What Cooking and PreSales Have in Common

When people hear "PreSales," they might picture software demos, client meetings and technical jargon. When they think of "cooking," they imagine spices, chopping boards and family dinners. At first glance, the two have nothing in common. I love cooking and I love presales, and I see the same thing at the core of both: Following a Recipe.

The Foundation: A Well-Defined Recipe

Cooking starts with a recipe, a detailed plan of ingredients and steps. In PreSales, the equivalent is the sales process. Just like skipping a step in a recipe might ruin a dish, ignoring discovery or rushing a demo can lead to a poorly aligned solution.

Best Practice:

Before you start, know your plan. For cooking, it's the recipe. For PreSales, it's understanding client needs, challenges, and goals.

Ingredients: Understanding Your Tools

Great dishes rely on fresh ingredients. In presales, you rely on knowing your product and what it can do. A chef knows how flavours blend. You need to know how each feature solves a client problem.

Key Tip:

Customise your "ingredients", whether it's tailoring a demo or selecting the right functionalities, to suit the customer's unique needs.

Preparation: Mise en Place

Preparation (mise en place) is everything in cooking. All ingredients are measured, chopped, and ready before the heat gets turned on. In PreSales, preparation means conducting thorough research and anticipating client questions before a demo.

Pro Tip:

The better your prep, the smoother the execution. Whether it's marinating chicken or preparing a demo environment, set yourself up for success.

The Process: Execution with Precision

In cooking, timing, temperature and technique matter. The same holds in presales. A perfectly timed question during a discovery session or a well-placed pause during a demo can seal the deal.

What to Remember:

Stick to your framework, but allow room for creativity. Adjust on the fly, the way you season to taste.

Presentation: Serving the Dish

A dish's presentation can be as important as its taste. In presales, how you deliver your solution matters too. A good demo tells a story that shows how your product solves the client's problems.

Final Touches:

Add a dash of storytelling and visual flair. Make the session one the client remembers.

Feedback: The Taste Test

A chef values feedback to refine their dishes. In presales, client feedback is just as useful. After a demo or during contract negotiations, listen and adjust.

Why It's Important:

Feedback isn't failure! It's flavour. Use it to adjust your strategy or product presentation to better meet client needs.

Iteration: Practice Makes Perfect

No chef masters every dish on the first try. In presales, you also get better by refining your technique. You learn something in every client meeting.

Keep Experimenting:

Try new approaches, test different ways of telling the story, and learn from your peers.

Conclusion: Master Both Arts

Both cooking and presales rely on preparation, adaptability and execution. A good meal brings people joy. A good presales engagement helps the client and builds a relationship. In the kitchen and with a client, follow the recipe. Then dare to try something new.

If you want to learn more about PreSales, please visit www.presales-handbook.com (opens in a new tab), buy the PreSales Handbook (opens in a new tab), or take the PreSales Mastery Course (opens in a new tab).