What important step should partners take when preparing for customer engagements?

Understanding the customer’s business problems and goals is crucial for partners when preparing for engagements. This step serves as the foundation for building a meaningful relationship with the customer. By comprehensively grasping the challenges they face and their objectives, partners can tailor their solutions to meet specific needs, aligning AWS services effectively with the customer’s strategic direction. This approach not only demonstrates an investment in the customer's success but also enhances the likelihood of providing valuable, customized solutions.

Through this understanding, partners can communicate more effectively, present relevant case studies, and suggest practical implementations that directly address the customer’s pain points. This engagement goes beyond product features; it focuses on delivering value that resonates with the customer's vision, thereby fostering trust and long-term partnerships.

Other steps, such as developing a marketing strategy, reviewing competition's offerings, or designing a product prototype, are also important aspects of business development but do not directly address the fundamental need to relate to and understand the customer's unique context, which is essential for successful engagement.