Recruiting technology executives has never been more challenging. Technology businesses need executives with expertise in emerging technologies. There is a high demand for talented leaders, especially those who can build…
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It’s easy to tell when you’re talking to a sales executive who understands the technical aspects of the product they are selling.
A sales professional with technical expertise can answer your questions, but, more than that, they anticipate the questions you should be asking. They understand the product’s capabilities and how it fits into your life or business. They talk about the potential and the possibilities of their product without hunting through tech manuals and spec sheets.
In the hands of a talented technical sales executive, customers feel they are talking to an expert whose guidance they can trust. Companies that sell technical products and services to other businesses have a challenging set of customers. They are knowledgeable about their field, and they know when they’re talking to a sales executive who can’t communicate on the same level.
A generic sales executive can sell, but they may not have what it takes to impress a customer who has in-depth knowledge of their own business and its technical needs. Customers like this may start to wonder about the expertise of the company as a whole. Can they trust the company and its support department when the sales executives don’t know their product inside out?
The Role of a Technical Sales Executive
The role of a technical sales executive is to sell technical products to other businesses and consumers. To be effective, they need to be able to understand the diverse needs of their customers and to apply product knowledge in ways that solve their customers’ problems.
Typical tasks might include:
- Pre-sale interaction with customers, including supplying detailed product information with a solution-focused sales approach.
- Negotiating sales agreements that may require in-depth technical specifications and conditions.
- Developing sales enablement and marketing materials to support the sales efforts of other members of their team.
- Attending industry events to interact with technical executives and build positive relationships.
- Continually cultivating their expertise to keep abreast of technological advances in their field and an evolving product portfolio.
A leader who can build a team of talented technical sales executives can transform the sales and revenue potential of a business and help it to meet key strategic goals.
Recruiting an Effective Technical Sales Team
We have discussed how valuable technical sales executives are to technology companies, but how does a business build such a team in the first place? For that, they need sales leadership that brings together three essential qualities: outstanding sales ability, exceptional technical expertise, and the leadership talent to build and manage a successful team.
Sales leadership is one of the most challenging roles in modern business, requiring both the ability to develop technical talent and to implement sales processes that empower the company to hit sales targets. Leaders who combine sales leadership expertise and technical skill a rare, but TD Madison’s executive recruitment professionals have helped mid-sized businesses across the U.S. to find and recruit transformative technical sales leadership.
