Field Sales Guide · Discovery + Competitor Intelligence

Industry Landscape Research (20 minutes)

Before researching the specific account, research the industry segment they operate in. This is the foundation. See the Industry & KPIs tab for full framework.

• Industry SWOT: What are the macro strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats facing this industry right now?
• Buying triggers: What is pressuring this industry to invest in automation? Labor shortage? Reshoring? Regulatory? Capacity demand?
• Typical KPIs: What commercial and process KPIs does this industry segment typically monitor?
• Industry-level competitive dynamics: Which brands and distributors dominate this vertical?
• Recent industry news: Trade publications, major investments, regulatory changes, M&A activity

Walking into a pharma producer with the same approach as a food and beverage plant signals you do not understand their world. Industry research is the single biggest differentiator between commercial sellers and technical sellers in field prep.

Account Research (15 minutes)

Now research the specific account with the industry context as your lens.

• Company website: Recent news, press releases, executive team, locations, customer logos, capacity expansions
• LinkedIn: Engineering, ops, controls, automation, plant management leadership. Recent hires signal growth. Recent departures signal turbulence
• Google Maps satellite view of the plant: Size of building, loading docks, expansion footprint, parking lot capacity
• Industry directories: What do they actually make? Who do they sell to?
• News searches: Recent investments, capacity expansions, layoffs, regulatory issues, acquisitions, customer wins or losses
• Job postings: If they are hiring controls engineers, automation engineers, or maintenance leads, you have signal about their automation roadmap
• ICP fit assessment: Does this account match your Ideal Customer Profile? Active buying triggers? Measurable KPI pressure?

Stakeholder Mapping (10 minutes)

Identify who you are meeting and who else might be in the room. Field meetings expand unexpectedly. Be ready.

• Primary contact: LinkedIn role, tenure, background, prior employers, what they post about
• Likely attendees: Who would the primary contact bring? Engineering lead? Maintenance? Operations? Procurement?
• Power map: Who has budget authority? Who has technical authority? Who is the champion vs. skeptic?
• Recent context: Has anyone on the team posted about automation, robotics, capacity, or labor recently?

Have a mental name plus role plus likely-position for each person. Walk in expecting 2 to 3 more people than the calendar invite lists. Field meetings frequently add stakeholders.

Competitive Reconnaissance (10 minutes)

Before you walk in, know what brands you are likely to encounter.

• What robot brand do they currently use? Check CRM notes, case studies on competitor websites, LinkedIn posts
• Who is the incumbent distributor? Look for past purchase orders, vendor mentions, training certifications posted publicly
• Has any competitor announced wins at this account? Distributor LinkedIn, press releases, trade show case studies
• Industry-level competitive context: What does the competitive landscape look like in their vertical?

Open your company's Robot OEM Intel and Distributor Intel cards. Read the relevant ones. Know the Counter Strategy before you walk in. Have it in your head, not on a screen.

KPI Confirmation Plan (5 minutes)

Based on the industry research, identify the 3 to 5 KPIs you expect this customer to be monitoring. Plan to confirm these in the conference room before the plant walk.

See the Industry & KPIs tab for the KPI framework by industry segment. Have your expected KPI list in your head. Prepare to ask: "Of these KPIs, which ones are getting the most attention from leadership right now?"

This is the single most important step in field prep. The customer answering this question tells you exactly where to focus your discovery, your plant walk observations, and your value proposition.

What to Bring (Field Visit Kit)

Field visit kit. Build this once, refresh quarterly.

• Notebook and pen. Real ones, not a tablet. Plant floor and conference room friendly. Builds trust
• Business cards (10+). Multi-stakeholder meetings consume cards fast
• Phone with your company battlecard accessible. For checking specs or pulling competitor intel between meetings
• Closed-toe shoes that can handle a plant floor. No exceptions
• Safety glasses + ear plugs. Carry your own. Some plants will require
• Hi-viz vest. If you visit warehouses, food plants, or industrial sites regularly
• Hard hat (in car). Some plants require
• Printed business literature only if asked for. Otherwise digital follow-up after the visit
• Two pieces of leave-behind value: something the customer keeps and remembers you for. ROI calculator, application example, industry-specific case study. Choose based on the meeting

Open With Growth or Profitability

The TSP commercial opening question is non-negotiable: "In your 2026 to 2028 plan, is the business more focused on growth (winning more programs and capacity) or profitability (protecting margin on the work you already have)? Because that answer changes everything about how we would work together."

