Customer Discovery Guide for Sales Engineers

The Crucial Role of Customer Discovery in Product Demos

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When evaluating various software vendors, customers usually look forward to reaching the demo stage where they can see the product in action and assess its potential value for their business. However, many customers who are new to enterprise software engagement or those who want to expedite the buying process may not realize that a successful demo is only possible with a comprehensive technical discovery conducted by both the Account Executive (AE) and the Sales Engineer (SE). This technical discovery is crucial to identify the customer's specific requirements and pain points and to ensure that the demo focuses on the features and functionalities that are most relevant to them.

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Mistakes made by beginner Sales Engineers in Technical Discovery

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At the beginning of my Sales Engineering career, I made a mistake by taking a narrow approach to technical discovery. I only focused on checking off or disqualifying the boxes of features that my AE had instructed me to investigate. This resulted in very limited questions that I could ask, sometimes leaving me feeling lost in the call and running out of questions to ask. Moreover, it led to feature-rich demos that failed to tell a compelling story or relate to the reasons why the customer had engaged with us in the first place. The demo felt more like a teacher running through a training video instead of discussing the business value that the solution could bring to the customer's world.

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How can I effectively conduct customer discovery to ensure successful product demos?

When I changed my approach to technical discovery, my software demos became more successful. Here are some key considerations for a discovery call:

Start with Why

When it comes to technical discovery, it is similar to being on the board of a company. The goal of this conversation is to understand the reason or "the why" that led us here and also gather more information about what has or hasn't been done already and why. You should approach these conversations as if you have a real seat at the table and will also experience the outcomes that your solutions could offer. Therefore, it's essential to not just think from your perspective as a seller but also put yourself in the buyer's shoes to better comprehend their pain and determine whether your solution is a good match.

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The Power of Open-Ended Questions in Technical Discovery

When communicating with customers, it is essential to ask open-ended questions. These questions can help you understand the customer's thought process and how they evaluate potential solutions. Asking questions like, "What would you need to see to know that you have the right solution?" can help you identify what you need to include in your demo and uncover other important details. As a technical advisor, you should also feel comfortable challenging the customer's current process and asking why they have or haven't considered other solutions. This approach will help you build trust with the customer and establish yourself as a trusted advisor rather than a salesperson.

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Leveraging Screen Sharing to Understand Current Workflows

It is highly recommended to request the customer to share their screen during the discovery phase. Merely discussing the problem without seeing it in real-time can lead to making incorrect assumptions, resulting in an inappropriate demo and loss of trust with the customer. Building trust with the customer is crucial, and hence, it is vital to avoid this common mistake.

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Tailored Discovery to understand Audience Dynamics for Effective Demos

It's important to consider your audience when discovering and demonstrating your solution. ICs (individual contributors) and executives often have different priorities and desired outcomes. Therefore, depending on who you are presenting to, you may receive a partial picture of what your solution needs to solve. Therefore, asking how people outside the discovery call can benefit from solving the discussed issue is crucial.

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A great Sales Engineer is like a great Doctor 

My manager used to tell me something that helped me understand the importance and value of good discovery. He said to imagine how we would want our doctor to listen and engage with us if we had gone to the hospital with a health issue. Would we be okay with our doctor rushing through their questions and prescribing some random medication or procedure without taking the time to understand what is wrong with us? Probably not. It's important to consider this analogy because sometimes customers may question why customer discovery is needed. In such scenarios, we need to explain why it's valuable to them as a buyer.

Sample Customer Discovery Questions:

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1. What outcomes are you looking to achieve?
2. Can you tell me about your current workflow/process for [specific task]?
3. How will you know that you have achieved your desired outcome? What do you need to see?
4. Which requirements are most important and to who?
5. Who are the key stakeholders involved in the decision-making process?
6. What are some of the other solutions that you have tried or are considering?
7. How would you rank those options so far?
8. What is the cost of doing nothing or sticking with the status quo?
9. Who specifically holds the budget or decision making power over this project?
10. Is there anything that we haven’t asked that we should consider while we prep for the demo?

Speak with Pepsales to see how we incorporate Customer Discovery templates to help you identify your customer pain points and create personalized product demos.