The Science of Art

The PreSales profession is experiencing an explosion of interest. I'm thankful to be a part of this illustrious field and find success in it — a painstaking, perpetual perfecting of my craft has been the source of both.

‍

PreSales, like most professions, is both a science and an art. Certain tactics have proven to guarantee success, making it a science. But it’s an art because it allows its practitioners to be creative in their methods of executing. Active listening, continuous discovery, and overcoming the buyer/seller deficit are critical. There are also less obvious competencies that you must learn to elevate your endeavors. 

‍

This, dear reader, brings us to the bad news and the good news:

‍

The bad news is that the skills are simple to understand but difficult to master. 

‍

The good news is that I've made enough mistakes and learned from them.

‍

In this post, I will share my cheat codes — how to quickly understand and apply some of the secrets to my success.

A Matter of Principle

I call these secrets my "guiding principles."

‍

principle. ˈprin(t)-s(ə-)pəl. Noun:

• a comprehensive and fundamental law, doctrine, or assumption.
• the laws or facts of nature underlying the working of an artificial device.

I love both of those definitions of the word. Principles must be both comprehensive and fundamental. The student must understand the principle, but the principle must be practical. Principles also are the truths that power the cogs and wheels of a greater device. They are the legs of the duck, furiously working under the surface so that the rest of the duck can enjoy being above water.

Over the course of this year, I will share five principles that have been crucial to my success. I’ll articulate how I’ve used them, and provide examples on how you can apply them to your life. 

Let’s start with the first principle.

The First Principle: Time

‍

It's a truth that's been so instrumental in my growth that I have taught it to my daughters. Are you ready? Say this with me:

‍

Since this is my time, I'm going to take my time.

‍

Now that you've said it, I need you to believe it. This is your time. Your time has not left; your time is not coming soon. This moment of this hour of this day is your time. Your time is not fully dependent on the sacrifice and work of others, but it is largely based on your relentless pursuit of stewarding your now to build your later.

‍

Time is a funny thing, isn't it? The older we get, the quicker it seems to go. We have a tendency to long for the past. Have you ever said, "If I knew then what I know now, I would never have made that choice!"

‍

It's flawed logic when you think about it. The reason you know what you know right now and didn't know it back then is because you've experienced the results of your choices that have taught you what to do differently next time. Could your life be different if you never made that choice? Yes, probably. But you'd be different as well — it would be a lesson that you hadn't learned, so you could be doomed to make the same mistake at a later point in life.

‍

PreSales has a tendency to rush the Solutions Consultant. At times, our prospective customers can attempt to circumvent our attempts at learning about their environments and instead request that we just show them the product. Our Account Executive (AE) counterparts can sometimes bring us into opportunities too early or too late. Less experienced AEs can attempt to skip discovery and qualification to rush us into a demo or Proof of Concept (POC). I’ve personally been asked to spin up a POC environment when I haven’t even met the stakeholders!

‍

If you’re not careful, the way others mishandle your time can cause you to move too quickly and generate results that are subpar. Remember, PreSales is a science and an art. Scientists who don’t perform the proper experiments can create disasters, and artists who create too quickly are prone to make mistakes rather than masterpieces. A successful Solutions Consultant values every second of their day.

‍

Since this is your time, you need to take your time. This is not a race to beat others. You are only competing with yesterday's you. Work to be better today than you were yesterday. Don't try to speed past it. Be faithful. Be determined. Be successful by being you right now.

Apply What You’ve Learned

I'll end with the application. How do you take your time?

• Live today on purpose. Start by documenting what needs to be done and why it needs to be done. Contemplate what is in your immediate control that you can accomplish today. Then, work to achieve what you aspire to.
• Value the unique skills that only a PreSales professional brings to the table. Technical discovery, understanding success criteria, and building a technical strategy are some of the things we do best. Honor this by ensuring you have enough time to win.
• Don't let others abusing your time to cause you to misuse it. As you hold yourself accountable, hold others accountable as well. It's not unprofessional to articulate why a request is unreasonable.

You can apply what you've learned today right now. I look forward to sharing more, but most of all, I'm excited about us growing together!

‍

About Karsten Chearis, Manager, US and LATAM Threat Intelligence Sales Engineering at Rapid7

Karsten Chearis is a CyberSecurity PreSales leader at a top global security provider. He builds process strategies in the technical sales of a curated threat intelligence solution suite. With over three decades of public speaking engagements, he delivers impactful messages that challenge the listeners to be their best selves.

Karsten has experienced the lonely solitude of being the only person of color in the room, and understands the effects of systemic oppression. His goal is to increase diversity, equity, and inclusion of every room he enters while unapologetically being authentic.

Karsten resides in Memphis, TN with his wife and two daughters and a host of pets that he was outvoted to keep.

‍

‍