Serhii Herasymov: Expert sales in outsource companies: your technical specialists is your main leverage (UA)

Expert Sales
2026
why, who, how
Presented by
Serhii Herasymov
Date Website E-mail
7 February 2026 daat.consulting serhii@daat.consulting

18 years in industry: developer → architect →
CTO → founder of Da’at Consulting
https://www.linkedin.com/in/serhiiherasymov
Who am I
SHA
Da’at Consulting ▸ Expert Sales
UA Online IT Outsourcing Forum 2026

Growth strategy
Great marketing
The
Problem Polished sales
scripts
Hello

Expert sales is a B2B sales approach where
domain specialists (engineers, architects,
consultants) lead or heavily participate in
the sales process, using their technical
credibility and problem-solving ability to build
trust, uncover real client needs, and
position solutions that salespeople alone
cannot credibly deliver.

Mantra.
You convert when:
01.
01. 02.
02. 03.
03.
Case studies, insights, other marketing
materials, prepared technical team
Sane, provable and plausible estimates. Cost
of ownership is a big plus.
Project roadmap compiled from team
composition, seniority map and estimates.
Proof of expertise
available
[potential] customer is
confident in budget
[potential] customer is
confident in time frames

Why Technical credibility beats
sales pitches
Deep discovery creates
opportunities
The "trusted advisor"
positioning differentiates
you from commodity
vendors
Structured connections
between technical and
commercial roles

Sales is a vehicle for
changes in company
[possibly] W.Churchill

Bringing a software architect into presale isn't a
cost—it's a competitive advantage. Early
technical involvement means accurate
estimates, fewer surprises, and clients who trust
you before the contract is signed.
Skill matters
An architect can assess technical complexity,
identify integration challenges, and spot
hidden dependencies that sales teams
typically miss. This prevents underquoting
that kills margins or overquoting that loses
deals.
Accurate scoping and
estimation
When an architect engages in discovery,
clients see that your company understands
their problem deeply. This peer-to-peer
conversation with the client's technical
stakeholders creates trust that slides and
proposals cannot.
Building client confidence
through technical
dialogue
Architects recognize legacy system
constraints, unrealistic timelines, or
technology mismatches before contracts are
signed—allowing honest conversations
upfront rather than painful renegotiations
later.
Early risk identification
A skilled architect can guide requirements
discussions in ways that align with your
team's expertise and proven approaches—
positioning you for successful delivery rather
than learning on the client's budget.
Shaping the solution
toward your strengths.

Planning
Identifying the
stakeholders,
business goals and
define how to
measure a success
Creating Software
requirements
specification and
technical solution
Building a user
journey and
identifying the
target audience
Estimating the
timeline and
budget
Creating Roadmap
1 2 3 4 5

Planning
checklist
http://bit.ly/46o0d8a

Success
metrics
percentage of proposals with architect
involvement that convert to signed contracts
Win rate on qualified
opportunities
deviation between presale estimates and
actual project hours/costs at delivery
Estimation accuracy
number of significant requirement changes or
renegotiations after project kickoff
Scope change frequency
issues discovered post-sale that should have
been caught during discovery
Technical risk escalations
feedback scores from CTOs/tech leads on
discovery quality
Client technical
stakeholder satisfaction how quickly the team moves from initial
meeting to submitted proposal without
sacrificing quality
Time to proposal
whether projects maintain projected
profitability through delivery
Deal margin preservation

Key skills for
technical specialists
Deep understanding of product/platform
architecture⬩ Knowledge of enterprise
architecture patterns ⬩ Integration
technologies and patterns⬩Cloud
infrastructure and deployment models⬩
Security and compliance frameworks⬩Data
architecture and modeling
Translate technical concepts to business
value⬩Understand ROI and TCO
implications of architectural
decisions⬩Navigate organizational
politics⬩Risk assessment and
communication⬩Project estimation and
planning
Active listening⬩Asking probing questions
without being intimidating⬩Saying "no"
constructively with alternatives⬩Managing
incomplete information⬩Collaboration with
both technical and non-technical people
Intellectual honesty (admitting what you don't
know)
Technical skills Business skills Soft skills

Competency development
Pre-sale process and role of technical specialist in it as a
support team member, as a sales driver. Practical techniques
and hints. Planning Discovery phase for sake of efficient
execution.
Process: goals, planning, metrics
Architectural approaches of dealing with problems. NFR,
stakeholder analysis, architectural drivers, quality attributes
and Architecture tradeoff analysis method
Architecture in Discovery
C4, Software design documents etc. Effective estimation:
dos and don’ts, best practices
Documentation
C-level presentation, presentation for client’ tech stuff. Soft
skills for technical specialists in presale process
Presenting results

AI
Competency development
Pre-sale process and role of technical specialist in it as a
support team member, as a sales driver. Practical techniques
and hints. Planning Discovery phase for sake of efficient
execution.
Process: goals, planning, metrics
Architectural approaches of dealing with problems. NFR,
stakeholder analysis, architectural drivers, quality attributes
and Architecture tradeoff analysis method
Architecture in Discovery
C4, Software design documents etc. Effective estimation:
dos and don’ts, best practices
Documentation
C-level presentation, presentation for client’ tech stuff. Soft
skills for technical specialists in presale process
Presenting results

Corporate
training
https://cal.com/serhiiherasymov/30min

Conclusions With Without
Realistic scope based on technical
assessment
Risks identified and priced into
proposal
Peer-level dialogue with client's tech
team
Solution shaped around your
delivery strengths
Client sees expertise before signing
Fewer change requests post-kickoff
Higher close rate on complex deals
Scope based on client's description
and assumptions
Risks discovered mid-project, eating
margins
Sales-to-tech translation gaps and
misunderstandings
Generic approach that may not fit
your capabilities
Client evaluates expertise only after
commitment
Frequent scope corrections and
difficult conversations
Lost deals or won deals that become
problematic

Serhii Herasymov: Expert sales in outsource companies: your technical specialists is your main leverage (UA)

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