technical inquiries, devising implementation strategy, etc. – has become a more integral part of the GTM motion for many companies in this PLG-oriented era we find ourselves in. Whether an organization offers the ability to trial a product directly or simply wants to show the solution via a demo that will hold water in today’s environment, delivering an experience that is seemingly individualized and configured to the needs and pain points of the prospect, addressing their specific use case while articulating value in accordance with the jargon in their vertical has become a strategic arrow in the selling organization’s quiver. We’ve observed a new cadre of vendors emerge recently which seek to reduce friction and streamline the evaluation process in a product-centric way. Everything from development of interactive demos and personally configured trial environments through digital collaboration portals housing pertinent information related to the use case in question – in our view, leveraging software to provide insight into what prospects can expect post-sale from a solution value perspective will become a ubiquitous competency for organizations of all shapes and sizes over the coming years. Delivering insight into seemingly white-glove, bespoke product experiences prior to transacting has become a strategic differentiator and should emerge as a core competency going forward. Buyer-Centric Content The Sales Tech team at PeakSpan has a great relationship with – and immense amount of respect for – Andy Paul, a seasoned and decorated operator in the sales arena who has played the role of everything from individual contributor to team leader to founder/CEO to podcast host, all with insane efficacy. Andy has authored multiple books about various dynamics in sales and his newest missive talks about the concept of “selling in”, which in essence details the process of understanding the buyer’s needs, playing the role of enabler to support the buyer’s decision process, and not succumbing to the cold and calculated lemming-inducing tactics preached as gospel in the sales arena at the expense of losing your individual uniqueness as a person and salesperson. People buy from folks they trust, that are helpful, authentically striving to provide insight and information to let the buyer make an informed decision based on his or her needs. An innovative category of vendors has emerged which are seeking to enable this ethos with software, developing buyer-centric content focused on providing more clarity to help answer the fundamental questions the buyer has and serving it up on the channels and in the workflows where the prospective buyer spends their time. Content has always been queen, and this group of innovative startups are taking a content- centric approach to buyer enablement, delivering a very valuable service from our perspective. And one that has the potential to persist for years to come. - 5 -