I wrote the Introduction to the Art of Presales during the worst of the pandemic; at a time when I was in between projects.
It is designed for people that are new to presales; to help them explore the reason why join this amazing trade.
The book cover is based on "Magical Forest" and was created with Adobe InDesign. The Kindle book cover was created with most of the same components; with Adobe Photoshop. The book is a 'written book' and has a few illustrations created with sharpies (permanent markers), my iPhone camera, Adobe Capture and Photoshop.
The book was written on Microsoft Word and compiled with Kindle Create (desktop app for Mac).
You can buy your copy on Amazon.
Paperback book cover
Kindle edition book cover
Part 1: Introduction
Image for Part Page
Figure 1: The presales roles is one of the most varied roles and combines sales and technical skills. You will need to be able to think, and pause, on the spot.
Figure 2: I like to bring vegan chocolates to business meetings to lift up the energies and build a human connection. It makes me happy, too, a win-win.
Lynch pin (example from the book).
Figure 3: Paths into presales. To get into presales, you can start either in a sale role or a technical role. As you progress in your career, you can add the missing skills to your armour, and join a presales team.
Figure 4: A common early misconception is that presales is dominated by technology. In reality, a successful presales consultant will need their sales skills a lot more than their technical skills.
Figure 5: After making marks on a piece of paper it is easier to tackle an important and challenging writing task. This simple creativity exercise wakes up both sides of your brain and defeats the blank canvas feeling. Draw circles of varying sizes, repeat with both hands; after a couple of minutes of drawing, it is much easier to start your main writing task!
Figure 6: Holistic thinking includes two aspects: understanding your many roles in life and understanding the wider context of your responsibilities at work. As a successful presales consultant, it is vital that you understand the sales process from start to finish, and your expected contribution to it.
Figure 7: Chess and presales: simple, not easy.
Mapping your personal development path into presales depends on your current circumstances, your background and experience. In the following diagram I’ve used a metaphor where your goal is depicted as the plant’s growth and well-being. It will help you identify some of your future training requirements and should act as a reminder to always continue developing, wherever you are in your professional life.
Part 2: Sales
Figure 10: The move from a technical role to a sales role is sometimes referred to as ‘joining the dark side’. This powerful terminology is used because of the huge change in mindset. For example, if you join a presales team from a software development, your main focus will change from creating the best user experience to helping the customer buy the right product.
Figure 11: MEDDICC, a sales methodology, covers the basic components of a sales cycle. The methodology is widely adopted in technology sales, but there are others, such as SPIN or Challenger sale. MEDDICC stands for ‘metrics, economic buyer, decision criteria, decision process, identify pain, competition and champion’.
Part 3: Sharing your wisdom.
Figure 12: To summarise, presales is mostly about sales skills, with some technical skills. It is paramount to take care of your wellbeing through nurturing what is important to you, and to maintain a growth mindset. Share your wisdom with your team and the wider community to help others around you.
Mapping your personal development path into presales depends on your current circumstances, your background and experience. In the following diagram I’ve used a metaphor where your goal is depicted as the plant’s growth and well-being. It will help you identify some of your future training requirements and should act as a reminder to always continue developing, wherever you are in your professional life.
To be able to grow the plant, you need strong roots. The roots are the basics of presales: sales, product and industry knowledge. For sustainable growth, the stem of the plant needs to be sturdy and flexible: your internal mindset should be open to empathy, creativity and growth. The flower of the plant depicts what other can see and appreciate: your successful customer engagements and sales.
A plant will need constant caretaking, and the same applies to your career. So that you can continue to grow, you need energy from personal development, “the Sun”. You need to take time off for your own well-being; “the rain” that helps the plant to flourish. The right organisation, your environment, can make or break your career. As the name suggests, you cannot directly influence an environment, or the company that you work for: it is a shared responsibility. Sometimes, you will want to move to another company to be able to continue your growth.
Finally, your long-term goal as a diligent gardener might be to create a whole field of flowers and plants for everyone to enjoy. See the new seedlings, starting to grow and multiply. These represent the knowledge and wisdom that you share with others, to benefit your organisation and beyond. To summarise, the top 10 qualities you should seek to become great at presales are:
1. Sales and persuasion skills
2. Product & technology knowledge
3. Industry experience
4. Growth mindset (i.e. happy to change your old habits and learn new ones)
5. Empathy
6. Creative skills (i.e. the ability to create)
7. Confidence and self-awareness
8. Resolute in prioritising your own well-being
9. Happy to take calculated risks
10. Communication
