Do You Need Technical Pre-Sellers?

If you’re selling SaaS, there’s a good chance that you’ll need a technical pre-seller to support AEs with technical questions. 

“Solutions Consultants” (SCs)

They’re able to go deeper (when the buyer brings their technical colleagues) and help with objection handling. Most AEs are not technical, and they don’t have to be, since their focus is getting into doors and discovering business opps.

SCs, on the other hand, own:

✅ writing Statements of Work (SOWs)

✅ defining what’s (not) possible product-wise

✅ supporting other technical docs (e.g. Data Sec)

✅ liaising with internal R&D teams (challenges, requests)

With that, SCs are NOT the AEs henchmen, but work in tandem.

Here's what makes them so unique:

They’re technical but still commercially conscious. That is: talking in a language that a non-technical buyer will understand. The great ones are also sparring partners (good cop / bad cop) alongside the AEs to create strong value stories together.

When should you consider a SC? (Since good ones are not cheap!)

1️⃣ Complex product with technicalities that even weeks of training wouldn't allow a non-technical seller to answer / explain / identify key questions

2️⃣ Same goes for being able to navigate a client’s environment to give guidance on the implementation

3️⃣ Building on 1 + 2: when not having them could cost you badly, either through lost or prolonged deals in the first place; pilots bombing; or no cross- / upsells and no referrals