If you are a marketer at a technology firm that sells complex solutions to engineers, you have heard your fair share of concerns, hesitations and objections. Some buyers object to your price. Some buyers are happy with your competitor’s offering. And still other buyers lack a sense of urgency.

But one of the more complicated sales objections is the one that buyers never raise. And yet it’s one of the hardest objections to overcome. We’re talking about the fear that your solution will replace the buyer or key stakeholders at the account.

We’re talking about the engineer who is concerned that your technology will not only outperform them on the job—it will also steal their job. Buyers who have this fear rarely bring it up in discover calls and during sales presentations. But it exists all the same. If you want to win the trust (and business) of wary engineers, you must change your approach.

You must position your solution so that buyers have confidence that your offering will improve their personal productivity without reducing their perceived value to, and contribution to, the company. You must position in such a way that all stakeholders and influencers at target accounts happily recommend your solution. Here’s how to do it.

Position your solution as a complementary partnership

Instead of communicating that your technology solutions is more advanced than what the engineers are presently using and will make their contribution less important (or even redundant), figure out what is of value to those engineers and communicate that.

After all, you are not going to be successful unless you have the commitment and partnership and insights of your engineering buyers. They know where the roadblocks are, where the potential hurdles are, where the risks are. So, you must incorporate these insights into your pitch so that the engineer plays a vital role in your story.

This way, when engineers approach their manager and say, “Hey, we found this new technology and we think it will make us more efficient and productive,” they put the emphasis on the partnership of them and the technology working together. You must position your offering as a solution that the technical buyer needs to be more effective, rather than as a solution that the company needs.

The only way to present your solution in this scenario is your technology coupled with the insights, application expertise, and experience of the engineer who will use the solution.

Pre-empt the objection

The best kind of sales objection is the one that buyers never raise because you have already addressed it. When you pre-empt sales objections on your website, in your social media posts, in your white papers and buying guides, and in your sales enablement content, you increase the velocity of your pipeline and win more deals. This is clearly a messaging challenge for both marketing and sales. Here’s how to meet it.

1. Position your offering as a solution, not a technology: Avoid words like transformative, breakthrough, revolutionary. When engineering buyers hear the word “revolutionary,” they immediately feel risk and uncertainty. Instead, talk about your offering as a piece of the puzzle. Naturally, avoid saying it reduces the need for engineering expertise, or reduces headcount. Instead, communicate that your solution handles mundane, repetitive, boring, manual, low-value engineering tasks so that engineers are able to focus on more higher-value tasks.
2. Include your technical buyer in the implementation: Paint a picture in your buyer’s mind of how they play a vital role in implementing and using your solution. Actually, don’t just paint this picture in their mind, document it visually. Map out your implementation journey from start to finish, and include your technical buyer at every stage where their contribution is needed—and valued. Mention the onboarding workshop where engineers scope out the project and nail down project specifications and describe needed customizations. Include them at the testing and QA stages. Describe how engineers play a vital role in optimizing, maintaining, tweaking and improving your solution.

Leverage a more strategic approach

If you are a marketer at a technology firm selling complex solutions to engineers, you can overcome the perception that your product might displace your target persona by leveraging a more strategic approach. Position your offering as a partnership that complements and enhances the skills of engineers, emphasizing collaboration and valuing their expertise. By doing so, you build trust and confidence, foster a sense of ownership and commitment from the engineers, making them enthusiastic advocates of the technology within their organizations.

Pre-emptively addressing sales objections is a powerful approach that you should incorporate into your marketing efforts. Avoid superlatives and grandiose terms that invoke uncertainty in engineering buyers. Instead, present your solution as a valuable addition to their existing workflows. Showcase how they are involved at every stage of the implementation process, from scoping out the project to optimization and maintenance, highlighting their crucial role and reinforcing their importance.

Embracing this approach is valuable not only because it alleviates fears of being replaced but also because it showcases your customer-centric mindset. Prioritizing the success and growth of your target persona creates a strong bond of trust, ultimately leading to increased sales and long-term customer loyalty.

By differentiating your firm through empathy and collaboration, you set yourself apart from competitors and achieve sustainable business growth and a strong market position. So, take the initiative to adopt this customer-focused strategy, and witness the positive impact it will have on your business.

If you need help on your journey, let’s talk.

Read more: Sales Enablement Content for Manufacturers: A Framework for Creating Brochures That Engage Customers, Drive Sales.