Play terminology by ear when selling to the mid-market

Those who sell BI software to mid-size companies get to be good at nailing down what shoppers want. These shoppers are smart, they’re hard working, but when they shop for technology, the shopping list may be just a problem, a wish, or a fantasy—known only by a description.
I just spent Monday and Tuesday helping a […]

Those who sell BI software to mid-size companies get to be good at nailing down what shoppers want. These shoppers are smart, they’re hard working, but when they shop for technology, the shopping list may be just a problem, a wish, or a fantasy—known only by a description.

I just spent Monday and Tuesday helping a client—for whom I normally only write marketing—sell his BI software at Sage Summit in Denver. I also wandered around to other booths.

Don Farber, VP of sales and marketing at KnowledgeSync, which among its products is automatic alerts, describes a common conversation: “I tell him he may need alerts, and the guy says, ‘No, I don’t need alerts. I need this, this, and this,’ and he describes alerts.’”

When you’re fooling with terminology, you just have to play it by ear.

I’m combing through notes and business cards for a BI This Week story. Farber’s two stories—the other one’s coming soon– are the best I’ve heard.

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