|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Whether a sales demo, proof of concept, or something else entirely, sales engineers must strike the perfect balance between technical expertise and dramatic performance. Too technical, and they’ve lost the interest of their audience right out of the gate. Too grandiose, and they may be mistaken for a shyster attempting to hawk nothing burgers.
That’s challenging enough for individual presentations. When a sales engineer is giving upwards of ten to twenty in a single week, it verges on impossible. And while there are plenty of techniques and tricks to help sales engineers master the art of presentation, these tactics are only half the battle.
The other half is finding the right technology to drive those sales pitches home.
The Importance of Landing a Technical Sales Pitch
A technical sales pitch is either an exciting challenge or a living nightmare, depending on who you ask. You’re typically meeting with a major decision-maker, sometimes even someone from the C-Suite. For these people, time is money — and they only have so much to spare for your presentation.
In a matter of minutes, you may be expected to:
- Explain complex concepts within the context of the client’s use case.
- Present difficult technical details in an engaging, informative fashion.
- Ensure your presentation is understandable not just by IT, but by people from multiple professional backgrounds.
- Differentiate yourself from your competitors.
- Demonstrate an understanding of the customer’s organization and pain points.
- Address any objections the customer may have.
Sticking the landing in this presentation often makes or breaks a sale. Show the customer that your software is helpful and valuable, and you’ve got them locked down. Bore, confuse, or frustrate them, and they’re very likely going with a competitor.
Why Technical Sales Pitches are Challenging
Complexity represents the most significant roadblock to a successful technical sales pitch by far. How do you explain the features and benefits of your software in a manner that’s understandable to non-technical customers? How do you make high-level concepts intelligible to multiple audiences while still providing the necessary context to technical professionals?
It doesn’t help that, like we already mentioned, you’re working under the clock. It’s not like you can sit down and host a day-long seminar on your product that details everything it’s capable of achieving. You need to be quick — an hour at most, and even that’s stretching it a bit.
Bear in mind that you’re also doing this amidst a backdrop of multiple competitors, all of which are likely vying for the same client. How are you unique from those organizations? Why should the client choose you over them?
Oh, and did we mention that both your product and the overall landscape of your industry is in constant flux, too?
How Virtual Instructor-Led Training Activities Solve Both Demos and Sales Pitches
As you’ve likely already guessed, a successful technical sales pitch isn’t something you can do with words alone. Static presentations such as slideshows, videos, and non-interactive live demos are also out. To truly drive home the value of a highly technical product, you need something more practical and hands-on — but you also cannot simply turn prospects loose and expect them to know what they’re doing.
Virtual Instructor-Led Training (VILT) handily solves both these concerns. It provides a virtual sandbox tailored to the client’s unique operating environment and use case. Rather than having to explore that sandbox on their own, the client has the benefit of guidance from a member of your sales team.
This allows you to ensure that they focus exclusively on the most relevant features of your software. They’ll be able to see firsthand how you help them solve their problems without the frustration of long-winded explanations or complicated presentations. And if they run into any issues in the process, your team will be there to walk them through things.
In essence, VILT allows you to wrap both a technical sales pitch and a product demo into a single, highly effective package. Note, however, that this isn’t something you should try to pull off simply by spinning up an instance and going to town. There are a few virtual training techniques and strategies you’ll need to keep in mind:
- Ensure you have someone on-hand solely to manage the technical side of the presentation. Your salesperson should be free to focus the entirety of their attention on the client.
- For longer presentations with more than one stakeholder, make strategic use of breakout rooms. This gives participants a chance to take a breather from your presentation while also addressing any questions they might have about your software.
- In a perfect world, your technical sales pitches won’t go longer than an hour. If they do, however, you should mandate a brief ten or fifteen minute break every 60-75 minutes. This will give your prospects (and your people) a chance to recharge and stave off Zoom Fatigue — though this is admittedly less of an issue with hands-on experiences.
- Make sure your team is armed with high-end audio and video equipment. Voices and their images should be crystal-clear throughout the presentation.
Next Steps: Virtual Training Tips for Your Sales Team
So, now you know that with VILT, your sales team can ace even the most complicated technical sales pitch. But that’s far from the advantage. The right virtual training platform doesn’t just provide you with a powerful customer success tool — it’s also a great way to help your team improve their own skills and knowledge.
If you’re interested in learning how, check out Technical Sales Training: 6 Do’s and Don’ts. In addition to walking readers through all the ways virtual training tools can empower your technical sales team, the blog post also discusses:
- What a successful technical sales training program looks like.
- Critical skills that every tech sales training program should teach.
- Best practices for ensuring successful technical sales training.
- Common mistakes to avoid when implementing and managing your training program.
Recommended for you
Blog
