Tips for working with technical influences.
This month, we have been evaluating an account's different buying influences. All organizations have four primary buying influences based on job type: users or workers, technical influences, coaches or champions, and the economic buyer, often called the final decision-maker.
Today, we look at the various technical influences on an account. We define a technical influence as someone who evaluates the product, service, and vendor regarding their area of expertise.
Technical influences play a crucial role in the decision-making process. As with all influences, they experience fear, uncertainty, and doubt. Organizations rely on their expertise to make informed decisions, which can significantly impact their job security. Technical influences include engineers, operations, maintenance, specialists, purchasing, and legal. There are others.
In addition to the questions from our message last week, here are some topics that might be helpful to ask about with your technical influences:
Engineers:
- What data do they need to make an informed decision?
- What specifications or requirements need to be met?
- What performance benchmarks do they need to see?
- Charts and graphs explaining concepts and results are often helpful.
- Logistical and process-oriented questions are great to differentiate yourself.
Operations and Maintenance:
- Details on installation
- Testing procedures
- Performance data
- Parts and service availability and ordering
- Warranty issues
- Service contracts or agreements
Purchasing personnel:
- Cost savings analysis
- Pricing and Legal
- Terms and conditions
- Billing information
- Accounting procedures
- How does their buying process work?
