Inductive Automation Blog

17. Selling MES

Lauren and Shay meet with the MES Product Manager from Sepasoft, Keith Adair, to discuss using MES to improve customers’ operations, increase production efficiency, and the best way to communicate all of the advantages of using MES to customers. Keith shares details on the modules that Sepasoft provides and how they work with Ignition. Keith also talks about using the modules enterprise-wide and Sepasoft’s Business Connector Suite. Learn about a flexible, all-in-one solution by combining Ignition and Sepasoft Modules, and best practices for presenting those MES solutions.

16. Selling MQTT

Lauren and Shay sit down with the Co-Inventor of MQTT, and CTO of Cirrus Link Solutions, Arlen Nipper to discuss selling MQTT. Arlen talks about how the addition of MQTT modules creates a more efficient SCADA system and how that solves current system issues and creates an infrastructure ready for digital transformation. Arlen discusses the partnership between Inductive Automation and Cirrus Link Solutions, the MQTT modules, the key selling points, the Sparkplug specification, and the guiding principles of utilizing Ignition and MQTT. And we get to see Arlen do a demo!

15. Discussing Architectures

Lauren and Shay invite Co-Director of Sales Engineering Travis Cox to walk us through architecting an Ignition system, and to show how Ignition can be used anywhere from a local HMI client to a full enterprise solution and everything in between. Travis shares best practices for getting started, building a foundation, asking the right questions, and building out an architecture. Travis begins with the structure of a basic Ignition architecture and explains the process of when and how to build out from there. We cover adding new functionality, adding redundancy, store and forward, Ignition Edge, MQTT, scale-out, adding a load balancer, streaming data to the cloud, and having visibility across an enterprise.

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.