The world of engineering and manufacturing software is evolving. Digital transformation plays a crucial role in driving the changes occurring in industrial companies. I found it to be an interesting intersection of trends, technologies, business strategies. Software vendors, service companies, and industrial companies are all looking how to find their future path in this transformation. In the technological world, no one wants to sell commodities. I’ve heard debates about computer aided design (CAD) to be a commodity during the recent Siemens PLM Component conference in Boston. Everyone is looking for a strategy strategy that will differentiate them from others. But what to do if all major PLM platforms are 25+ years old?
Recently, I’ve noticed a surge of conversations focused on the importance of addressing business needs when selling and implementing product lifecycle management (PLM) solutions. Jos Voskuil is tireless thinker about how to sell business needs and not technology offered his perspective in two articles here and here. My favorite passage and the place where I completely agree with Jos is about focus on business needs and how your organization will change in 5-10 years before committing to any technology and products.
The challenge for all these [PLM] software vendors is why a company would consider buying their products. A growing issue for them is also why would they like to change their existing PLM system to another one, as there is so much legacy. For all of these vendors, success can come if champions inside the targeted company understand the technology and can translate its needs into their daily work. Here, we meet the internal PLM team, which is motivated by the technology and wants to spread the message to the organization. Often, with no or limited success, as the value and the context they are considering are not understood or felt as urgent.
Although I think the motivation by technology is important because it is unlikely that 30 years old PLM platforms can solve modern manufacturing problems. But starting from technology is the wrong way.
It made me think about how PLM has been sold over the last 20 years and why many vendors and salespeople are facing difficulties today. Here are my thoughts on how to break down three key sales approaches in PLM: the early days of PDM-focused selling, the consulting-based approach, and the emerging trend of dialogue and authority-based sales. The borders between them might be blurred, but they can show you the trend.
PDM Boiler Room Selling
In the early days of PLM, sales were largely focused on product data management (PDM). The use case of solutions was relatively simple, with a strong focus on managing files and handling engineering approval processes (so called release). It was a standard workflow with steps and appovals. Most sales tactics were driven by CAD systems and document management, with the main pitch being: “Our solution is the best for managing our CAD files.” The goal was to resolve issues related to CAD compatibility, engineering changes, and file management. It was a process of selling features using CAD dominance. Most sales conflicts were resolved through functional benchmarks and pressure from CAD vendors to align on specific features or versions.
During this time, the PLM systems sales process was less about solving broader business problems and more about addressing specific technical needs within the engineering department. It was essentially a “boiler room” style of selling, driven by technical requirements of engineering release process management rather than strategic business outcomes.
Consulting-Based Best Practices Sales
As PLM solutions evolved, so did their complexity. The focus shifted beyond file management to broader organizational challenges, which pushed sales tactics into a new era: consulting-based sales. This is where most PLM sales reside today. The focus of this approach is problem-solving through inquiry – asking prospects questions like, “What keeps you awake at night?” or “How would you like to see a solution solve your business problems?” The shift towards consulting-based sales was driven by the expanding scope of PLM.
Companies were now dealing with problems that extended beyond CAD data management—such as product lifecycle, supply chain integration, and enterprise collaboration. The questions became more complex, and the goal was to match those problems with typical solution patterns offered by the PLM software. However, this approach often results in “matching to the best practices,” where sales reps follow a formula rather than deeply engaging with the unique needs of each business and customer feedback.
Dialogue and Authority Trust-Based Sales
Where is the future, in my view? Today, the information is available, Google can find you answers and recommendation to practically anything. Moreover, ChatGPT reads the information published online, in the blogs and other resources and can practically generate a content that statistically “sounds right” . Where should be sales team focus these days?
In my view, we are now entering a new era – dialogue and authority trust-based sales. This approach is built on human trust and transparency, with the rise of industry thought leadership and social influencing playing a significant role. Unlike consulting-based sales, where the focus is on uncovering the pain points through predefined questions and industry best practices, this new model emphasizes establishing trust through transparent dialogue, authority in the domain, and openness about what the company and its solutions offer.
This sales approach is less about asking, “What is your business goal?” and more about triggering prospects to realize their own needs through open discussions. Thought leadership, social media presence, and transparency help prospects see a vendor as an authority, guiding them to conclude on their own why they need the solution. The foundation of this method is trust—building a relationship where the prospect feels confident that the vendor understands their problems and can provide the right solution.
What is my conclusion?
Customers aren’t waking up each day with the goal of purchasing new software or replace the existing one. Their focus is on solving their business problems. PLM sales are evolving from the early days of CAD dominant sales pitches focused on PDM problems of the past, through the consulting-heavy business problem solving era, to a new future built on trust, dialogue, and authority to help customers to understand their problems. It doesn’t matter if they use “P”, “L”, or “M” letters or words. The dialog and trust matters. In my view, PLM sales organizations who master this new model will be best positioned to lead PLM sales in the future.
By helping customers to understand and recognize their product development process and manufacturing process business challenges, companies can drive the next wave of successful PLM implementations. Just my thoughts…
Best, Oleg
Disclaimer: I’m the co-founder and CEO of OpenBOM, a digital-thread platform providing cloud-native PDM, PLM, and ERP capabilities. With extensive experience in federated CAD-PDM and PLM architecture, I’m advocates for agile, open product models and cloud technologies in manufacturing. My opinion can be unintentionally biased.