This question forces the customer to commit to a strategic orientation. Their answer tells you which KPIs to focus on:

• Growth-focused: Revenue, capacity, throughput, customer acquisition, market share
• Profitability-focused: Margin, cost per unit, labor efficiency, working capital, OPEX reduction
• Both: Rare but valid. Layer the KPIs across both lenses

Surface the Industry Pressure

Connect their answer to industry-level pressure. This signals you understand their world:

• "Many OEMs in [their industry segment] are facing [specific industry pressure you researched]. Is that showing up here too?"
• "The reshoring wave is creating real demand pull. Is that part of what is driving your 2026 outlook?"
• "Labor shortages have been hitting [their industry] hard. How is that impacting your operation?"

The customer's answer confirms (or corrects) your industry research. Either way, you have established credibility.

Confirm the Commercial KPIs

Move to commercial KPI confirmation. Reference the KPIs you expect them to monitor based on industry research:

• "In your industry, the KPIs that usually drive automation decisions are [list 3 to 5 KPIs relevant to their segment]. Of those, which ones are getting the most attention from leadership right now?"
• Or more directly: "What KPIs are you measured on by your leadership team? What does success look like at the end of this fiscal year?"
• "Where are you winning on those KPIs today? Where are you losing?"

Customers will name 2 to 3 KPIs that are dominating their attention. Write them down verbatim. These become your value proposition anchor for the rest of the visit and every visit after.

Confirm the Process KPIs

Now move to the operational layer. These KPIs are the bridge between leadership commitments and plant floor reality:

• "What does your OEE look like today on the line we are about to walk? Where is the gap coming from: availability, performance, or quality?"
• "What is your current cycle time and TAKT, and where are you falling short?"
• "What does downtime cost you per hour on this line?"
• "What is your labor cost per unit, and how is it trending?"
• "What is your first-pass yield, and what does scrap cost you per shift?"

You will not get to all of these. Pick the 2 to 3 most relevant based on the commercial KPIs they confirmed. Their answers tell you exactly what to observe during the plant walk.

Quantify the Pain Where Possible

Before walking the line, attempt to put dollars or hours on the gaps they have surfaced:

• "You mentioned OEE is at 65 percent. If you could get to 75 percent, what does that translate to in additional capacity or revenue?"
• "If downtime is costing $X per hour and you are seeing Y hours per month, that is $Z per year. Does that sound directionally right?"
• "You mentioned labor cost per unit is rising. Do you have a sense of how much that has grown over the last 12 months?"

You do not need exact numbers. You need order of magnitude. Customers respect sellers who think in business math.

Then, and Only Then, Ask for the Plant Walk

With KPIs confirmed and pain quantified, transition to the plant walk:

"I would love to see the line now. Based on what you have shared, I will be watching specifically for [reference the confirmed KPIs and pain points]. That way our follow-up conversation can be grounded in what I actually saw, not just what I imagined."

This frames the plant walk as an investigation tied to confirmed business priorities, not a sightseeing tour. The customer team walks the line with you with a different posture because you have already established credibility.

Lobby Arrival (15 min before meeting · Solo observation)

Arrive early. Sit in the lobby. Do not pull out your phone for emails. Observe.

• Awards and certifications on the wall: ISO, FDA, customer awards, supplier-of-the-year plaques
• Customer logo walls: Who do they sell to? What industries dominate?
• Vendor partnership plaques: Who do they publicly endorse?
• Reception behavior: Are they expecting you? Have they been briefed?
• Visitor sign-in: Who else is visiting today? Sometimes prior visitors are visible on the sign-in sheet
• The vibe: Is this a place that values polish or function? Premium or commodity? Engineering-led or sales-led?

You have just done 15 minutes of free discovery before saying hello to anyone.

Greeting and First 60 Seconds (Building Trust Fast)

Most field deals are won or lost in the first 60 seconds. Customer first impressions are durable.

