Top 10 List for Exceptional Presales

Here we will define presales along with typical activities we deliver to customers during the presales portion of the sales cycle.

Our objective is to get the technical win and become a trusted advisor to the customer.

It's all about the customer.  Let's leave our ego at the door and focus on what's best for the customer.  This should be top of mind in every interaction with the customer.

If we say we are going to do something or deliver something to the customer then we need to make sure we do exactly what we said we would do.  We also need to do so in a timely manner.

It is so important we listen.  We need to listen so we understand what problems the customer is trying to solve but it's also polite to actively listen to make sure others feel heard. 

Managing expectations are essential in order to keep things on track.  If we don't manage expectations they will manage us and it will take a great deal of time and effort just to get things back on track.

Practice.  Practice.  Practice.  Before we show up at a customer meeting let's make sure we are prepared.  Dry runs or rehearsals are key to ensure we can make the most out of the customer's time and continue to move the sales cycle forward.

It's important we compete with integrity.  At the end of the day we don't know the latest features or roadmaps are competitors are working on.  It's often best to highlight the features or capabilities of your solution in a way that shows the shortcomings of your competitors.

It's impossible to know everything.  We often look foolish pretending we have all the answers when we clearly do not.  So just tell the customer "I don't know but I will find out and get back to you."