One on the most important gains at VMware Partner Exchange is learning how to approach a client to help them achieve their goals and solve their problems. We all know that we should lead with a solution and not a product, but to design the right solution we need a good understanding of their environment and a clear view of the need. With an assessment of the customer’s environment, we will have a better view of their system and may even find things that they are not aware of.

Leading the sales with an assessment means using tools, health checks, observations, and interviews to enable the sale of a solution.

Let me summarize why we should lead with an assessment.

1. Shortens the sales cycle by removing the objections to the solution that the client may think will not apply to their environment.
2. Increase your value as a trusted advisor by providing insight into the customer’s system that sometimes not even themselves know about.
3. Demonstrate the value of the solution with actual data and not just hypothetical cases.
4. Quantifies the benefits of the solution and amplifies the potential deal size.

Two examples of assessments that I use are:

• VMware Health Check
• vRealize Network Insight from VMware
• SysTrack Desktop Assessment

It is important that the process is one in which all stakeholders are part of the assessment. The technical operations personnel will provide the devices and will facilitate the installation, and all executive level people will provide the budget.