The presales consultant assists the sales process by working with clients to assure that they understand the software and/or consulting services that the vendor is attempting to sell. Often the presales consultant conducts the software demos or explains the project flows in sales presentations. You may have encountered a few different names for a presales consultant. Some organizations call them presales engineers, sales support consultants, and business solution professionals.
While presales consultants have both technical and business acumen, they also have to have a little bit of sales person in their soul. They have to know their products almost as well as an implementation consultant but more importantly they have to understand the business of the potential client.
Presales consulting is a great job. Every customer requires something different and if you are supporting multiple sales people or one very busy sales person you never get bored. The customer is usually very friendly to the presales consultant simply because he or she is there to answer questions and does not apply pressure to close the sale, at least not overtly. The travel can get intense at times; however a lot of work can be completed remotely. Behind the scenes the presales consultant often build demos and presentations while coaching the sales team in what the product can actually achieve. Some organizations use their presales folks to teach classes and even work on post sales engagements thus helping to pay the bills.
My experience as a presales consultant:
I have covered a lot ground in this role, working across many industries assisting the customer with software for Business Intelligence, Data Warehousing and Master Data Management/Data Governance. I have presented full life cycle project plans and worked with folks from the executive level to database administrators. Designing Solution Integration packages and Proof-of-Concepts (POC) are a favorite for me as is training the customer. I have presented at trade shows and conventions and showed live software demos at these events. (This can be exciting if there is a bug in the software!) I have even closed a few deals when the sales person was away. The industries I have worked in: Banking, Insurance, Telecommunications, Manufacturing, Energy, Consumer Packaged Goods, Healthcare, Government, Pharmaceutical, Retail, Publishing, Food Service and Education.
If you are working with a presales consultant:
If you are engaging with a presales consultant for a demo of software be proactive! Find out from the sales representative who the presales consultant is and make contact. (A good presales consultant should contact you but this does not always happen due to a multitude of reasons.) Let them know what you want to see in a demo. If there are some front-end calculations that you expect to see let he/she know. If you have specific functionality that you need, let them know. Your goal should be to learn as much as possible about the software you are considering. Note: many times the “stock” demo that you see may not exactly match your needs and data types. Ask for a custom demo but remember this takes time to produce and the process is very similar to a POC.
When a presales consultant is coming to your location for a POC be prepared! Again, communication prior to the engagement is the key. Find out what you need to have your data, people, and infrastructure ready for a POC. Have your office politics in order so that a preconceived notion or opinion about the software does not interfere with the process. You are evaluating and need to have an unclouded judgment.
Feel free to reach out to me if you need any help.
A good consultant will leave the client independent, not dependent.
Contact Information: Email: steve@stevewilletts.com