This is Part 3 of the series "FileMaker and Your Business".

What does it take to work with a sales force?  Tell great jokes?  Buy rounds of drinks?  What if your golf game is lousy?

When it comes to the FileMaker sales team, there is a better way.  For the third article in this series of “FileMaker and Your Business” I decided to go straight to the source, and playing the role of your roving reporter, I interviewed two well-known FileMaker salespeople: Keith Robinson, Vice President of America’s Sales, and Mike Alvarado, the Director Inside Sales for America’s.  Their comments are summarized below and will, I hope, be useful for many.  

A word of caution for those of you outside the US and Canada.  Some of the comments below apply internationally but there are differences.  If I get enough interest I may cover international another time.

Here we go:

Q: How do I work with the FileMaker sales force?  Do I need to buy drinks?

A: No drinks required.

First, know who your sales team is.  In the Americas this consists of a field representative, an inside sales representative, and a systems engineer.

We call our local field FileMaker sales representative a Business Account Manager (BAM).  BAM’s are based around the US.  They are our local face to the corporate community and to the developer community.  BAM’s are experts at articulating the benefits of FileMaker to a company.  They work with all sizes of companies but their biggest focus is on our larger accounts.

The FileMaker Inside Sales Representative (ISR) works with a very wide range of customers.  Most ISRs are paired-up with BAMs to form teams for each region.  There is an additional group of ISR’s who focus only on K-12.

As a FileMaker developer the Inside Sales Representative is your primary point of contact.  Unlike the BAM’s who are traveling all the time, the ISR is available during business hours (in your time zone) mostly at their desk, and have critical info on our customers at their fingertips.  When you need information on licensing programs, help locating a sales tool, or anything to help you sell to a customer, the ISR is likely to turn things around quickly.  And the ISR can help you get insight into an account’s existing relationship with FileMaker.

A final member of the sales team is the Systems Engineer (SE).   SE’s are our most valuable technical resource.  They are typically overworked and overcommitted, but still are always willing to help resolve pre-sales technical questions.


Q: I get it, I get it, FileMaker has a sales team.  What should I actually do?

A: Just call, baby.

Your first step should be to call your friendly FileMaker ISR and introduce yourself. Call the sales line at 800-725-2747.  Push the right button and then ask whoever answers to transfer you to your regional ISR.  When you call be prepared to explain a little about your business.

What is your market?  What is your expertise?   Do you specialize in any vertical markets?  What are your technical specialties?  What work have you done in the past and who are some of your customers?   What is your geographic coverage?  They’ll ask you about the size of your company as well but don’t worry if it is small.  There plenty of small companies that do big business with FileMaker.  And even companies of a single person can be critical to FileMaker if they have the right expertise for a particular deal.

If you have a solution talk about that as well.  Is it in a format you can share it?  Can the ISR see it from your web site?


Q: All giving and no getting is a bore.  What can I get from the ISR?

A: ISR’s have lots of ways to help you sell.

Here are some ideas:

• Help giving a customer an overview of FileMaker the company (could also give an overview of FileMaker the product).
• Explaining the ins and outs of the FileMaker licensing program and getting help putting together a quote.
• Finding customer stories for a particular industry or region.  May even be able to get you a customer reference.
• Scheduling a BAM for a face-to-face customer meeting.
• Getting technical pre-sales help from the SE.
• Getting sales materials.
• And more.  Why not ask and see?

If needed the ISR can also tell you who BAM and SE are for your region and will give you their email address.


Q: How do you build a relationship with the mysterious FileMaker BAM?

A: Know what drives the BAM.

The BAM’s main job in life (at least their FileMaker life) is to expand the number of FileMaker licenses out there.  Talking about that generates immediate attention.  

There are lots of ways to grow the business so think creatively.  Of course a BAM can get involved in large corporate purchases.  But they also will give talks at a university’s FileMaker user group, or attend selected targeted regional conferences.

If you have a specific idea such as a FileMaker sales opportunity contact your ISR and they will make the connection.

Another way to connect with the BAM is to join the FileMaker Solutions Alliance (FSA) program at the Associate level.  Each BAM holds quarterly meetings with FSA members in their region.  This is a great opportunity for Associate members of the FSA program to attend a quarterly meeting with the local BAM -- where you can make contacts not only with the BAM but also other regional FSA members.

You can also meet the BAM at various regional events.  Ask your ISR about events in your region where the BAM is present.

Attendance at FileMaker Devcon is another great way to build a relationship with the sales team.  Every region is represented and holds a regional meeting.  Your ISR can get you into one of those.  And this is another good chance to network with the peers in your region.


