Pre Sales: Arty Marketing

Pre sales as a process defines a set of activities carried out before a customer is acquired, though sometimes pre sales also extends into the period the product or service is delivered to the customer.

The use of pre sales gives an educated overview of sales made due to pre sales and an educated guess of future sales. This marketing technique helps insure more number of services needed so that the business does not exhaust resources in services when they are not being utilized, thereby reducing waste and loss.

Pre sales in all of its many forms is truly an art. There are methodologies behind its success but practicing those methods and studying them alone won’t get you far past good. To be great you need to invest effort into the technology, the business, and most importantly your personal style.

The role of pre sales falls right in the middle of marrying the customer needs to the (provider) company's services or products. This role is especially crucial in Software industries because the products and services are often heavily customizable and also because the requirements of different customers are often unique.

A typical Sales Process includes:

• Product Knowledge
• Prospecting
• Approach
• Needs Assessment
• Customer Presentation
• Sales Close
• Follow Up

Of the above, pre sales is involved in:

• Product Knowledge
• Needs Assessment
• Customer Presentation
• Sales Close

Why Pre Sales?

• Keeping a customer happy is more than matching customer’s needs with the right technical solution. Customers expect vendors to provide them best partnership in meeting their evolving business needs.
• The complex process of bidding involves intelligent negotiation on price, scope of work, schedule and other contract requirements.
• Sales will not have the required technical knowledge to design proposal and provide solution.
• Delivery heads may not have skills to match customer’s business needs with the right technical solution.

Pre Sales Engineering

The task of a pre sales person starts from the initial contact phase and often ends once the customer is acquired. In some cases, pre sales also provide some initial or transitional support post sale.

As Joe Onisick suggests, the 5 rules of Pre Sales Engineering are:

• You are a member of the sales team.
• You are not a salesperson.
• You must be Business Relevant.
• You must be Technically Knowledgeable.
• Know your audience.

These are really rules of thumb that should be used to get into the right mind-set when engaging with customers in a pre sales fashion.

Like any other art pre sales must be practiced. One must study the products and services your company sells, develop your presentation skills, and constantly work on your communication.

While presenting to customers, a pre sales engineer should start by painting a picture for them, start with broad strokes outlining the technology and add detail to areas that the customer shows interest in. Drill down into only the specifics that are relevant to that customer, this is where knowing your audience is key.

The conversation with the customer should go as provided in above diagram. Begin at the top level big picture and drill down into only the points that the customer shows an interest in or are applicable to their data centre and job role.

Conclusion:

Pre sales is a skill set that must be practiced. Create your own dynamic style and method that works for you and don’t hesitate to change or modify them as you find areas for improvement. The more you practice, the better value you deliver to your customer, team and organization.

About Author:

Sonam Anand  is a consultant in Systems Plus Pvt. Ltd. Within Systems Plus, she actively contributes to the areas of Technology and Information Security. She can be contacted at: sonam.anand@spluspl.com