• Stand when they walk in. Always
• Eye contact + handshake + first name. Confidence without aggression
• Genuine compliment on something specific you observed. "I noticed your customer wall in the lobby. Impressive list." Specific beats generic
• Quick agenda confirmation. "My understanding is we have 60 minutes. I would like to start by understanding your business priorities and KPIs, then walk the line, then talk through where we might help. Does that flow work for you?"
• Do not pull out a deck. Notebook open, pen ready. You are here to learn, not present

The TSP Commercial Opening Question

This is the question that separates commercial sellers from technical sellers. Used at the right moment in the right way, it changes the entire visit.

"Before I tell you anything about us, I want to ask you something. In your 2026 to 2028 plan, is the business more focused on growth (winning more programs and capacity) or profitability (protecting margin on the work you already have)? Because that answer changes everything about how we would work together."

• This question forces commitment. They cannot dodge it. They have to pick growth, profitability, or both
• This question demonstrates commercial fluency. No technical seller asks this question
• This question opens the C-suite door. Even when asked of engineering or operations, it forces them to think like leadership
• Their answer determines your value pivot: growth-focused customers care about capacity and throughput; profitability-focused customers care about margin and cost per unit

KPI Confirmation (Conference Room · Before the Plant Walk)

This is the most important 15 minutes of the entire visit. See the Industry & KPIs tab for the full framework.

Based on their growth-or-profitability answer, surface the KPIs that matter:

• "You said the focus is profitability. The KPIs that usually drive that conversation in [their industry] are [list 3 to 5 KPIs from the Industry & KPIs tab]. Of those, which ones are getting the most attention from leadership right now?"
• "What does your OEE look like today? Where is the gap coming from?"
• "What does downtime cost you per hour on the line we are going to walk?"
• "What is your labor cost per unit, and how is it trending?"

Write the KPIs they confirm verbatim in your notebook. These are your anchors for the rest of the visit and every follow-up visit.

Ask for the Plant Walk With the KPI Lens

Now, with KPIs confirmed, transition to the plant walk:

"I would love to see the line now. Based on what you have shared about [their confirmed KPIs], I will be watching specifically for [reference the operational pain]. That way our follow-up conversation can be grounded in what I actually saw, not what I imagined."

• This signals: you respect their operation, you understand the connection between observations and business outcomes, you are a partner not a vendor
• If they say yes: see the Plant Walk tab. This is now your real discovery
• If they say "no, not today": respect that and pivot. Ask again at the end. "Could I see the line before I leave, even briefly?"
• Some plants have visit policies that delay floor access. Plan for visit 2 if visit 1 cannot include the floor

Post-Walk Discovery (20 to 30 minutes back in the conference room)

After the plant walk, return to the conference room. Now you have observations to layer onto the KPI conversation.

• Start with what you saw that confirmed their KPI focus. "You said OEE was the priority. I noticed three things on the line that connect directly to that..."
• Ask deeper KPI-driven questions tied to observations. "The changeover process I saw at station 4 took about 12 minutes. What does your changeover frequency look like, and what would cutting that time in half do to your throughput?"
• Quantify the business impact where possible. Layer dollars or hours onto the KPI gaps
• Surface decision process and timeline. Who decides? What is the budget cycle? What is the next capital project window?

Use the "tell me more" technique aggressively. After each substantive answer, follow up with "Tell me more" or "What does that look like in practice?" Customers reveal three layers of information for every direct question. Most sellers stop at layer one.

The Pivot · From Discovery to Value

Around minute 50 to 60, the discovery should be complete. Now you pivot to value.

The pivot move: "Based on what you have shared, here is what I am hearing. [Recap their growth/profitability orientation, their confirmed KPIs, and their observed operational gaps in their language.] Did I get that right?"

This recap proves you were listening. It also forces the customer to confirm or correct your understanding. Their confirmation is your green light to position value.

Once confirmed, position the value tied to KPIs: "Where I think we can help is..." Bring in the specific capability that maps to their highest-priority KPI. Lead with your Solutions Group engineering depth, then the relevant product.

The Next-Step Close (Last 5 Minutes)

Every field visit ends with a specific, scheduled, named next step. Vague follow-ups die in the CRM. Specific ones close deals.

Strong next-step options:

• "What would be most helpful as a next step from your side?" Customer-led
• "Can I come back next week with our application engineer to look at the line in detail?" Visit-driven
• "I would like to put together a proposal based on what you described. Can we schedule a 30-minute review of that proposal in two weeks?" Time-bounded
• "I will send you three case studies from similar [industry] applications. Can we set up a follow-up call to discuss after you have reviewed?" Material-driven
• "I will have our specialist call you Thursday to dig into the [specific KPI gap] question. Does 2pm work?" Stakeholder-introduction-driven

Pick the next step that matches deal stage. Never leave a field visit without a calendar invite or a named follow-up.

