Pre- and post-sales alignment is critical to the success of growing MSPs and VARs. Pre-sales leaders at larger solution providers often find it hard to keep these two teams in sync. Your pre-sales team is focused on getting quotes out the door and winning business, while your post-sales team is focused on execution.
But if pre-sales and post-sales aren’t aligned, problems can arise during delivery. Your post-sales team’s responsibility is to deliver what the presales team scopes. If they’re not on the same page, things can get messy.
Tips for Pre- and Post-Sales Alignment
Here are some tips to help you keep pre-sales and post-sales on the same page.
Use Simple Language
A common language is essential for pre- and post-sales alignment. Precise wording is key.
One of the best ways to achieve alignment is to ensure that the tasks your pre-sales team includes in their statements of work match what your post-sales team is going to deliver.
For instance, ScopeStack’s standard task library allows you to define descriptions of tasks in a standard way so your pre-sales team can pull in pre-approved language and tasks.
In addition to aligning pre- and post-sales, a standard task library will reduce turnaround time, so your pre-sales engineers can spend more time in front of customers.
Close the Loop
“Closing the loop” means validating any differences between the level of effort scoped and the level of effort actually billed during a project.
To close the loop, you need to have consistent service tasks with approved language that can be measured. With ScopeStack, since you took the time to define what those services were on the front end in your standard services library, the delivery team will know exactly what to do during project execution.
Pay Attention to the Details
Make sure every step the post-sales team will execute is included in the SOW. If it’s not in the SOW, you won’t get paid for it. No one’s going to be happy about that. (Well, no one except the client, that is.)
One way to do this is to add project management costs to your SOWs by default. As a non-technical component of the project, PM costs are one of the most overlooked and costliest parts of an IT services project.
Use Repeatable Tasks
Wherever possible, use repeatable tasks and only customize when necessary. That way, there’s less room for error, and everyone is speaking the same language.
Review and Approve of Statement of Work
Ensure your delivery engineers don’t have to deal with that awkward moment when the client says the SOW the engineer shows up with doesn’t match what they were sold.
Part of your process should include getting approval from all necessary parties before the customer sees the SOW.
Use Software When Appropriate
Sometimes adding additional tools to your tech stack makes things more confusing. But there are also times when the right tool can solve a lot of problems.
For instance, ScopeStack increases efficiency and profitability while decreasing the risk of errors during the presales process.
Pass All the Details from Pre-Sales to Delivery
It’s crucial that delivery gets every detail from presales so that there aren’t any questions when they show up at the client. Ensure that you have a system in place to get all information from pre-sales into the hands of your delivery team.
Achieve End-to-End Sales Alignment
Don’t let your engineers struggle because pre- and post-sales aren’t on the same page. Ensure end-to-end sales team alignment by implementing the tips above so that you’re operating at peak efficiency.