Sales Skills for QA Experts

Iancho Dimitrov linkedin.com/in/iancho TestCon Europe 2019, Vilnius October 17th, 2019

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Any experience in sales? TestCon Europe 2019, Vilnius – Sales Skillz for QA Experts 12

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• convince • make a motivated proposal • negotiate effectively How do you define success? TestCon Europe 2019, Vilnius – Sales Skillz for QA Experts 16

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QA Expert’s Work QA Expert’s Career (IT) Sales introduce automated testing new job @ a new company start-up start using a new tool promotion to a new role your own company implement a process change switch to a PM/AM role pre-sales engagements justify team size increase speak at conferences :) convince developers to… TestCon Europe 2019, Vilnius – Sales Skillz for QA Experts 18

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• Look for win-win cases and fits • Focus on client’s end results - and not on you or your product/service • Be 100% committed to delivering client’s success • Don’t go for the deal at all costs, ever TestCon Europe 2019, Vilnius – Sales Skillz for QA Experts 22

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• know in detail and believe in what you sell • be an expert in successfully delivering value through your product/service (hardly anyone buys your product/service for the sake of having it) TestCon Europe 2019, Vilnius – Sales Skillz for QA Experts 24

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• everybody has their own unique agenda and perspective • understand their business priorities (not buying priorities) • try to eliminate assumptions • look for common context TestCon Europe 2019, Vilnius – Sales Skillz for QA Experts 26

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• Well done is better than well said • Achievements vs. just experience • Referenceable examples • Data and facts vs. claims/opinions TestCon Europe 2019, Vilnius – Sales Skillz for QA Experts 30

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• don’t lie and be 100% precise in what you claim – be able to get into details • do discuss risks and potential problems • don’t always agree with the client • always do the right thing, even when “no one is watching you” TestCon Europe 2019, Vilnius – Sales Skillz for QA Experts 32

• know who will be listening/reading – their priorities, what they do and don’t understand, etc. • manage expectations during the process - be there for them • make it easy for them in their next steps internally – with the right information in the right format TestCon Europe 2019, Vilnius – Sales Skillz for QA Experts 33

• Comprehensible and audience tailored • Structure and format • Executive summaries / diagrams / etc. • Present effectively • Anticipate questions – and be prepared with answers TestCon Europe 2019, Vilnius – Sales Skillz for QA Experts 34

Get a thrill from what you do / your company does 2. Pricing and what you get – aim reasonably high – Analyze what value your client gets from you – Be ready to negotiate and adapt – Research and have an eye on the competition TestCon Europe 2019, Vilnius – Sales Skillz for QA Experts 35

#1 Don’t Sell (consult and “be the pig”) #2 Be a Sales expert #3 Context and perspective – mind the gap #4 Third-party validation, examples, facts, data #5 Fairness, integrity #6 Stakeholders, decision-making process #7 Deliver effective content TestCon Europe 2019, Vilnius – Sales Skillz for QA Experts 36

Yes —-> pleasе raise your hand No —-> stand still ☺ TestCon Europe 2019, Vilnius – Sales Skillz for QA Experts 37

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QA Expert’s Work QA Expert’s Career (IT) Sales introduce automated testing new job @ a new company start-up start using a new tool promotion to a new role your own company implement a process change switch to a PM/AM role pre-sales engagements justify team size increase speak at conferences :) convince developers to… TestCon Europe 2019, Vilnius – Sales Skillz for QA Experts 39

Introducing Automated Testing Getting a New Job @ a New Company • win-win: solve the team’s “pain” while achieving project goals • win-win: discuss and understand the company and team goals • consult from the very beginning • evaluate and discuss IF and how you could be a good fit • understand concerns - and calibrate your plan and proposal accordingly • show you understand the risk the company takes - and be ready to • invest in initial research & analysis take your part in it (e.g. trial period • take your part of the initial risk at much smaller salary) • start small – phased approach TestCon Europe 2019, Vilnius – Sales Skillz for QA Experts 40

Introducing Automated Testing Getting a New Job @ a New Company • know the “what” • do your analysis – on: • know the “how” o the specific role • know the “who” o the big picture • have a plan (phased) and articulate clearly how with your skills you THINK could add value • know well any tooling that will be used TestCon Europe 2019, Vilnius – Sales Skillz for QA Experts • strive to be proficient in the technical and process areas of interest to them 41

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Introducing Automated Testing Getting a New Job @ a New Company • talk their language • verify all assumptions you might have for you being a good fit • how much it will cost – to setup and to operate • ask questions during the interviews - esp. in the beginning – so you • what would be the tangible benefits understand the context better and o man-days work saved per Sprint tailor your answers to it o shortened time to market • other factors – high-prio releases ahead, tight deadlines, etc. TestCon Europe 2019, Vilnius – Sales Skillz for QA Experts 49

Introducing Automated Testing Getting a New Job @ a New Company • reference – a team in your company • references is doing it, or you did it in the past? • public code / articles / portfolios • external research data (not tool • conferences vendor’s materials) – for similar • when asked about a skill: context? o share experience with examples • quantify both benefits and costs • commit to and track metrics/KPIs TestCon Europe 2019, Vilnius – Sales Skillz for QA Experts o talk about achievements 50

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Introducing Automated Testing Getting a New Job @ a New Company • analyze and discuss risks – and have • don’t exaggerate neither skills, nor a plan for managing them experience • don’t exaggerate expected benefits • “not really, but…” • don’t understate needed efforts and costs • be 100% professional: • provide full transparency – through regular progress updates TestCon Europe 2019, Vilnius – Sales Skillz for QA Experts o re: past employers o re: confidential data 54

Effort Distribution (%) Sprint TA Scope DONE 120 100 80 60 40 20 0 Sprint 1 New Tests Impl. TestCon Europe 2019, Vilnius – Sales Skillz for QA Experts Sprint 2 Results Analysis Sprint 3 Maintenance Sprint 4 Framework Enhancements 55

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Introducing Automated Testing • find out about: Getting a New Job @ a New Company • find out about: o Decision Makers and Influencers o Hiring Manager(s) o what is the process (approvals, int. discussions…) o HR Responsible and focus on addressing each of them • “win” them one by one in advance – ask for opinions (“don’t sell”) TestCon Europe 2019, Vilnius – Sales Skillz for QA Experts o the hiring process steps • research the people in advance • be punctual and available “early” for each step in the process 57

Introducing Automated Testing • in your proposal/presentation: Getting a New Job @ a New Company • CV o short & long versions • LinkedIn profile o well structured • Motivation letters o easy to comprehend -> make them convenient to use and well structured o use diagrams o clearly state what you want to achieve TestCon Europe 2019, Vilnius – Sales Skillz for QA Experts 58

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Get guidance for learning, get challenged, get coaching TestCon Europe 2019, Vilnius – Sales Skillz for QA Experts 61

Shadow your Mentor TestCon Europe 2019, Vilnius – Sales Skillz for QA Experts 62

…and vice versa : ) TestCon Europe 2019, Vilnius – Sales Skillz for QA Experts 63

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…appetite comes with eating! TestCon Europe 2019, Vilnius – Sales Skillz for QA Experts 70

Iancho Dimitrov iancho.d@gmail.com LinkedIn.com/in/iancho TestCon Europe 2019, Vilnius – Sales Skillz for QA Experts 71