What is like to be pre-sales technical support in the Middle East?

Presales is a process or a set of activities normally carried out before a customer is acquired, though sometimes presales also extends into the period the product or service is delivered to the customer.

In a typical sales cycle the stages are:

1.    Contact.

2.    Lead / Suspect.

3.    Prospect / Opportunity.

The task of a presales person starts from the initial contact phase and often ends once the customer is acquired i.e. sale is made. In some cases, presales also provide some initial or transitional support post sale.

The responsibilities differ from organization to organization but in general include:

1.    Solution Preparation/Proposal based on Customers Requirements

2.    Product demonstrations

3.    Proof of Concept Creation

4.    Creation of Marketing Documents

5.    ... and any other activity required to generate business

6.     The Software Industry and IT Services Industry provide a vital and significant role for presales professionals. The role of presales falls right in the middle marrying the customer needs to the (provider) company's services or products. This role is especially crucial in these industries because the products and services are often heavily customizable and also because the requirements of different customers are often unique. The presales professional thus understands what the customer needs, develops an initial view of the solution the customer needs, then tailors the product or service of his company to meet what the customer needs, explains (or helps sell) this solution to the customer, helps close the deal or sale and often stays on to ensure that the delivery team or product specialists that follow him provide the intended solution.

 

In Canada and the United States, real estate properties that are sold before construction or before construction is completed are referred to as Presales. These properties are known as off plan properties in the UK and Australia. In the same way in the Middle East also can be adopt this method. Thank you. 

Team of highly qualified engineers and inside sales professionals provides outstanding pre-sales technical support in the areas of product configuration, specification and pricing.  They work to understand the current challenges and future goals, then design custom solutions to help the customers’ meet mission-critical goals. 

They  give the flexibility to select the best IT, networking, data center, collaboration and communication solutions from a variety of vendors.  They must be well-skilled in the latest technology advances and can provide compliant product alternatives as well as assess current infrastructure to ensure optimal success.  

Problem analysis Knowing how and where to find information Customer understanding Speaking the local language and understand culture BE PATIENT Creativity Innovation Enjoying the technology

Civil Engineering

I would like to add that apart  from very vibrant culture here in ME  and dealing with complex projects , one of the things to forsee in a presales process is Scalability of the solution.

Any kind of  projects demands a growth factor to be attributed to it. a lot of time in order to be competitive in the market we see price cuts, i see it is important to understand the business implication of the solution to the customer and make it a right fit. 

• Responsible for answering RfP, where sales engineer contribution is expected to be up to80%.
• The pre-sales will also manage collecting the input from the other departments of the company such Product Management, Operations, Professional Services, and Logistics.
• Solution Design Description: Based on directions from the sales person in terms of scope, pricing, and positioning, the sales engineer produces solution description documentation and prepares offers.
• Technical Qualification: The sales engineer is responsible for the technical qualification aspects of a project. He is also a good support to the sales in order to check the business qualification and the account winning strategy.
• Direct touch with customer – allows to for a second feedback channel in addition to the sales channel
• Interface/Proxy with PM and Engineering: in order to help addressing project inquiries and customer demand, the pre-sales is responsible for collecting and aggregating from Product Management and Engineering
• Dimensioning, BoQ, and budgetary engineering
• Technical support for customers (in presales mode)
• Organize, define, supervise, and conclude trials
• Contributes in customer meetings, where the sales engineer will be responsible for presenting the proposed solution, and demonstrate the value proposition of the proposal.

The most important are: - Knowing the culture in ME.
- Have a good knowledge about the applicable standards.
- Team work