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No salesman !
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This weekend, a friend of mine told me about an industrial customer explicitely asking him NOT to talk to a salesrep. "I do not fly to Belgium to talk to a salesman. I am only interested in visiting your site when I can meet with the CTO", were the words of his customer.
My friend is the owner and CTO of a high-tech company producing a new electromechanical component that enables machine manufacturers to double the performance of their machines. He employs no sales reps. So the customer visited his firm and they are about to sign a big contract. The customer afterwards explained that my friend's competitor had refused to bring out the CTO, since that was against company policy. Such a policy could work fine in many consumer businesses. In high-tech business relations however, it is imperative to try and deepen the relationship with the client to the specialised level the client desires. Or there is no business. Period.
Just for the record. For years, the competitor used to be the sole technology leader. Only recently, my friend's company entered the market as a heavy challenger with a new technology that outclasses all the existing standards -- by far. It is about time the competitor changes his policies, isn't it.
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Working for many years in the biotech sector in commercial functions, I can testify this. The smaller the company the more the researchers/engineers (incl CTO or CTO) are part of the selling cycle. This is why there is a need for business development people in the first place, before any S&M people. The business development function is there to make shure any selling process (products, services or collaborations) is following the required steps and secures the value of the transaction. Often the transactions and contracts are complicated due to a high degree of customization. Very often the selling process requires the technological expert together with the business development expert.
Luc,
How specialised/technical should the business developer be, in order to optimally function in such a setting?
Jan
What's easier: for an engineer to learn a marketing trick or two, or for a marketeer to learn techology?
Hans,
honestly, the majority of engineers are not really good at obtaining more EQ, learning to think in terms of client needs rather than technology strenghts, learning to listen and appreciate other people's opinions, learning to put their offering in the right customer perspective, etc.
So I really do not know what is easier.
There are exceptions to this generalisation, of course.
Jan
Jan,
In the biotech world, you generally see business people with a scientific background. Now and then, you'll see people with a non-scientific background, and thanks to their years of experience they have learned the "biotech" language.
Also commercial people are generally with a scientific background. Due to the B2B and embryonal high-tech environment one deals with the specialists in the field, especially before the "chasm".
Luc
I've worked over a decade in 2 high-tech companies, and your story sounds too familiar. It can be frustrating to work in marketing and sales there, because the ultimate sales person for technology is the engineer.