Cracking the Cloud Code: How to Build an Effective Pre-Sales Process in B2B Tech

The cloud computing industry poses one of the biggest challenges for lead generation. It demands both a deep understanding of technical nuances and a commitment to personalized strategies. Discover how our team cracked the code, enabling us to consistently attract and convert leads into satisfied customers.

It is no secret that quite a few cloud market players charge potential clients for preliminary consultations and product demonstrations. Moreover, if the company’s solution turns out to be unfit for potential client’s needs, interactions usually end here. For the solutions provider, it means that the lead never becomes an actual client, resulting in time and resources waste. Additionally, it can lead to serious reputational risks — for example, if a disappointed lead shares their experience with colleagues or the public.

No such thing as a free lunch? Sardina Systems proves the stereotype wrong with its pre-sales.

Dedicating substantial attention to each request and trying to competently meet potential clients’ needs is a strict principle behind Sardina Systems’ pre-sales. Sometimes customers may not be cloud savvy or have reservations againts using cloud infrastructure. From the very early stage, our team’s involvement extends beyond product and sales managers. Technical specialists may also join the process to consult on the usage of cloud solutions and explain the advantages of embracing them for the client’s company.

Potential customer’s industry or system details do not really matter. We suggest cost-efficient solutions tailored to enterprises’ business goals. So, how do we build our communication with a potential client?

• Actions speak louder than words. That is why we don’t charge for our words, but take full responsibility for our actions. At Sardina Systems, we make sure that our potential customers gain a complete understanding of how FishOS fits their company’s current system and workload. In order for our cooperation to be as productive as possible, we introduce consulting sessions on the incoming requests.
• Based on the initial contact and request, we compose a personalized set of relevant materials to explore our solution, such as FishOS presentations or brochures dedicated about its components.
• We are eager to share our expertise when handling the questions on how FishOS works and what benefits a potential customer will experience by using the product.
• To ensure that FishOS is able to fully meet the customer’s needs, our technical and product teams are ready to organize a product demo for its in-depth understanding. The best part — it doesn’t cost you a cent! Any issues that may arise during the demo will be followed by Sardina Systems prompt and relevant feedback. We make sure, however, to discuss the sensitive proprietary information with the potential customer before the demo. It is important, as FishOS includes our own innovative components in addition to OpenStack-native ones.
• Some customer may ask for a specific product component demo to ensure that FishOS matches their existing system and hardware. In such cases, our team does its best to address these issues to leave all doubts behind.
• For clients that lack real-life OpenStack experience or require mastering special technical tools, we create a list of partner suggestions that can help the company fill in these knowledge gaps.
• Sardina Systems is absolutely confident in its product. If there is still something that needs to be clarified, a proof-of-concept procedure may take the stage. It allows a potential client to verify that FishOS provides real value and proves Sardina Systems to be a reliable and innovative partner in the cloud infrastructure industry. The proof-of-concept will let the customer easily move on to using FishOS on a license basis without any hidden costs.

Thus, we study potential clients deeply and suggest our consistent advice and support from the very first day. For free!

Adding value to partners’ client network

In the real world, it is natural that not every potential contact can be converted into a client. In such cases, when that is the case, and our product does not fully address all customer’s needs, we don’t give you up. Instead, we look for ways and help you find other, more suitable, opportunities. This approach not only helps our potential clients discover the best solution for their requirements, but also plays a vital role in fostering the growth and development of the cloud infrastructure community.

“Unfortunately, our product doesn’t suit your company’s needs at the moment”. This is what companies receive as a standard answer. With Sardina Systems, it is “Let us see what we can do for you”. The next steps usually include connecting with our network of contacts, checking partners’ interest, and finally passing a ready-to-buy client that we are unable to process ourselves due to FishOS technical features.

Potential customers that find it challenging to run FishOS on their own due to their system specifications address Sardina Systems from time to time. In response, we are transforming such requests into a valuable networking opportunity and direct them to our partners who can be of assistance.

A similar case happened with a company that required the migration of its existing IT infrastructure from on-premise servers to a new cloud environment.

Going beyond the boundaries of traditional IT infrastructure is never easy, especially for a company that has never worked with cloud before. As an example, a potential client’s goal was not only to seamlessly migrate from servers, but also to receive local support 24/7, as well as to have competitive product price compared to major cloud solution providers.

Following the initial communication, product demonstration, and discussions about the terms of cooperation, it turned out that the company would also have needed domestically hosted services. To provide a better and more cost-effective solution, we successfully found a way out of this situation. We leveraged our established relationship with a major IT service provider that adopted FishOS two years ago, and introduced a solution focused on managed cloud services. That presented an excellent partnership for the company.

Sardina Systems organized the necessary meetings for all the parties. A leader in building and operating strategic IT infrastructures across various business and government structures, our partner was able to propose highly comprehensive terms of cooperation compared to several other widely known cloud solution providers. Sardina Systems was delighted to help its crucial partner in securing a new request, as well as offer the company an alternative that met its specific business and technical requirements.

The power of community

One of the most important community values is a mutually beneficial cooperation.

Sardina Systems managed to establish a transparent and honest relationship with a potential customer that wasn’t meant to become a real one. In addition, Sardina Systems contributed to the cloud services industry development when investing its experience and time to organize mutually beneficial partnership between market participants.

The importance of community can’t be underestimated, nor should be the need to leave a positive impression after the initial communication with potential clients.