Sales & Presales Alignment

better alignment for more revenue

Winning at bowling is all about the strikes. So what happens if the pins aren't aligned correctly? Even if you throw the ball right, you're not going to knock them over.

The same thing happens if your sales team isn't correctly aligned with presales. The gaps in the process might seem inconsequential as you're working through discoveries and demos, yet if you don't have your processes and roles correctly defined, those deals are going to be much harder to close - and your win rate is going to suffer.

We're sitting down with Gabriella DeFlorio (Prelay), Janelle Todd (Logz.io), and our own Pete Kazanjy (MSP) to discuss what it means for sales and presales to be aligned, why it's so difficult, and how to get it right - so sales can bowl those strikes!

Discussion Topics

  • First principles of sales & presales alignment

  • Why is this so difficult to get right?

  • How can I think about building alignment and engagement from the ground up?

  • Tactical advice for sales leaders to implement and improve alignment today

Key Takeaways

  • Rules of engagement: be crystal clear and intentional about roles and responsibilities in all aspects of the sales process, and who is responsible for what in each part.

  • Invest in enablement so each roles has sufficient product knowledge to participate in each step of the sales process.

  • Be customer-centric: whether you’re an AE or SE, make sure that the customer’s journey is most important.

  • Align through training: teach the technique of discovery each role will do (AE vs SE) at the same time.

  • Invest in the technical skill level of your AEs: the more you expand what they can cover, the better your team alignment will be!