The Art of Sales and Testing: Bug Advocacy and Negotiations

As QA and software testing professionals, we’re well aware of the necessity of finding and fixing bugs in order to produce a successful and high-quality product. However, non-testers don’t always share this point of view. So how, then, are testers supposed to influence and educate clients on the severity of bugs?

Join us as Randy Wetmore, VP of Sales and Marketing at PQA and Co-Founder of yvrTesting, and Jim Peers, QA Practitioner at PQA, talk about the art of sales and testing when it comes to bug advocacy and negotiations. This presentation will combine Randy’s sales experience and strategies with Jim’s testing expertise to develop a tester’s negotiation skills in order to help clients understand why bugs should be addressed. Gain more insight on why providing non-testers with correct and relevant testing information makes it easier to show them your point-of-view and to educate them about the value of testing.

Bug advocacy provides facts and data that help make informed decisions as to which bugs most urgently require attention. Who should be doing the advocacy? What tone should it take? Who are the people who should be receiving the advocacy? Or should we even be advocating for bugs at all? Jim will provide you with a definition of bug advocacy and advice on when and how to advocate for bugs throughout your project.

How about when it comes to negotiating from a tester’s point of view? How do you find common ground and an attainable criteria when discussing a project with your client? By breaking down sales approaches and concepts of negotiation, Randy will share his knowledge on how to achieve the best outcome for you, your company, your client, and their project.

As always, feel free to contact us with any questions, concerns, or ideas that you might have.

See you there!

Bio: Jim Peers, QA Practitioner at PQA

Jim Peers is a QA Practitioner at PQA Testing, with more than sixteen years of experience in software development and testing in multiple industry verticals. After working in the scientific research realm for a number of years, Jim moved into software development, holding roles as tester, test architect, developer, team lead, project manager, and product manager. A trusted technical advisor to clients, Jim creates test strategies, and mentors and assists testers on multiple projects.

Bio: Randy Wetmore, VP of Sales and Marketing at PQA

Randy Wetmore is the VP of Sales & Marketing with PQA and is responsible for building and maintaining new and existing client relations throughout PQA's entire client portfolio. Randy assists clients in understanding the services and delivery options available and in aligning delivery solutions with procurement and budgetary constraints. Randy oversees engagements across the Retail, Education, Finance, Technology, Gaming, Public/Crown Corporation and Insurance sectors.