Qualify…. it's part of the job.

How many times as a PreSales consultant have you really wished you’d had some input into the qualification of the deal you are working on?

Qualification might usually be the realm of the Account Executive responsible for the opportunity, but in reality, this actually falls to us, and for good reason.

Think about it, ever thought you could be spending time on more realistic opportunities? Sales team convinced this is the next big opportunity? How many times have you felt that way?

As a top-quality PreSales consultant you are the master of your own time and have to manage it accordingly. If you don’t think this is a good opportunity, you should not only speak up, but you should actively look to qualify and re-qualify along with your AE.

Remember you are also not just qualifying your time, but the requirements and use case. Imagine the quality of the demo if you can just link a few of your demo items to something they have said. That is sales dynamite!

Try these few ideas next time:

• Engage early in the sales process with your AE
• Have your own list of qualification questions ready to go
• Meet regularly with your AE and have an open dialog about each opportunity

So, be true to yourself, your time, your customer and most of all, your sales team.

Make qualification your #1 habit.

Matt Finch is the Vice President, Global Solutions Consulting at Mavenlink. He's passionate about SaaS technology, leadership, and sales excellence has enabled him to successfully build award-winning sales, pre-sales, consulting and enablement organizations across the world.

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