Prioritize Your Company’s Success Over Client Satisfaction

"Client First" is wrong!

The classic perception of a company is that it exists to serve its clients, and its success relies entirely on customer satisfaction. Entrepreneurs and salespeople are trained to listen to their clients, meet their needs, and often do whatever it takes to please them, even if that means offering large discounts or making concessions.

But this view has its limits, and I disagree with the idea that the salesperson is solely at the service of the client.

In my view, the salesperson is primarily at the service of their company.

It is the company that pays them, and their responsibility is to optimize the use of resources—time, energy, and money—for the benefit of the company. This shift in perspective fundamentally changes how we should interact with clients.

If we adopt a position where the salesperson is only there to serve the client, the immediate temptation is to “please” by giving large discounts, accepting unfavorable terms, or spending significant time without guaranteed results.

However, by focusing on serving the company, not the client, the salesperson asks critical questions

→Is this client worth investing significant resources?

→Will this engagement actually lead to success for the company?

→ Is my product solving a problem significant enough for the client to be willing to pay for it?

I always picture myself in a sales role like a doctor. I don’t show off all the cool medicines I can prescribe; instead, I conduct a thorough diagnosis to see if I can help and how. Selling works the same way. And if I cannot help, I walk away!

This approach doesn’t disrespect the client; in fact, it leads to more honest and productive discussions. Instead of chasing every opportunity, it’s about working with the client to determine whether a mutually beneficial relationship is possible.

If it’s not, it’s in everyone’s interest to discuss it and reassess whether continuing relationship is the right choice.

A potential client is, of course, a valuable contact. But without a clear path to a sale, this investment of time and resources can be in vain. The true challenge for the salesperson is to ensure that every engagement with a potential client aligns with the company’s goals and success.

Serving the company, in reality, also serves the client—but in a more thoughtful, strategic, and long-term way.

In fact, I would argue that a satisfied client is the natural consequence of taking good care of your own company first.