Inductive Automation Blog

14. Identifying Required Modules

Lauren and Shay are talking with Training Content Manager Paul Scott about how to identify the correct modules for specific customer needs and leveraging those modules for successful projects. Paul covers the correct time during a sales process to bring up these modules to educate a customer, not overwhelm them. Paul covers the level of knowledge you should have on the modules, what to understand about the customer’s project, and ultimately determining the best module by breaking up the solutions into categories: device connectivity, data logging, visualization, reporting, alarming, and enterprise solutions. Paul gives some examples of what modules might be the best solutions under certain circumstances.

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.

12. Differentiating Factors

Lauren and Shay welcome back Senior Account Executive Vannessa Garcia about what separates Ignition and Inductive Automation from the competition. Vannessa shares her experience working with a competitor and selling Ignition today. She discusses the importance of educating customers who already have software systems in place, and understanding their needs. Vannessa talks about the pain points that come up over and over during conversations and ways to resolve those with the workability, time, and money solutions that Ignition provides. She also goes through IA’s software comparison chart.

11. Sales Tips

Lauren and Shay are having a chat with Senior Sales Executive Jim Meisler about smart strategies for selling Ignition like a pro. Jim discusses asking the right questions, the value of honesty, and key things to keep in mind as you answer questions for managers, operators, IT, and more. Jim also shares good times for integrators to share Ignition as a solution and the importance of having the right mindset. We learn about educating customers on the unlimited nature and modularity of Ignition, getting buy-in from customers and ultimately getting Ignition into their hands.

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.

9. Live Installation Part 2: The Demo

Lauren and Shay welcome back Sales Engineering Manager Kent Melville to show us the power of launching the Ignition Designer, creating a new project, and showcasing the functionality of a unified design environment live to a customer during a sales presentation. Kent highlights templates, configuring a Perspective screen, the ease and speed of adding and editing tags, adding components, modifying screens, charting, alarming, the mobile-responsiveness, and provides tips for giving a flawless presentation.

8. Live Installation Part 1

Lauren and Shay welcome Sales Engineering Manager Kent Melville to show us the power of installing Ignition live to a customer during a sales presentation. Kent shares why doing a live install is so valuable, who we do them for, when it’s appropriate, and how long it should typically take. Kent demos database and device connections in the Ignition Gateway while providing best practices for overcoming problems during the install, important points to bring up during the demo, and launching the Ignition Designer.

7. The Presentation: Ignition Online Demo

Lauren and Shay are talking to Sales Engineer Matthew Raybourn for Part 2 of giving a sales presentation. This conversation focuses on utilizing the online demo projects to showcase Ignition’s features and functionality live to customers. Matthew walks us through how to quickly demo highlights in Ignition including real-time status, map components, trending, alarming, reporting, tag historians, connecting to web services, design tools, and more. We see industry-specific demo projects, learn how to explain the difference between Vision and Perspective, and see the biggest wow factors including ad hoc trending and mobile responsiveness. Matthew also demonstrates the ease of downloading projects from Ignition Exchange.

6. The Presentation: Sales Overview

Lauren and Shay sit down with Senior Account Executive Vannessa Garcia to guide us through the sales presentation. This is Part 1 of 2 where we learn about introducing the company, the Ignition platform, highlighting case studies, explaining the module stack, and sharing Inductive Automation resources such as IU. Vannessa guides us through her presentation of Inductive Automation and Ignition by utilizing the company website. She tells us what information to gather about the customer upfront, brings up key points to mention, ways to showcase Ignition’s value and credibility, and common questions customers ask. She also shares a breakdown of the pricing, the support forum, and important information that some customers tend to overlook.

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.