Sales Aerobics for Engineers® Consulting, Training and Coaching using the Sales-Engineering Interface™ toolkit

Ask yourself these three questions:

• Do you have a Business Plan?
• How does your engineering staff interact with your business development staff in implementing your Business Plan?
• Are your engineering / technical staff the same folks as your business development staff?

Most manufacturing and service companies have a poorly-defined Business Plan and revenue generation model. Typically, the Business Plan relies on a business development model involving manufacturers reps, who are often being courted by other clients, and therefore may have divided loyalties. Often, the business development area is separated from the technical implementation function. If your company is asking your internal engineering staff to engage in the sales process as well, these technical experts often feel completely outside of their comfort level.

In other words, if your doors remain open and jobs keep coming in and revenue is being generated, you feel you are successful. Do you understand the dynamics of your “success”?

Sales Aerobics for Engineers consulting, training and coaching provides Owners, engineers, IT and technical staff with the Sales-Engineering Interface toolkit and techniques to build productive, branded, revenue-generating business relationships from their interactions and meetings with current and prospective customers as these factors relate to your Business Plan. Your staff and your organization benefit from offering innovative solutions, rather than being perceived as order-takers.

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What does the sales process mean to you and your technical staff?

Asking your internal engineering staff to engage in the sales process without training is risky business. In today’s economy, there are too many choices for sales training and little direction for which sales process delivers the greatest return on investment. So a “no sales training” choice is made, which isn’t a choice at all. There aren’t enough hours in the day for an engineer to do their project-related work and engage in business development, as well. So there’s a stalemate.

Most engineers have little understanding of the sales process and sales cycle. As a result, they identify peer conversations as  business development. This misconception can result in lack of productivity as an engineer, IT professional or technical staff person tries to do two seemingly unrelated activities. This gap in understanding can turn your company into an RFQ mill rather than building your sales funnel.

Sales Aerobics for Engineers consulting, training and coaching allows Owners, engineers, IT professionals and technical staff to be “who they are”: Curious, Assumptive and Innovative professionals with One Significant Advantage: they have the ability to “simultaneously translate” engineering and technical jargon into sales and marketing terms and deliverables. This skillset enhances internal and external customer relationships… and your bottom line.

My book, Do YOU Mean Business? Technical / Non-Technical Collaboration, Business Development and YOU is coming out in Q1 2012. To learn more about it, click on the book title link, above.