Pink Buttons

One of the best development managers I worked with always used the phrase "pink button" to describe the inevitable customization that a prospective client wanted in a software solution. It was our code to label the one little enhancement that could swing a sale in our favor. Our working relationship was great because he understood that clients wanted to feel that they could count on our team to deliver the customization that would make the solution their own, and he trusted me to be able to parse the requests from a prospect into a project that was achievable and would also enhance our solution for other clients and prospects.

There are two major pitfalls to pink buttons - not enough and too much.

Not enough is straightforward - it's a take or leave it approach that tells the prospect that your team thinks they know more about their business or are simply unwilling to expend the resources to create a successful relationship.

But too much attention can be a problem as well. It's not enough to take requirements, especially from non-technical decision makers without thoroughly uncovering the need behind the request. Understanding the "why" is critical, because it often leads to more options on the "how" and that means fewer resources to deliver a solution and more opportunity for that solution to be valuable to similar prospects and clients.

Our approach was to take the request, break it down thoroughly and come up with the easiest way to give them a pink button. More often than not, that led to dialogue that built the relationship and made us a trusted partner.