Q: How do I get to the FileMaker Systems Engineer?

A: That ISR again.

Work through the ISR to get to the Systems Engineer.


Q: Do I always need to work through the ISR for the BAM and SE?

A: No, just to get started.

Once you gone through a selling cycle with the local sales team you’ll have established contacts with the BAM, ISR, and SE.   Then it is just a matter of building on those contacts.


Q: Can I get sales leads out of FileMaker?

A: Quite possibly.

The people in the FileMaker FSA program say their main source of leads is our web site.  If you have a listing on the web site make sure your listing is up to date and well written. Include a screen shot or graphic where appropriate.  Make sure your web site is featured.  

And make sure your web site looks professional.  Does not need to be in huge depth but first impression of a web site does lead to a strong first impression of the company.  Ask yourself if you were a customer coming to your site: what does this site say about this company?  Does the company look professional?  Competent?

Reference the names of a few customers in your profile and make sure you reference them on your web site (assuming you can).

If you are a consultant or trainer make sure you are certified on the latest version of FileMaker.  Certified listings come up first on the consultants area of the web site and these certified developer/trainers are most often the first ones referred by the sales team.


Q: That is all very interesting about the FileMaker web site.  But I thought we were talking about the sales team here.  Can I get the FileMaker sales team to give me sales leads?

A: It certainly is possible.

Sales talks to lots of customers who are looking for expertise in a particular area, or region, or vertical.  Sometimes they are looking for all three.  The sales team will tend to recommend people they know and who they have developed relationships over time.

The most important things to do are to contact your ISR and make sure they know who you are.  They can’t recommend you if they don’t know you.  Also join the FSA program.  And look for various ways to meet your BAM (see above for ideas on this).


Q: I sell to K-12.  Anything special for me to do?

A: Yes, definitely.

FileMaker has a dedicated K-12 specialist sales team.  When you call the sales line at 800-725-2747 push the number for K-12 and ask to speak to the K-12 specialist for your region.

Also consider joining the free FileMaker K-12 Advocates program.  This free program will get you information and opportunities to get involved with various free  K-12 marketing activities.  Click here for more information.  Did I mention the program is free?

Q: Tell me more.  How can I get an edge with the FileMaker sales team?  What do the insiders know?

A: I see you really do want to grow your business and get rich.  Fine.  Here is more about how things really work.

The sales team is much more likely to help you if you can define clear areas of expertise.  Don’t say you can do everything for everybody.  I know FileMaker is used in many instances and you may well have gotten into a lot of different types of deals.  That is OK.  But it is a basic premise of business that to compete (and you are competing remember!) so you should be able to differentiate yourself from the others.

If you have the right horizontal or local expertise, and your ISR or Bam has a deal, they might bring you in.  If it is your first deal with FileMaker be prepared to work with the FileMaker sales team.  Once you’ve been through the cycle a few times they might pass on a lead to you without needing to stay with it through the selling cycle but not at first.  

Please realize the sales team will almost always give out several names to a customer so the customer can have some choices and can find someone with the closest fit for their need and organization.

Understand the FileMaker licensing programs.  Go to our web site.  Call your ISR if you any questions.  You can save your customer a lot of time, effort, and money if you get them into the right licensing program.  And you’ll set yourself apart from the crowd as a trusted partner to your customers since you are not only helping them with their technical issues but also with their business issues.

Remember the FileMaker sales team is paid based on licensing sold and will prioritize requests accordingly.  Get them involved in a deal and they’ll be even more likely to bring some to you.

Keep in mind the sales team is not technical support or customer service.  There are other departments that handle those areas.  The sales team focuses on selling and can help you close a deal.  In some cases they may even be able to help you find a deal.  Once you are in with the customer you need to take the leading role to make the customer successful with FileMaker.  But using your FileMaker expertise to help others (while helping yourself) is why you went into business in the first place, right, so this should be easy!

Speaking of insiders, why not ask some? The experienced, successful FileMaker developers in your region often know how to “work” FileMaker.  Meet them, ask their advice.  How do they get FileMaker to work for them?  Yes, occasionally you may find a competitor, but more often you will find an ally.  There is a lot of FileMaker business out there, and each developer has some unique combination of expertise and experience to bear.

………….

That’s all for now.  Follow the advice above and you will be well on your way to forming a fun -- and profitable -- relationship with the FileMaker sales team.  And if you have experienced success working with FileMaker please email me and tell me what you did that makes the sales (or marketing) relationship work for you.