<p>There&rsquo;s a lot more to technical work &hellip;</p>

<p>&hellip; than technology, as anyone in contact with clients will know&mdash;and most engineers, scientists and technicians have some sort of client to worry about. Experience shows that the relational and commercial aspects of customer-facing technical roles are as difficult as the &lsquo;hard science&rsquo;. And, to succeed professionally, you have to shine in all these areas &hellip; simultaneously!</p>

<p><em>Client Encounters of the Technical Kind</em> describes a set of tools and methods that help &lsquo;Customer-Facing Engineers&rsquo; to overcome this constant challenge. Based on over 20 years&rsquo; experience in direct customer support as well as the management and training of field support teams, the book addresses Sales, Support and &lsquo;Own Organisation&rsquo; topics, and also tackles delicate issues, such as how to stand up to customers whose views you do not share. Using a wide range of practical examples, it:</p>

<ul>
<li>Helps engineers to bring new and existing customers over to their point of view</li>
<li>Improves support outcomes by facilitating the analysis of client situations, making it easier to choose the right next steps</li>
<li>Enables engineers to challenge their customers in a constructive and low-risk manner</li>
<li>Gives a structure to pre- and post-sales work, facilitating teamwork and helping engineers consolidate their experience.</li>
</ul>

<p>Topics and tools are organised around a five-step Encounter Process, making them simple to learn and remember, and web-based resources facilitate day-to-day recall and use. The system of tools and methods, called ICON9^&reg;, has proved its worth in many companies&mdash;small, large and multinational&mdash;where Customer-Facing Engineers are recognised as being critical to success in Business-to-Business (B2B) operations.</p>