North American Association of Sales Engineers
Expert Job-Related Advice for Certified Sales Engineers
As you may already be aware, certified sales engineers occupy a vital and influential position within the sales landscape. They serve as the crucial link between intricate technical knowledge and the art of implementing effective sales strategies. If you’re a certified sales engineer, you have a unique skill set. In essence, you’re able to effectively navigate through a plethora of complex processes that are directly related to selling your products and or services. That being said, you can always learn a bit more about the industry in general in order to set yourself up for success. On that note, the following information will provide you with practical advice, guidance, insights and tips that will help you advance your career as a certified sales engineer.
Leverage Your Certification
Did you know that being a certified sales engineer gives you a competitive edge in your industry? Basically, your certification validates your expertise and demonstrates your commitment to professional growth. However, you need to showcase your certification proudly, and leverage it in order to build credibility with your customers, clients, current employer and potential employers. The bottom line here is that you need to let everyone know that you have both the knowledge and skills to create valid solutions that will not only meet, but far exceed their needs and expectations.
Let your clients know that you have the knowledge and skills to provide tailored solutions that meet their specific needs.
- Stay Updated on Industry Trends: To excel as a sales engineer, you must stay ahead of the curve in terms of industry trends and technological advancements. Make it a priority to continuously educate yourself about emerging technologies, market dynamics, and customer demands. This knowledge will help you position yourself as a trusted advisor to your clients, offering insights and solutions that align with their evolving needs.
- Hone Your Communication Skills: Effective communication is at the heart of successful sales engineering. As a certified sales engineer, focus on honing your communication skills to clearly convey complex technical concepts to both technical and non-technical stakeholders. Adapt your communication style to resonate with different audiences and ensure they understand the value and benefits of your offerings. Strong communication skills will help you build rapport and trust with your clients.
- Develop Consultative Selling Techniques: Sales engineering is about more than just selling products; it’s about providing consultative solutions. Embrace a consultative selling approach by truly understanding your clients’ pain points and challenges. Ask probing questions, actively listen, and provide customized solutions that address their specific needs. By positioning yourself as a trusted advisor, you’ll not only close deals but also build long-term partnerships.
- Collaborate Effectively with Teams: Sales engineers thrive in collaborative environments. Partner closely with your sales and technical teams to leverage their expertise and ensure a seamless customer experience. Foster open communication channels, share knowledge, and work together to overcome challenges. By collaborating effectively, you’ll create a cohesive team that can deliver exceptional results for your clients.
- Embrace Continuous Professional Development: Certification is just the beginning of your journey as a sales engineer. Embrace a mindset of continuous professional development. Seek out training opportunities, attend industry events, and network with fellow professionals to expand your knowledge and stay up to date with the latest trends. Continuously enhancing your skills and expertise will keep you ahead of the curve and enable you to provide innovative solutions to your clients.
Conclusion: Congratulations on being a certified sales engineer! The North American Association of Sales Engineers proudly sponsors this article to support your professional growth. By leveraging your certification, staying updated on industry trends, honing your communication skills, adopting a consultative selling approach, collaborating effectively with teams, and embracing continuous professional development, you’ll navigate the sales engineering landscape with confidence and success. Remember, as a certified sales engineer, you have the knowledge and skills to make a significant impact on your clients’ businesses. So, go out there and embrace the opportunities that lie ahead!
Written by Josh Leventhal (Info@SpreadTheWordMarketing.com)
Boosting Productivity for Sales Engineers: Unleashing AI for Smarter Solutions
I often say Sales Engineers are like the special forces of the revenue team – we’re brought in to not only highlight technical features but also champion customers’ pain points and demonstrate how the product can best address them practically. In my 8 years as a SE, I’ve evolved beyond creating product demos and coding in pre-sales activities, taking on multiple hats – some even say I moonlight as a Swiss Army knife for the revenue team!
In this thrilling journey, I’ve become proficient in everything from CRMs, Product Management software, to creating business cases for new initiatives. So, it’s no surprise that like special forces, SEs like me adopt cutting-edge tools to stay razor-sharp. This is how I became an early adopter of ChatGPT, and using AI as a force enabler has multiplied my productivity while keeping both internal and external “customers” happy. Here’s a rundown of the various ways I’ve harnessed the power of ChatGPT as a Sales Engineer:
- Refining product demo video scripts and generating voiceovers: ChatGPT has helped me create polished and engaging scripts for product demos. With the right prompts, it not only improved my talk tracks but also provided transitions and visuals. Then, I added another layer of AI for text-to-speech voiceovers – it’s like an AI inception: AI-written scripts spoken by AI, talking about AI. Mind-blowing, right?
