by Michael Penner

Created on: January 21, 2009   Last Updated: February 13, 2009

Technology companies face a unique challenge. They are expected to produce something that makes something else better, or is in itself so totally new that the market place has never seen anything like it before. Take, for example, the market segment that uses source code analysis tools. These tools promise to improve coding practices such that there are less exploits and bugs in software before it is turned over to QA.

The sales force for the above technology is selling something that makes something else better (the software development process) and can do it in a way that is so innovative it may be, at first, unfamiliar in the way it operates.

Given the above as an analogy for your business, here are some sales tips:

1. Executives may not be as technical as those they manage, so they trust the recommendations of their employees. Target those employees AND executives in your sales efforts.

2. Provide trial periods of your technology, and make it easy for your customers to get it.

3. Make it easy for customers to continue using it if they decide to pay for continued use. For software, this may mean a seamless licensing or purchasing experience. For energy or infrastructural technology dealing with government agencies, this may mean you've been vetted and continued use is nothing more than a modification to a contract.

4. Try running the technology yourself so you know what the customer's experience is going to be.

5. Understand the technology enough to write a white paper on it, then write that paper and make it downloadable from your own website and various websites that specialize in white paper publication. Include that white paper in any leave-behind sales collateral when you visit a customer. Collaborating with the technical teams or engineers that are most familiar with the deeper workings of your technology may be required.

6. Publish two versions of a white paper; One for executives unlikely to understand the deeper workings of the technology, and another for those that will demand such details.

7. If you are involved in a complex sale to a relatively large organization, take a technical person with you on the sales call. This person will fill in your knowledge gaps when the tough questions get asked, and will be instrumental in helping you further evaluate your technology fit with the target organization.

8. Have a technology roadmap available for your clients to review. This not only helps them put into context the technology as it stands today, it encourages them to continue using the technology on the promised improvements that are already planned.

9. Focus groups, customer feedback, and market conditions should be planned for as much as possible. Roadmaps should be adjusted accordingly.

10. If your technology requires the existence of a technical support team, make sure you review their calls on a daily basis. Trouble is a form of feedback as much as praise. Knowing what is NOT working is extremely important to properly manage the expectations of your customer.

Learn more about this author, Michael Penner.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.