Drawing a Big Picture For the Customer Helps More Than A Presentation

When proposing cloud or hybrid solutions to customers, I have learned that it helps to keep all your presentations aside and draw their future solution for them in conversation with them. When I get a chance, I construct the big picture in conversation with them in real time in a face to face workshop. A good understanding of the customers' current solution and their desired end state is a prerequisite.

Time and again when our pursuit teams conducted such sessions, we ended up with a happy customer and an even happier sales team. If you are a cloud product management, product marketing or solution consulting team, I highly recommend that you set aside your detailed presentations and try this approach. I call this methodology the solution architecture workshop.