent to oDesk. No matter how good you are at qualifying and closing deals, it does no good if deals.filter(:is_qualified?) == []. Based on Patrick's account, it sounds like good consulting work mostly just came to him — he commented late in his consulting career how strange it was having to actually go out and hit people up for work lately. You do need to close the deal when you find a good prospect, but we're still jumping over the ???, which is where you get that steady stream of good prospects in the first place. That's why my best guess is "luck" — because I've never heard anyone say anything about what they did beyond, "Eh, I found good clients and became a successful consultant" or "I did not find good clients and struggled in my consulting career."
imron 12y ago
Some people would argue that for the most part you make your own luck.
- chc 12y ago
  I suppose this is true, but also mostly irrelevant. If I am faced with two doors, behind one a car and the other a goat, I am technically making my own luck when I pick a door, but there's still nothing I can do to improve my chances of getting the car past 50%.
  - sarciszewski 12y ago
    Getting the car means paying tax on your winnings. Getting the goat? You can make of that what you'd like. Getting the car past 50% isn't always the desired goal. :)
  - imron 12y ago
    You are looking at the single point of choosing the door as your definition of luck, rather than all the decisions that led you to be in a position where your only choices were between a car and a goat. When I say you mostly make your own luck, I was referring to making decisions and choices so that you don't end up with only a car or a goat as your choices.
    - roel_v 12y ago
      "I was referring to making decisions and choices so that you don't end up with only a car or a goat as your choices." I think this is good life advice in general :)

by chc 12y ago

tptacek 12y ago

The most important two secrets to sales: know how to qualify a deal, and ask for the sale.

chc 12y ago
That's good advice, but the problem is that the ??? comes at the point where your only sources of prospects are morally equivalent to oDesk. No matter how good you are at qualifying and closing deals, it does no good if deals.filter(:is_qualified?) == []. Based on Patrick's account, it sounds like good consulting work mostly just came to him — he commented late in his consulting career how strange it was having to actually go out and hit people up for work lately. You do need to close the deal when you find a good prospect, but we're still jumping over the ???, which is where you get that steady stream of good prospects in the first place. That's why my best guess is "luck" — because I've never heard anyone say anything about what they did beyond, "Eh, I found good clients and became a successful consultant" or "I did not find good clients and struggled in my consulting career."

imron 12y ago

Some people would argue that for the most part you make your own luck.

chc 12y ago
I suppose this is true, but also mostly irrelevant. If I am faced with two doors, behind one a car and the other a goat, I am technically making my own luck when I pick a door, but there's still nothing I can do to improve my chances of getting the car past 50%.
- sarciszewski 12y ago
  Getting the car means paying tax on your winnings. Getting the goat? You can make of that what you'd like. Getting the car past 50% isn't always the desired goal. :)
- imron 12y ago
  You are looking at the single point of choosing the door as your definition of luck, rather than all the decisions that led you to be in a position where your only choices were between a car and a goat. When I say you mostly make your own luck, I was referring to making decisions and choices so that you don't end up with only a car or a goat as your choices.
  - roel_v 12y ago
    "I was referring to making decisions and choices so that you don't end up with only a car or a goat as your choices." I think this is good life advice in general :)