04 Mar The benefits of partnership in technical sales

Over the last couple of months, we have been sharing the information we picked up from talking to our Founder Ben Cosstick and EMEA and LATAM Sales Director David Godwin. Talking about the extensive technical and engineering sales experience they both have there was an obvious question to be asked:

What are the qualities a business should be looking for in a technical or engineering sales partner?

Ben summed up his background as having 25 years in a technical or engineering sales role with a specialism in rugged defence and aerospace products. Those have become known as mission critical applications. And that has led into infrastructure, banking, and finance, broadcast applications, and telecoms.

Ben told us, “Terra came about because I’d been asked by a colleague of mine if I could help them out in setting up their distribution channel. We found that a lot of the smaller or medium sized companies were not able to have that depth of reach in the region and they really couldn’t get their message across very well. So, Terra was formulated through helping SMEs smaller manufacturers of specialist electronics within those niche market segments. We want to help them get a presence in the international market and take their products to regions where maybe they wouldn’t have had exposure and really given them local experience from a manufacturer’s perspective. We wanted to be sat by their side, being a cheerleader for their business in the global marketplace, as opposed to going out into a distributor, or a reseller, where maybe their product is one of 50 other product lines”.

David’s experience followed a similar path. “I have a technical background, and that one way and another lead into a sales role. So, that was software, and that gave me experience in international sales. I worked with a US company as a channel manager into Europe and that was embedded software solutions. I was doing channel and partner management and solution selling and working with partners to take solutions to market. I met Ben through that role and then finally moved to Terra.”

So, from Ben and David’s experience we can build a picture of the ideal sales partner for smaller businesses in the Hi-tech, and engineering space.

Deep understanding of the industry and products: Your partner will need a strong grasp of the technical aspects of your offerings, their applications, and potential benefits for customers.

Familiarity with the global competitor landscape: Awareness of competitors’ products, strengths, and weaknesses allows for effective differentiation and value proposition development.

Ability to explain complex concepts clearly: Technical expertise is valuable, but the ability to translate it into understandable language for non-technical audiences is crucial for successful sales.

There are of course softer skills that come into play when representing your business and products at shows or clients around the world.

Strong communication and presentation skills: Clearly articulating the value proposition, present proposals persuasively, and confidently address technical questions.

Active listening and questioning: Understanding customer needs, pain points, and goals is essential to tailoring solutions and building trust.

Relationship building and consultative selling: Ability to build rapport, establish trust, and act as a trusted advisor, collaborating with customers to identify and solve their problems.

Negotiation and closing skills: Confidently negotiate deals, address concerns, and secure commitments while maintaining positive relationships.

Working with experienced partners familiar with the sectors that you operate in can provide valuable insights and support when you are looking at new markets. Terra Sales Solutions flexible and dynamic approach allows you to deliver a global sales team with extensive experience to where you need it most. Terra represents you in your target markets as an extension of your team, integrating into your business and supporting your brand at trade shows, events and to your key clients. We are constantly looking at innovative ways to put your products in front of organisations who need them. To learn more about Terra Sales Solutions and how we can work with you to achieve your international expansion goals in any part of the planet, book a conversation, and follow us on LinkedIn for the latest news from Terra Sales Solutions.