Key Stakeholders
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VP Sales, Mike Sheridan
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CMO, Ashley Stirrup
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VP Product, Ciaran Dynes
Industry
Data Integration Software
new product launch
success
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
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Develop Solution Sales Messaging: Provide sales team with sales messaging content and tools to guide them in delivery of core Talend messages.
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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.
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Communicating a Comprehensive Story: Improve sales team’s confidence and ability to engage an executive level audience and position the complete enterprise value proposition.
“The DSG whiteboarding methodology has changed the way we go to market. We have ingrained it in all our salespeople. Whiteboarding has not only changed how we have executive conversations with prospects and clients, but also how we talk and think internally. Now when my reps come to me about opportunities, we whiteboard the project to visualize the deals.”
Omar Agha, Talend Regional Sales Manager, UK
approach
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Content Development Workshops: A collaborative process for packaging the best ideas of Talend’s thought leaders and gaining internal alignment
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Sales Messaging Playbook: Creation of a sales conversation guide including What to Know, What to Do, What to Say, and What to Show
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Whiteboard: Development of a visual storytelling framework
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Global Training: In-person experiential workshops focused on application of the sales messaging and the creation of conversation plans for real accounts
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90-Day Challenge: Accreditation on whiteboard delivery and two whiteboard conversations completed with target accounts during the 90 days post launch
“DSG has worked closely with us for the last two years to develop messaging playbooks for two of our products. DSG’s workshop brings together our best sales people, plus marketing and product experts. They are intense workshops that bring out our best ideas.”
DSG insight
Specific contributions by DSG that accelerated sales momentum at Talend:
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A playbook approach to sales messaging: DSG focused on the practicality and usability of playbooks, content, and tools.
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Video production: DSG filmed and animated “how-to” videos of Talend thought leaders that brought the messaging to life within the sales playbooks.
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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
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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.
"The vPlaybook has had a significant impact on my team. It is the way I make sure all my new hires know our story and are conversation ready. Through using the vPlaybook the new people are getting to the right audience and delivering the right message faster. They use it heavily in the early stages and it saves me lots of time from having to educate them myself."
Omar Agha
Master Data Management:
“The results have been significant….YoY sales revenue is up 500% for the data management product that we launched at last year’s SKO.”
Ashley Stirrup
Talend for Big Data:
“Our big data business has grown 122% in 2014. We’ve signed 53 new logos in under 12 months. The results are tied to the playbook approach, a buoyant market and obviously we’ve got an awesome product.”