Inductive Automation Blog

19. Selling A Solution

Lauren and Shay invite back Director of Marketing Doug Dudley to explore how to sell a solution rather than a product. Doug shares ways to make a customer feel confident in choosing you as a solution. We discuss methods for building awareness by distinguishing yourself, and staying focused on the needs of your customers. Doug also discusses focusing on the most relevant and impactful benefits to appeal to specific audiences, and why we should think about messaging emotionally rather than logically.

18. Understanding Your Customers

Lauren and Shay are talking to Director of Marketing Doug Dudley about understanding the wants and needs of your customers in order to build a meaningful relationship. Doug will discuss ways of connecting with your audience, identifying your target audience, staying relevant, and understanding the customer journey. We learn ways to connect with an audience, building trust and credibility. Doug also provides tips for researching demographics and eliminating guesswork, and explains why you shouldn't try to appeal to everyone.

13. The High Road

Lauren and Shay are sitting down with Co-Director of Sales Engineering Kevin McClusky about how and why we take the high road when selling Ignition. Kevin explains why a big piece of our values is not comparing ourselves to the competition and not speaking poorly of competitors. Kevin shares how you take the high road when a customer is insisting on a comparison. We learn how to remain truthful and positive, stay in an educational mindset, direct the conversation, and focus on the solutions that Ignition provides.

10. Handling Objections

Lauren and Shay have invited Director of Sales Melanie Hottman to discuss handling objections from customers when selling Ignition. Melanie says to view objections as an opportunity to connect with the customer, understand their frustrations, and ultimately find a solution for them. Melanie covers the common concerns that come up during a sales call including budget issues and timelines. Melanie shares ways to resolve technical concerns, get the customer motivated, and build trust. Hear her recommendations for customers requesting a proof of concept or real-world validation. Learn to do your homework on a customer, use your best judgement, and make them remember you.

5. The Discovery Call

Lauren and Shay have invited Senior Account Executive Myron Hoertling to cover that first sales interaction when you are introducing Ignition to a new customer. Myron shares why you should never stick to a sales script, what you need to learn from potential customers initially, effective engagement methods, and strategies to discover their needs. Myron provides many tips he’s learned over the years including how to answer questions effectively, educating people on the software, catering to a wide variety of client personalities, not having preconceived notions about who you’re talking to, and turning conversations into valuable relationships over time.

2. Our History and Our Future

Lauren and Shay are sitting down with the founder and CEO of Inductive Automation, Steve Hechtman. Steve is here to discuss Inductive’s foundational values and how the company has been shaped by solving pain points. Steve shares how his experience as an integrator informed his decisions about what the market needed, how integrators should be treated, what Ignition should be, and why we need to stick to our roots. We get a deeper dive into our company’s unique licensing, ethical, technology, and business models. Steve also shares his favorite module and tells us if Inductive Automation turned out to be everything he wanted it to be.