Using Presales Professionals to Make the Sale

There are several key steps in the sales cycle for which sales engineer professionals have precisely the right background to help the team compete and win. These include technical discovery to help qualify prospects; developing complex solutions composed of a variety of products (‘solutioning’); and evaluation management, also known as Proof of Concept (POC) or Proof of Value (POV), which helps a prospect understand the product’s value. 

But there are two areas in particular for which presales professionals, whose passion for mapping the value of technology to a prospect is an integral part of the sales process, are uniquely suited: product demonstrations.

Finding Revenue in Product Demos

Product demonstrations require both a solid understanding of the technology and how it fits into the prospect’s business needs. But an effective presales professional also knows how to share the right information in a way that understands the needs of the prospect and builds trust and confidence to motivate forward movement through the cycle.

Presales Product Demonstrations

  • To do an effective demo, you have to apply a methodology and playbook based on buyer/prospect needs. There are methodologies like Great Demo! out there. 
  • You should always refine your skills and craft to effectively convey the latest product capabilities.
  • Doing presales product demos effectively is both an art and a science. It’s one that requires soft skills (such as presentation and using digital mediums) and hard skills (such as knowledge of your product) and listening skills (asking questions to really understand what your buyer/prospect cares about).
  • You always face competitive pressures. Competition can be (a) doing nothing (b) your competitor or (c) or other projects. When demonstrating, you must understand your buyer’s needs; here is an example of a methodology that can help.

A successful presales demo can help pave the way for the next stage, the presales proof of concept (POC) or POV (proof of value). The presales POC essentially lets a client ‘test drive’ the product within their environment to experience first hand how it will meet their needs, and thus is often a prerequisite for closing a sale.

A well-executed POC can be incredibly effective, but must be methodically planned. You will find some ideas on how to develop a powerful presales POC in our recent blog, Driving More Revenue with Sales Proof of Concept (POC).