Industry
Data Integration Software[/av_one_half] [av_one_half]
Key Stakeholders
VP Sales, Mike Sheridan
CMO, Ashley Stirrup
VP Product, Ciaran Dynes[/av_one_half]
Situation
In the emerging big data market, Talend leadership recognized the need for this young organization to build out their sales messaging infrastructure to support their aggressive sales goals in a new product area. A sales team used to closing small development licenses now needed to hold more complex, solution-oriented sales conversations.
Objectives
Develop Solution Sales Messaging
- Provide sales team with sales messaging content and tools to guide them delivery of core Talend messages.
Lead Strategic Conversations with CIOs
- Equip sales team to hold consultative, business value orientated sales conversations around big data market trends and how Talend can help.
Communicating a Comprehensive Story
Improve sales team’s confidence and ability to engage an executive level audience and position the complete enterprise value proposition.
Approach
- Content Development Workshops: A collaborative process for packaging the best ideas of Talend’s thought leaders and gaining internal alignment
- Sales Messaging Playbook: Creation of a sales conversation guide including What to Know, What to Do, What to Say, and What to Show
- Whiteboard: Development of a visual storytelling framework
- Global Training: In-person experiential workshops focused on application of the sales messaging and the creation of conversation plans for real accounts
- 90-Day Challenge: Accreditation on whiteboard delivery and two whiteboard conversations completed with target accounts during the 90 days post launch
DSG Insight
Specific contributions by DSG that accelerated sales momentum at Talend:
- A playbook approach to sales messaging: DSG focused on the practicality and usability of playbooks, content, and tools.
- Rich Media production: DSG filmed and animated “how-to” videos of Talend thought leaders that brought the messaging to life within the sales playbooks.
- Whiteboarding expertise: DSG brought insights learned creating hundreds of whiteboard models for other client organization to enable compelling sales conversations.
“The vPlaybook tool and the DSG methodology have helped us organize all that the sales people need to know, say and do. DSG’s emphasis on the customer, their world, their dilemma, and how to develop provocative insights to engage executives is invaluable. In particular, the virtual playbook format makes it easy for us to update content, add new videos, and make everything easily accessible to the field as they prepare for meetings.”
Jean-Michel Franco, Talend Director of Product Marketing
Impact
Results from implementation of the two playbooks have been tangible. Growth for the big data product has been 122%, and revenue is up 500% YoY for the data management product. The results are tied to the sales team having the confidence to lead consultative sales conversations with target executives and the integration of whiteboarding (visual selling) into the company culture.