Sit in the Car. Do Not Drive Yet. (1 min)

Before turning the key, stop. Phone in hand or notebook open. The temptation is to immediately drive to the next meeting or check email. Resist it. The next 14 minutes are more valuable than the next hour of windshield time.

Capture the Confirmed KPIs (3 min)

Before anything else, write down the KPIs the customer confirmed in the conference room and any quantification they shared.

• Growth or profitability orientation: Which did they choose, and what did they say about it?
• Commercial KPIs confirmed: What 2 to 3 KPIs are getting leadership attention?
• Process KPIs confirmed: OEE, throughput, downtime cost, labor cost, scrap rate, etc.
• Dollar quantification: Any specific numbers, hours, or financial impact they shared

These are the anchors for every follow-up. The exact KPIs in the customer's own words become your follow-up email language and your CRM record.

Capture What You Observed (5 min)

Voice memo or written notes. Brain-dump style. Do not edit. Do not organize. Capture raw.

• Robot brands visible: What did you see on the floor?
• Distributor signals: Service stickers, training certificates, branded merchandise?
• Plant condition: Clean, organized, chaotic, well-maintained, neglected?
• Bottlenecks observed: Where was the line slow? Where was WIP piling up?
• Manual stations: Where is automation missing? What are operators doing?
• Safety + cleanroom signals: Safety maturity, classified cleanroom presence, regulatory environment?
• Lobby tells: Customer logos, awards, vendor recognition?
• Plant walk observations tied to KPIs: What confirmed or contradicted their stated KPI pressure?

Capture What People Said (3 min)

Customer quotes verbatim. The exact language matters. Your follow-up email and your CRM note should use their words, not yours.

• The KPIs they named in their words
• The drivers they cited: Labor shortage, regulatory pressure, customer demand, capital window
• Competitors mentioned: Brands, distributors, integrators
• Frustrations expressed: What did they complain about?
• Stated decision process: Who decides? What is the timeline? What is the budget cycle?
• Phrases that stuck out: Anything you want to use back to them in follow-up

Map the Stakeholders (2 min)

Quick mental map of who was in the room.

• For each person: name, title, role they played in the meeting, their apparent stance (champion / neutral / skeptic)
• Power map: Who has authority? Who has influence? Who is decoupled?
• Internal dynamics: Who agreed with whom? Where was tension?
• Who is missing? Who should have been in the room and was not?

This map drives your follow-up strategy. The missing stakeholder is often your next visit objective.

Identify the Next Step (1 min)

You should have agreed on a next step before leaving the meeting. Now confirm it in writing.

• What did you commit to? Send case studies, schedule app engineer visit, propose a quote
• What did they commit to? Review materials, intro you to additional stakeholders, share specs
• Deadline: When is the next conversation scheduled?

Send the follow-up calendar invite or email TODAY. Not tomorrow. Today.

Set Your Win Probability (1 min)

Honest assessment, not optimistic guess. Pipeline accuracy matters more than pipeline volume.

• 10-25 percent: Discovery only, no clear timeline, no committed budget, multiple competitors present
• 25-50 percent: Clear timeline, identified pain, but heavy competition or uncertain decision process
• 50-70 percent: Champion identified, clear timeline, budget approved, you are in the consideration set
• 70-90 percent: Champion plus economic buyer engaged, clear decision criteria, you are the front-runner
• 90+ percent: Contract terms discussed, final review only, no major surprises expected

If you cannot honestly justify above 25 percent after a discovery visit, plan a different next step than the one you committed to. Adjust strategy.

Visit 1 · Discovery + KPI Confirmation + Plant Walk

Objective: Confirm growth or profitability orientation, confirm commercial and process KPIs, identify business problem, map stakeholders, identify incumbent, build initial trust. The plant walk here is observation level, you are seeing what they show you and tying it to confirmed KPIs.

Who attends: You alone. Or with your inside sales partner if they have been working the account.

What you bring: Notebook, business cards, 2 leave-behinds.

