How do you leverage industry trends and best practices in presales?

Pay particular attention to the terminology that the customer or industry uses. You can sound like an insider if you use the correct words. But, you have to get it right or you just sound like a sales person. :)

During the conversation, ask open-ended questions to validate your research, e.g. 'I've heard that X regulation will have a big impact on the industry. How do you anticipate this affecting you?' In addition to your research, consider leveragoing ChatGPT to help come up with a set of discovery questions and a sample demo script. Test the script when you do your practice run. Remember, ChatGPT isn't always correct, so tread with caution!

Il est essentiel de rester constamment à jour sur les avancées technologiques et les évolutions du marché. Cela implique de suivre de près les nouvelles technologies, les méthodes et les outils émergents. En s'appropriant du discours révolutionnaire et en intégrant les nouvelles aspects dans notre approche d'avant-vente, nous pouvons démontrer notre expertise et notre capacité à proposer des solutions innovantes. En restant à l'affût des tendances de l'industrie, nous sommes en mesure d'offrir à nos clients des conseils et des recommandations basés sur les meilleures pratiques actuelles, ce qui renforce notre crédibilité et notre positionnement sur le marché.

The best way to think of this is not as selling, but as helping the customer to buy. That mind shift completely changes the way you relate the customer. You want to understand their challenges and work together to help them find the best solution. Even if that solution is not yours. Better to discover that early rather than late!

Being in consultive mode, one need to assume that 1. Companies to which you trying to sell Your solutions knows about their self and their problems and off course your capabilities to some extent as well. In this context don’t try to deviate from their problems. 2. Give them solutions specific to their problems. Some time people try to give fancy solutions, try to avoid it. 3. In world of emerging technologies and reducing cost of infra, keep trade off between cost and solution which is too futuristic.

"What problem does it solve?". This is critical. Start there and dig into problems, causes, and impacts. Quantify the pain along with the prospect. Collaborative discovery using tools such as Miro. Use a template that allows you and your prospect to map out the links between Functional, Line of Business, and Organizational goals. Alternatives to demos - instead of immediately proceeding to product demos, explore 'less expensive forms of proof' such as case studies or consultations with Customer Success teams. Demos are necessary but Customer proof is powerful! Continuous Learning: Keep abreast of the latest trends and insights from sources like Gartner and other sales tech researchers to educate your team and stay ahead in the industry.

Empathy is generator of best solution towards client problems. Adopt design thinking in understanding problem and its depth and impact area and then devise a solution

Sales & Presales have undergone rapid transformation in the past two years, driven by evolving sales tech and shifting buyer behaviors. This dynamic landscape demands that presales professionals continuously adapt and refine their strategies to best serve their customers. 3 ways that anyone can do this. 1. Get out of your company bubble! Engage with the Presales Collective Blogs, webinars, events, local chapters. 2. Read/listen to books/blogs/podcasts by leading Sales researchers. Their perspectives are based on tens of thousands of sales calls or greater. 3. Mentorship: teaching others is a great way of learning from others! The key takeaway is to continually update how you can best serve the customer's interests!

Keeping up to industry trends is rather important, the best way to do that is to dedicate 30 mins to an hour daily to read and research to gain insights and market trends through relevant podcasts, following professional channels, subscribing to newsletters etc. Needs some discipline and prioritization though :)

Read, Read and Read is the mantra....now the question is what to read ? and how to update yourself..thats most important ..the importance here is relevancy..what I find helpful practically is 1) get the full access to your partners hotspots/newsletters, read daily 30 mins dedicatedly 2) get access to all leading analyst report for your portfolio products and read through..if you get a chance to participate in their interviews, get engaged yourself..this helps to get know the big picture 3) Apply your thoughts and strategy to identify the relevant articles, podcasts 4) participate in all events of your org, partners org and most impotantly your peer orgs events for the products/ service that you are selling would keep on sharing!

Togaf methodologies are extremely useful too. I see pre-sales being very process driven. There are a lot of variables to win deals, some in direct control of a pre-sales architect like solution, while the rest partially out of control eg client relationship which can drive better understanding of the requirements. Given the variables it becomes important to not be focused on the end results, rather focus on following the methodologies right to ensure all aspects of solution are considered andmanaged well (eg, requirements gathering, designing (business, tech, information system architecture), transition and transformation), risks etc.