The Importance of Giving Credit (2024)

“Credit is infinitely divisible.Give it away every chance you get, and there's always plenty left for you.” — Don Berwick.

The importance of giving credit to the people you work with at the prospect or customer is vital. However, I've noticed that some people tend to skip over this critical part, which is what prompted me to write this article.

Today we will talk about:

1. The importance of giving credit to the people you work with
2. Giving credit could make you more successful
3. The best way to give credit
4. A few examples of when and how credit should be given
5. Give yourself a test, are you a good credit giver?

How important is it to give credit?

In order to be a reliable, trustworthy, and excellent technical salesperson, you need to acknowledge the people who assisted you. The technical sales world is a collaborative one, where people, groups, and teams collaborate to achieve success.

The importance of giving credit to those who deserve it cannot be overstated. Many people will help you not because they have to, but because they want to. You should notice and acknowledge this; otherwise, they won't want to help you again if you don't appreciate their efforts and help.

What you can gain from giving credit

The primary responsibility of your role is to deliver results, including closing deals, deploying successfully, and interacting with prospects. There will be many people you collaborate with in every engagement, some of whom you will meet for the first time and some who you will work with again and again. Building trust requires recognizing people's efforts. People do business with people they trust and appreciate.

By putting people in the center, allowing them to express their thoughts and efforts, they will most likely be happy to help you (and them) succeed.

What is the proper way to give credit?

• Giving credit doesn't always need to be public; you can give people credit privately from saying thank you to saying please.
• Give them a call. Send them an email. When you meet, discuss it.
• Often, the best contributors are the quietest. Recognize them.
• Credit shouldn't be reserved for when results are delivered.
• You've received a lot of help from someone. Why not give them credit? Make sure their manager knows how important they are to the project's success.
• It is important not to give too much credit, as too much of a good thing can sometimes appear insincere. It might seem counterintuitive, but if you give credit to everyone for everything, it takes away the value that acknowledgments have. Having pizza every day isn't exciting.
• When everyone get credit, it quickly loses meaning.
• Giving credit to others will benefit you! In order to develop a habit of giving.

Be genuine in your feedback.

Providing credit: examples and guidelines

Example 1

During the POV summary meeting, you present the results to everyone, including the CIO, CISO, etc. Give credit to the people who helped you from the customer side, for example, if your product discovered malicious behavior and someone on the customer's end handled it, say, "During the POV, our product X discovered Y, and John immediately responded, ensuring that the vulnerability was fixed and the organization was secure.".

Example 2

Your customer bought your solution and an employee became your champion, always helping, responding quickly to your emails/calls, and attending every meeting. Instead of waiting until the end of the process, send this employee's manager an email explaining why and how they are incredible.

Test yourself - how good are you at giving credit to others?

To determine if you give credit often, there is a simple test. You will be able to tell quickly whether you give credit, take credit, or are ambivalent.

Crediting employees goes beyond words to build loyalty. In addition, it should be consistent. It's not enough to give someone credit once. It is also not acceptable to give credit to someone in front of senior management and then treat them poorly behind closed doors.

Can you think of a time when you gave a person credit when you deserved it?

Do you remember the last time you gave someone credit? If you don't remember, now is the time to do it.

In conclusion,

The act of giving credit is not only beneficial to others, but it can also be beneficial to you as well. Be sure to test yourself on a regular basis to see if you are giving enough credit in the right amount.

Crediting someone is like building muscles in your body; if you are not in the habit of doing it, then start today, take it slow, and later on it will become easier and easier.

Till next time,

Menachem.

I want to give credit to the following article which is highly recommended to read about giving credit