Where can I go after a role in Software Presales?
Let’s take a brief look at the Pros and Cons of the most common steps I have seen people take.
Author Archives: Matthew Bertram
Thinking about… Job Interviews
Meeting a potential customer and presenting your solution is not that different to a job interview. You want to make a good impression, form a connection with the customer, and progress to the next round.
Thinking about… “It depends.”
Where do we start?
How long will it take?
What will it cost?
“Well, it depends…”
Thinking about… Have we built a business case for our competitor?
If we spend the effort to build a Business Case showing positive ROI, is there a risk that we’ve also built a value proposition for our competitor?
Thinking about… Presales Timesheets
Understanding what the Presales team is doing and where they are spending time is important. Getting Presales to fill in timesheets consistently is difficult. I consider the case for and againt time tracking for Presales staff, and suggest 3 alternatives.
Thinking about… Tender (RFP) responses
I go on a rant about how tenders are a waste of time, then get more practical with 3 Guidelines for Tender Responses:
1 – Don’t make the customer work hard
2 – Don’t be fully compliant
3 – Share the load, smartly
Thinking about… Mentioning product names
“We sell solutions, not tools”.
When is it ok to mention product names in a meeting, demo or presentation?
Thinking about… an awesome demo
What makes for a good demo delivery? It’s critical that we link the “what” to the “why” and continually talk about capabilities and business benefits, instead of features and functions.
Thinking about… My most difficult demo
Thinking about a difficult demo: misaligned expectations, a hostile audience member, and a lack of support from colleagues.
Thinking about… Writing a blog
You need to start somewhere and it’s good to have an eye on the future.
Thoughtful Presales 