What you leave with: Confirmed KPIs in customer's words, stakeholder map, competitive incumbent identified, 3 to 5 quantified pain points, and the committed next step: a scheduled line walk. Before you leave, propose it: "What I'd like to do next is come back with one of our application engineers and walk the specific line where this is hurting you most, not the whole plant, just that line, in detail. That's how we put a real number on what this is costing you and what fixing it is worth. Can we get that on the calendar?"

Visit 2 · The Line Walk · Quantify Business Impact & Cost of Inaction

Objective: Go deep on the one line or cell that the discovery flagged. Where the plant walk was observation level, the line walk is a detailed, resourced investigation: cycle-by-cycle observation, real measurements, and the data you need to build the cost of inaction in the customer's own numbers. This is the visit that converts interest into a quantified business case.

Why it is a separate visit: A plant walk shows you the landscape. A line walk shows you the economics. You cannot build a credible cost-of-inaction model from a walkthrough, you need to study the specific process, its throughput, its labor dependency, its downtime, and its quality losses, with a technical eye. This is the difference between "we observed some opportunities" and "this line is costing you $X a month, and here is the math."

Who attends: You + your Application Engineer or SI / Solutions Group resource (your in-house) or manufacturer Application Specialist. For regulated industries, a validation specialist. The technical resource is what makes the line walk more rigorous than the plant walk.

What you bring: The KPIs confirmed in visit 1, a cost-of-inaction worksheet, and the right questions to measure the line: takt, cycle time, staffing on the station, downtime frequency, scrap and rework rate, and the cost of each.

What you leave with: A quantified cost of inaction agreed with the customer (the compounding monthly loss of the status quo), confirmed application fit, the specific business impact RO1 or the recommended solution would deliver, and the customer's validation of the number. This number anchors every visit that follows.

Visit 3 · Application Engineer / Technical Deep Dive

Objective: Establish technical credibility on the specific solution. Show that you understand their application, surface integration constraints, and translate the line-walk findings into a specific product recommendation. Validate or update the discovery.

Who attends: You + Application Engineer (your in-house) or manufacturer Application Specialist. For regulated industries, a validation specialist.

What you bring: Specific product positioning for their application. Technical proof points. Reference architecture if available. A value proposition mapped to the cost of inaction quantified in the line walk.

What you leave with: Confirmed application fit, specific product recommendation, technical objections identified.

Visit 4 · Demo or Customer Reference

Objective: Provide proof. Either a product demo at your facility or theirs, or a reference visit to a similar customer. The demo proves the case the line walk quantified, it is not the opening move.

Who attends: Customer technical team comes to you, or you take them to a reference site. For high-value accounts, consider a manufacturer factory visit.

What you bring: Working demonstration of the recommended solution. Reference customer case study tied to the same KPIs. ROI model populated with their actual numbers and the cost of inaction from the line walk, net of Section 179 where applicable.

What you leave with: Reduced perceived risk, technical confidence, advocacy from the customer's technical team back to their stakeholders.

Visit 5 · Proposal Review

Objective: Walk through the formal proposal. Confirm scope, commercial terms, timing, deliverables. Identify objections before they become deal-killers.

Who attends: You + Solutions Group lead + champion + technical authority + procurement (if commercial is decided).

What you bring: Detailed proposal, clear scope, references, implementation plan, commercial terms. Each value driver tied to a confirmed KPI from visit 1 and the cost of inaction quantified in the line walk.

What you leave with: Confirmed objections, negotiation points identified, path to close clear.

Visit 6 · Executive Briefing (Strategic Accounts Only)

Objective: Engage senior leadership in the customer organization. Position the partnership at strategic level, not just project level.

Who attends: You + your senior leadership (Director, VP) + customer executive (VP Ops, COO, CFO).

What you bring: Strategic partnership story. Industry investment narrative. Solutions Group as a multi-year operational asset. References from peer companies. Margin, growth, and cost-of-inaction math.

What you leave with: Executive sponsorship, strategic positioning, foundation for multi-project expansion.

Visit 7 and Beyond · Negotiation, Close, Implementation

Final commercial negotiation, contract execution, kickoff meeting, implementation oversight. The visit cadence shifts from "selling" to "delivering" and eventually to "expanding."

For accounts that close successfully, the next visit cycle begins immediately: expansion into other lines, other sites, other product categories. Field selling does not end at close. It transitions into account management.