Takeaway: the very first sale you need to close is selling yourself to the Sales Manager
I was filled with joy and the thrill of a race won. The purchase order (P.O.) from ABCD Corp had finally appeared in my inbox. I had been shepherding it through the process and chasing it down for over three weeks. This included emailing and calling the customer’s procurement team in India, and following up with local stakeholders to get it approved and progressed to the next step in the process. When the P.O. finally arrived, I felt fantastic. I walked around the office with a smile on my face, telling anyone who would listen about this significant milestone of my first ever P.O.
Rewind two weeks. The final day of our financial year. The pressure was on to meet our numbers and pull in all the business we could. I had been working closely with Joan, a new Sales Rep who had joined a few months prior. ABCD Corp wanted to buy an additional quantity of licenses and I helped Joan go through the process. This included determining our pricing strategy, meeting with a procurement manager from ABCD Corp, and getting a quote created in our systems. Due to the unfortunate timing of an already booked overseas vacation, it turned out that Joan flew out of town on the morning of this final day, leaving me as the backup. Things were looking promising. ABCD Corp had agreed to the purchase, I had answered questions from their procurement team and provided additional paperwork the day before, and we believed the P.O. just needed to get approved and issued. Simple.
As the day went on, there was no sign of a P.O. and the pressure increased. The Sales Manager, Stan, wanted regular updates. He wanted to know where the P.O. was and who needed to sign it. The Country Manager came and spoke to me. What was the hold up? Who had I spoken to? Stan called again at 6pm. Had I called the ABCD Corp back office team in India (5.5 hours behind us so still working)? At 7pm I received an email from a procurement contact with a brief update. I sent a screen shot to Stan and was careful to edit the picture. I cropped out the contact’s phone number, because I knew that if Stan saw it, he would push me to call them directly. I already felt stressed and didn’t want to do that. About half an hour later I plucked up the courage and made the call. It didn’t get answered so I left a message. About 9pm I received another email informing me the P.O. was now pending approval from a manager in Australia – a person I didn’t know and couldn’t contact. And given the time of day, this person was unlikely to action it tonight. I spoke to Stan for the final time that evening. He was disappointed but philosophical. We hadn’t brought the deal in, but it would surely arrive the next day, giving us a good start to the year.
The P.O. took another ten days of chasing before it finally arrived. I was excited and proud. Joan returned to work the next day. Refreshed, relaxed and with a deal already booked.
The story above is the closest experience I have had to those aspects of the Sales role that we Presales often do not see. It can be easy for Presales to believe that we are doing all the work, and easy to become frustrated that the Sales Person is making more money. We think: “I could do their job. And do it a lot better”. What was eye-opening for me in this experience was the scrutiny and pressure, and the complexity of the customer’s purchasing process.
So I am writing this article from the perspective of an observer and mentor. My “sales” type activities have increased over the years but I have never made that full step from Solution/Presales to direct Sales. I have advised Presales staff and watched numerous colleagues make the transition. Some were immediately successful, some took a few years to find their feet and others moved back into the comfort zone of less-stressful Presales roles after a year or two.
In the IT industry, having a technical background can have a huge advantage as a sales person. You know what you are talking about, find it easier to learn about new products and can quickly build credibility with buyers. Some of the most successful sales people I know started their career in Presales. But it is not an easy path and not suited for everyone.
For me personally, there are two main mental obstacles when I consider taking on a sales role. I am naturally an introvert and not a fan of networking and socialising. I like to build strong relationships with people over time and I don’t want to be in a position where I burn those relationships in order to get a deal in on the last day of the quarter. The idea of a role where I need to talk to strangers scares me. Rationally, I think I would be fine and in fact I network and connect with people all the time. But it is a still a mental block.
The second barrier is that I am scared about the pressure. Pressure to meet quarterly targets, to build pipeline, to close the deal, to get paid enough to pay the bills, to keep my job. Presales can sometimes be on the receiving end of the pressure a sales rep is under, but often it is unseen and our jobs are generally more secure. We are not in the 1-on-1s with the Sales Manager, not getting rejected or simply ignored by customers, not getting calls from Execs on the last day of the quarter. I have experienced Reps in tears, lashing out in anger and giving up when the pressure gets too much. Sales people can reap rewards and make a lot of money, but they can also have very lean years.
My intent here is not to discourage you from considering such a move. Sales Roles are important and potentially lucrative. A Presales background can increase your chances of success. I’m reflecting on my own experience and hesitation with the goal that any Presales individual contemplating this career move will have their eyes open about the challenges and differences.
If you do want to move from Presales into Sales, where should you start? My advice is that you need to realize it will take time and therefore must start talking to people early. While not a hard and fast rule, I have observed that once you start socialising the idea, it might be two years before you can actually join the sales team. You need to lay the groundwork, change perceptions and build relevant experience.
Lay The Groundwork
Step one is to have a career discussion with your manager. Regardless of your career path, a key requirement is to let the right people know of your interest. Your manager will be able to give you good advice, coach you on the steps to take and help you put together a plan. You also want your manager to become your personal champion, sponsoring you to the Sales Manager as a valuable candidate for such a role.
You also want to start observing the sales people you work with more closely. Ask about their own stories. How did they get started in sales? What do they like and hate about the role? What skills do you need to develop to be successful? Ask if there are simple activities that you can help them with, so you can start building the required skills.
Very importantly: You must pitch yourself to the Sales Manager and change perceptions.
Change Perceptions
If you want to move from Presales into Sales, the very first sale you need to close is selling yourself to the Sales Manager. Unfortunately, this can be a challenge when the Sales Manager knows you but perceives you as the “technical” person. They may respect your knowledge and skills, but not have confidence that you can transition into a “sales” person who will agressively drive and win deals. This is a key reason why it can take several years from expressing your interest to making the move. Even if they see your potential, hiring an experienced Sales Person is often seen as a safer bet when the Sales Manager themselves are under huge pressure to deliver.
To change perceptions, you need to give people time to get used to the idea (laying the groundwork) and you also need to build (and demonstrate) relevant experience.
Build Relevant Experience
Once people are aware of your desire to move into a sales role, do as much as you can to build your skills and experience. This could be by helping the Rep with “paperwork” activities such as creating an Opportunity in the system, putting together a Bill of Materials or pricing a Quote. You could also start sitting in on the more commercial customer meetings, and join internal sales meetings such as forecast calls.
One Presales colleague, having indicated his desire to move into sales, took on end-to-end ownership of some small transactional deals at a key account, under the guidance and mentoring of the Sales Rep. This was a great way for him to get hands-on sales experience in a low-risk and well-supported way. It also helped demonstrate his abilities and commitment to the Sales Manager. The next year, he moved fully out of Presales and has since built a successful career in Sales.
You also need to get more comfortable with (and make a habit of) networking, cold calling people and building relationships. Keeping in touch with customer contacts is something I encourage Presales to do more of, regardless of your career plans, and its easiest to start by cultivating ongoing connections with your technical contacts.
A final comment regarding timing: one of the things to realise is that the Sales Manager will only take you on when they have a position to fill. This will typically be when a Sales Rep resigns, or when they are given headcount and budget to grow the team, which may only occur at the start of a new financial year. When a Sales Rep does leave, that is your moment. If you have successfully laid the groundwork and changed perceptions by building and demonstrating your sales skills, you will have created the perfect opportunity and compelling reason to move into the role.
Good luck and good selling.
What are the most important skills that can equip a Presales professional to move into a Sales role?
Thoughtful Presales 