The Hidden SalesForce: Unleashing the Power of User Groups and Tech Communities

The heterogeneous and complex technological landscape is making groups of users come together to discuss their day-to-day challenges. User Groups and Tech Communities are flourishing in main cities, and are fostering connections to learn, share experiences and, interestingly, come back to their companies with fresh ideas.

What are User Groups and Tech Communities?

Companies have become increasingly dependent on technology to operate, and software has become the backbone of this reliance. While tailored training from software vendors or specialized training companies can provide good material and help employees go from zero to hero, they often don’t cover the whole picture of technological heterogeneity and complexity.

In this new ecosystem, groups of users come in handy. End users, who run the technologies to operate their businesses, are the ones combining multiple best-of-breed technologies to cope with demanding scenarios. They deploy, configure, integrate, and fine-tune solutions like the one your company is building and you’re trying to sell. Believe me, these guys have loads of lessons learned to be shared, and this is the DNA of user groups: connect people with similar interests, challenges and best practices to share, foster relationships that encourage collaboration and knowledge sharing.

DevRel: Developer Relations

Sometimes, these user groups already exist and rely on dedicated individuals, organizers, to introduce a continuous flow of activity and maintain interest over time. When they’re absent, software vendors can step in to kick-start the community and attract users to their software. Software vendors are generally welcomed by these groups, as they contribute fresh content, share the latest news and bring reputable speakers. This is where the DevRel team comes in.

DevRel stands for Developer Relations. Its primary functions include educating technical individuals about specific products and solutions, as well as managing community and technical events. The “Developer” part of the name might mislead, but DevRel teams specifically target technical audiences, including developers, operators and end users.

What does it have to do with Software Sales?

Software vendors who pay attention to User Groups and Tech Communities can improve awareness and adoption of their products and solutions. As a seller, you might be tempted to only target executives, who are often the decision-makers and economic buyers. However, these executives might be influenced by feedback shared by their teams who, by the way, are using what you sell.

This is where the “bottom-up motion” comes in: letting these technical teams know the value your products and solutions can provide to address their company challenges. By empowering these teams to advocate for your products and solutions, you’re effectively letting them sell for you.

Startups and hyper-growth companies may not have DevRel teams in their early stages, but nothing prevents account teams from delivering DevRel duties to foster this bottom-up motion. This can complement the top-down approach that account teams are often using, driving adoption and sales from both directions.

Conclusions

If you’re in Software Sales, you likely know about User Groups and Tech Communities. It’s also likely that you think they don’t have anything to do with sales and what you do on a daily basis. Hopefully, this article opens your eyes and helps you see the potential of engaging with them.

By tapping into User Groups and Tech Communities, you can:

• Gain a deeper understanding of real challenges companies are addressing with the technology you’re selling.
• Get in touch with people who might sponsor your technology to decision-makers within your customers or prospects.
• Identify use cases that might apply to other prospects and customers and can be publicly shared and referenced.
• Connect people who can share success stories within your territory.

Are you already actively engaging with user groups and tech communities? If so, I’d love to hear about your experiences. Share your thoughts in the LinkedIn post associated with this article, and let’s discuss how we can leverage User Groups and Tech Communities to drive success in software sales.

Raúl