Pain and Gain: Aligning Technical Sales

In this curated episode of the Revenue Builders Podcast, John McMahon and John Kaplan are joined by John Care from Mastering Technical Sales to discuss the crucial role of Sales Engineers (SEs) in the sales process. They explore the dynamics between SEs and Account Executives (AEs), the importance of thorough discovery, and how SEs can leverage both pain and gain to drive successful sales outcomes. Tune in to learn how effective collaboration and a balanced approach to technical sales can transform your sales strategy. KEY TAKEAWAYS [00:00:28] The Role of Sales Engineers in Sales Dynamics: SEs often act as a counterbalance to AEs by slowing down the process to ensure thorough discovery and alignment with customer needs. [00:01:15] Importance of Discovery in Sales: Effective discovery is crucial for understanding customer problems and setting the stage for successful demos and proof of concepts (POCs). [00:02:02] The "Dash to Demo" Pitfall: Rushing to present demos without proper discovery can lead to generalized demonstrations and undefined criteria for success. [00:03:00] Balancing Pain and Gain: While most deals are driven by pain points, understanding and leveraging potential gains can significantly differentiate your sales approach. [00:05:36] The Power of Storytelling in Sales: Using before-and-after stories of other customers can effectively highlight the benefits of a solution and engage prospects emotionally. HIGHLIGHT QUOTES [00:00:57] "The biggest point of friction between sales engineers and account execs is the speed of the transaction, particularly when it relates to discovery." [00:02:09] "One of the most popular workshops that we deliver is called business value discovery, and it's really, we say, you have to paint the target before you can shoot at it." [00:03:23] "Everybody in the world, every sales methodology, says find the pain, solve the pain, you'll get the deal. However, about 20 percent of deals are driven by gain." [00:04:41] "The difference between a good SC and a world-class SC is that they can find the gain and that extra 20 percent of deals that they can put in pipeline to help the AE." [00:07:18] "The best sales conversations include pain and gain. One without the other is not a very successful sales call." Listen to the full episode with John Care through this link: https://revenue-builders.simplecast.com/episodes/the-value-of-sales-engineers-in-the-sales-process-with-john-care/ Check out John McMahon’s book here: Amazon Link: https://a.co/d/1K7DDC4 Check out Force Management’s Ascender platform here: https://my.ascender.co/Ascender/