When it comes to meeting new or potential customers, making a positive first impression is extremely important. At Sodales, we place a lot of importance on fostering longstanding, and authentic relationships with our customers, and this starts with a great first impression. That’s what makes the position of Solution Advisor such a vital role on the Sodales team, as they are often the first point of contact for customers and prospects. From representing Sodales on the road at conferences and events, to preparing RFP responses, our Solution Advisors are often responsible for the initial introduction to our company and our software. In this blog post, we’ll chat with one of our Solution Advisor’s Vinay, to learn more about the responsibilities of this role and the exciting opportunities it presents.
What Is the Role of a Solution Advisor?
At Sodales, our Solution Advisors have many different responsibilities that vary from product demonstrations to answering all of our customers pressing questions about our software. Our Solution Advisors have the unique role of being both part business analyst and part sales specialist. They are responsible for understanding business opportunities and informing prospective customers of everything Sodales has to offer to meet their varying needs.
“As a Solution Advisor, I am responsible for lots of different tasks like being the first point of contact for incoming leads and learning about their different pain points,” said Vinay. “I also often participate in various roadshows and customer facing events that allows me to travel to meet new customers and partners and establish the relationships necessary to help Sodales succeed.”
What Does a Typical Day Look Like for a Solution Advisor?
Our Solution Advisors start their workday by checking their email inbox and calendar. This allows them to determine what tasks needs to be prioritized for the upcoming day. Vinay uses to-do lists to help him stay on top of his work and avoid missing any critical tasks. He migrates any outstanding tasks from yesterday’s to-do list and creates a new one to start for each day.
Since Solution Advisors are responsible for conducting product demonstrations for prospective customers, it requires a lot of planning and organization. Often at the top of Vinay’s to-do list is getting his presentations and slide-decks ready for the day. He also confirms that he has the correct links for his online presentations and replies to any outstanding emails.
With a tight schedule of conducting demonstrations and presentations, his role requires a lot of time management skills. “Time management is one of the most important skills for this position,” said Vinay. “Managing my time well helps me stay productive, effective, and efficient. It also allows me to balance my busy schedule.” As a global company, it sometimes requires Vinay to take calls at unusual hours to accommodate international customers in different time zones. Even though he is very busy with all his demonstrations Vinay still finds time to enjoy his position and is always working on expanding his knowledge of our software. Keep reading to discover what some of Vinay’s favorite things are about this role.
What’s the Best Part of Being a Solution Advisor?
One of the great things about the Solution Advisor position is the opportunity it provides for connecting with new people. As a Solution Advisor, Vinay is always talking to and spending time with new people. “It is an essential part of the role to be able to have strong communication skills,” said Vinay.
These communication skills come in handy when providing customer service to our customers. This includes listening to customers’ requests, helping them resolve any outstanding issues, and discussing how our product can be beneficial for them and solve their specific pain point.
At Sodales we work with many different customers spanning across industries including the public sector, health care, higher education, transportation and more. “I love the exposure that this role provides me with,” said Vinay. “I have the opportunity to speak with all kinds of different people in various roles from different organizations”.
Compelling presentation skills are another essential quality to excel in the Solution Advisor position at Sodales. Sana, the CEO and Founder of Sodales, was able to provide Vinay with guidance and coaching on how to create an engaging presentation. Sana’s pointers include grabbing the attention of viewers from the beginning and focusing on key words throughout the presentation. “I treat presentations like an opportunity to tell a unique and engaging story,” said Vinay.
According to Vinay, one of the things that makes his role as Solution Advisor so great is the opportunity to share all the extensive features of Sodales with customers. “It’s enjoyable to sell Sodales because it’s so easy to get behind such a great product,” said Vinay. “Throughout the presentation there are often so many ah moments on the other side and it’s fun watching people get so excited about our awesome product”.
At Sodales, we are passionate about helping highly regulated industries improve safety, communication, and collaboration with an all-in-one integrated software solution. Are you interested in joining us in our mission to help organizations break down barriers and take a proactive approach to health, safety, and employee relations? View our careers page to learn more about our working culture and any available opportunities to join our team. As a fast-growing company, we are always looking for bright minds like you to join our Sodales family.