We all wish we had a product that sold itself, one that met all the customer’s requirements, had no quality issues or design quirks, and provided a great, intuitive user experience. However, if that was the case, there would be no need for a team of Presales professionals!
Unfortunately, the products we sell are generally not perfect. There may be many reasons for this, including design decisions, technology restrictions, limited resources, budget or time to invest in R&D, changing customer needs and expectations, and technical debt.
As a result, we can find ourselves playing the role of an apologist, required to positively and persuasively represent our product and company, despite the gaps, flaws or any other baggage.
The term “apologist” may not be used that much, but it has a recognized place in the analysis of religion and politics, among other things. Maybe “spin doctor” is another relevant term here. It’s also a skill that middle management needs to employ, to represent company messages and decisions to their team, regardless of their personal opinion.
A skilled apologist can take something that seems strange or illogical and make it sound reasonable and rational. They provide context, make logical connections and present a compelling story.
In our role as Presales, even if you privately acknowledge that your product is lacking in some areas, your job is to sell the product as it is, warts and all. Being an apologist is not about conceding defeat or saying “sorry, our product is not that great”. It is a role we take on to defend against the competition, evangelize the value and confidently persuade the audience that we are the best partner to help them achieve their goals.
Here are some techniques you could use to be an effective Presales apologist:
Avoid the gap
When there is a perceived gap between your product and the competition, the first tactic you might employ is to avoid mentioning it. Unless the customer brings it up, we don’t want to highlight something that might be missing or more difficult to use.
Instead, focus on the strengths and differentiators of your solution, with the goal of shining a light on the competitor’s gaps. If you are lucky, that particular issue may be overlooked.
Act surprised
This can be a useful technique if you are challenged by the customer, for example, “I heard your solution is difficult (or expensive) to use”. A good response is “Oh really? That’s surprising as it hasn’t been the experience of my customers. Where did you hear that?”.
I’m not quite proposing that you go the full political path of “deny everything”, but an aspect here that is important is the personal interaction and how you come across. The face you show to the customer needs to be full of confidence and belief.
Understand and Bridge
What is the business outcome that your customer is trying to achieve? How does your solution deliver that outcome? Your customer may have a fixed idea of how things should be done, or maybe a competitor has shown it in a different way that is seen as more sexy or easier to use.
It’s important to ask questions that help you understand the customer’s business goals, so that you can bridge to explaining how your solution achieves that same goal.
Bridging is a technique I was taught when doing media spokesperson training: acknowledge the question and then move smoothly into your talking points. You may not be directly answering what was asked, but it helps you refocus the conversation.
If your solution can still deliver the customer’s desired outcomes, and if you have strengths and value in other capabilities, then you can minimize the risk of a perceived issue or gap.
Provide context
A final technique you may need to employ is to explain why it is completely reasonable that your product works in the way it does. People will often be more accepting of things if they understand the reasons why and if they make some sort of sense.
Note that the correct answer here is not, “they didn’t invest enough in R&D”; nor “the product manager is an idiot”.
Maybe there was a valid design or technology decision that caused subsequent limitations. Or it could have been developed in a certain way based on the needs of a key customer. With a more mature product there may be technical and functional debt, which make it harder to dramatically change the interface or the flow of work.
The key point with any of these techniques is to be well prepared in understanding your product, it’s history, success stories and capabilities. You need to anticipate the objections and traps and to have your talking points clear in your mind prior to meeting the customer.
A brief reflection to conclude: I’ve found this an interesting topic to think about, as there is a feeling of tension sometimes between my sales role and my core values of integrity and accuracy. My thoughts above could easily be taken to an extreme of lying and deception, which is not what I am advocating.
I rationalize to myself that I am being paid to do a job, that avoiding topics or redirecting the conversation is different to outright lying, that all the vendors are putting their own spin on things, and that it’s all part of the game of business.
I do believe that value can be delivered in different ways and part of my role is to focus on our strengths and minimize the weaknesses. While there can be a tension, I love working in the domains of Presales, Sales and Marketing and have continued to do it for a long time.
What are the potential gaps in your solution that you may need to explain or defend?
Thoughtful Presales 