This is a fairly complex topic because it is pervasive over so many levels and perspectives. Early in my career it became apparent that not all projects or clients were created equal. I was clearly a fit for some clients, but not so much for others. More importantly, there were so many different technical challenges that it would be difficult to become an expert at all of them. And to be truthful, some technologies were interesting to me, others less so.
I began to ask around about how to get assigned to new work we had won, especially those projects I preferred. First I started talking to my peers, those engineers and scientists who were about the same age as me. Then I gradually worked my way up to the more senior engineers and project managers. Most of the advice I received was about the same: do a good job with the projects on your desk right now, and you'll have some say in future assignments.
Nice. But not good enough for me. I really wanted to be more aggressive about working on projects with cutting-edge technologies, for clients who were keenly interested in innovation to improve their own operations. Over a brief period of time, I worked at lobbying the more senior project managers in order to be assigned to their project teams and it was a fairly successful approach. But then it hit me like a ton of bricks to ask those very project managers how they chose clients and projects. The answer was surprisingly simple across the board.
They all selected clients and projects, and then directed their marketing and client contact efforts accordingly. It seemed too simple, but turned out to be amazingly sensible. They directed their sales efforts in such a way as to win work with who they wanted to work for, and for the types of projects and technologies that they preferred.
That was enough for me - I had to learn more about the methods of selling work so that I, too, could be in the driver's seat of my own career.
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