Senior technical expertise on your sales calls. Win deals your sales team can’t close alone.
Who This Is For
Data product companies and agencies that need technical depth in sales conversations but can’t justify a full-time hire.
Common situations:
- Deals stall when prospects ask technical questions your sales team can’t answer
- Losing to “we’ll build it ourselves” because you can’t counter technically
- Prospects want to talk to someone who’s done the implementation
- Technical evaluations and POCs need senior guidance
- Sales team is strong on relationship, weak on architecture
What I Do
Discovery Calls
Join calls to understand prospect requirements at a technical level.
- What’s their current architecture?
- What are they actually trying to solve?
- Where does your product fit (or not fit)?
Technical Q&A
Answer questions and handle objections from data teams.
- “How does this integrate with our existing stack?”
- “What happens when X fails?”
- “How does this compare to Y?”
Questions your sales rep can’t answer confidently.
Architecture Fit
Demonstrate how your product fits into real-world data architectures.
- Map to their specific data platform context
- Show migration paths
- Address integration concerns
Deal Support
Help structure proof-of-concepts and technical evaluations.
- Define success criteria
- Scope the POC appropriately
- Guide technical evaluation
How It Works
| Model | Details |
|---|---|
| On-demand | Pay per call/deal for occasional needs |
| Retainer | Fixed hours/month for consistent deal flow |
Flexible based on your sales volume and deal complexity.
The Investment
Lost deals are expensive. Stalled pipelines cost more than support.
| What You’re Comparing | Reality |
|---|---|
| Full-time solutions engineer | €100-150K/year + ramp time |
| Deals lost to technical objections | €50-500K+ per lost enterprise deal |
| Fractional pre-sales support | Fraction of full-time, pay for what you use |
One saved deal typically covers months of support. The question isn’t whether you can afford it - it’s how many deals you’re losing without it.
Signs You Need This
- Win rate drops when technical buyers enter the conversation
- Competitors win on “technical credibility” even with inferior products
- Sales team avoids technical discovery because they can’t handle the answers
- POCs drag on because nobody scoped them properly
- You’ve lost deals to “we’ll build it ourselves” without a real fight
What Changes
- Higher win rates - Technical concerns addressed with credibility
- Shorter sales cycles - Questions answered early, not at the end
- Deals you'd have lost - Counter "build vs buy" with real experience
- Better qualified pipeline - Technical discovery reveals fit earlier
Why This Works
Data buyers trust independent practitioners more than vendor sales teams.
A credible technical voice changes the conversation.
Typical Engagement
Per-deal: Join 2-3 calls during technical evaluation phase
Retainer: 8-16 hours/month covering:
- Weekly pipeline review with sales team
- Technical discovery calls
- POC scoping and guidance
- Objection handling preparation
Related Thinking
- The Data Platform ROI Nobody Calculates
- Red Flags: Symptoms of Poor Architecture
- Why Your Lakehouse Became a Swamp
Related Services
- Thought Leadership - Content and webinars for your brand
- Architecture Advisory - Technical guidance beyond sales
Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you represent yourself on calls?
What if the product isn't a good fit for the prospect?
How quickly can you join calls?
Need technical credibility in your sales conversations?
Book a 30-minute call to discuss how pre-sales support could help.