[mindcrime]

Don't focus on people who have already made technology choices and are just looking for staff augmentation. Focus on the business value you can create, regardless of the tech stack, and seek out prospects who have the problem you solve, and care more about having the problem solved than about mandating a tech stack. Ideally, you want to be talking to LoB (Line of Business) leaders and executives, more than IT people. IT people care about stuff like "using C++ instead of Java" or "using Neo4J instead of FoundationDB", or "Using Angular 7.32.444.1.x.alpha.23j.br/3" instead of "Vue 42.0.0.0.0.42.42" or whatever. Try to avoid those people.

[lotyrin]

On the other hand, business people who don't care about their tech stack often have BIG blind spots in their conception of their desired solution, such as IT leaders that will slam the brakes on your solution if it doesn't fit into their vision of the technology world, who come out of the woodwork in the final hour and doom your project after a bunch of incorrect technology choices were made because the business folks neglected to warn you about these folks and their requirements in advance (even if you probe for this sort of thing, because the business folks choose to operate in a fiction where these people don't exist or are easily pacified).

[mindcrime]

Agreed. There is a definite process to work through to ensure that all these various bases are covered. It's not easy but there's a lot of good information out there on how to manage it all. I recommend Customercentric Selling and/or Exceptional Selling as two books that contain a lot of quality advice about engaging with business leaders in a selling situation.

[nightkoder]

Thats great advice, and very hard for my tech fixated brain to think that way!