- Assisting with coding and providing code solutions to specific client problems: ChatGPT has been instrumental in guiding me through the coding process and offering tailored code solutions for client issues. I can provide email conversations, and it generates accurate code solutions with faster turnaround times. It also fine-tunes my responses to technical queries by proofreading them for clarity and context.
- Answering RFPs and Security Questionnaires: Crafting contextualized answers based on existing knowledge is made easier, allowing me to focus on proofreading for accuracy and ensuring faster turnaround.
- Conducting competitor analysis to highlight our product’s competitive edge: ChatGPT digs deep into competitors’ offerings, comparing features, pricing, and more, so I can confidently showcase our product’s advantages.
- Creating and updating technical documentation, such as user guides and FAQs: ChatGPT has been a lifesaver in generating and updating technical documents, ensuring our customers have access to accurate, up-to-date product information.
- Developing comprehensive training materials for both internal and external stakeholders: ChatGPT’s assistance allows me to develop and update training resources, streamlining onboarding and ongoing learning.
- Crafting personalized customer outreach messages for improved engagement: ChatGPT helps me draft personalized emails and LinkedIn messages for prospects, making my outreach efforts more engaging and relevant, and refining my reposts of our organization’s social outreach.
- Preparing for meetings with suggested talking points and insights into customer concerns: ChatGPT has been a game-changer in generating talking points, responses to potential objections, and insights into customer concerns for my meetings. I can also review call recordings and compare them with my notes to create clear summaries of customer meetings, capturing key points, decisions, and action items.
There are other avenues where SE’s can also use AI for enablement, such as collaborating with marketing teams to create content like blog posts, whitepapers, and case studies or analyzing historical data to create accurate sales forecasts and identify potential pipeline bottlenecks. So the use cases will continue to grow as AI becomes the force multiplier it is.
Now for the disclaimer – while productivity gains have been significant, it’s essential to consider the potential privacy concerns when using ChatGPT for these use cases. Some concerns that organizations may have include:
- Sharing sensitive customer information: When using ChatGPT to craft proposals or personalized outreach messages, there’s a risk of exposing sensitive customer information to the AI.
- Intellectual property protection: Utilizing ChatGPT for tasks like coding, creating marketing materials, or generating technical documents could potentially lead to concerns about protecting the organization’s intellectual property – think of it as keeping the secret sauce recipe safe.
- Data storage and access: As ChatGPT processes and generates content, there may be concerns about where this data is stored, who has access to it, and how securely it is managed.
- Compliance with industry-specific regulations: Certain industries, such as finance and healthcare, have strict regulations regarding data privacy and security. Organizations in these sectors may be hesitant to adopt AI solutions like ChatGPT without a thorough evaluation and understanding of the potential risks – better safe than sorry, right?
To address these privacy concerns, both SEs and their organizations can take the following measures:
- Anonymize sensitive data: Before sharing any customer information with ChatGPT, ensure that personally identifiable information (PII) is removed or anonymized.
- Implement access controls: Establish strict access controls to limit who can use ChatGPT and what information they can share with the AI, reducing the risk of unauthorized access or data exposure.
- Secure data storage: Ensure that data storage and processing systems adhere to industry best practices and security standards, reducing the likelihood of data breaches.
- Regularly review AI-generated content: Periodically review the content generated by ChatGPT to ensure it aligns with your organization’s privacy policies and industry regulations – trust, but verify.
There’s no doubt that the AI revolution sparked by ChatGPT has made it an invaluable tool in my Sales Engineer toolkit, boosting my productivity and efficiency across a multitude of tasks. After all, AI is here to stay beyond just ChatGPT – we will all be seeing products and tools which Sales Engineer’s speak to incorporating AI more and more. By harnessing the power of AI, I can focus on what I do best – solving complex customer problems and driving business growth. While privacy concerns are valid, with the right precautions and responsible usage, organizations can benefit from the incredible potential that AI solutions like ChatGPT have to offer. And just like that, we’ve leveled up in the game of sales engineering!
Special thanks to the author of this article Faraz
Why did I choose PreSales engineering as a profession?
Upon graduating from college, I networked and got my first job as a Technical Application Consultant at Kronos, now UKG. I found myself, in terms of what motivates me and brings me joy. I had several amazing experiences that allowed me to sum up my “why” in a clear cohesive way. I called it my three T’s which stands for Technical, Train, and Travel. It’s ironic because as I write this post, I’m mid-flight to Melbourne Australia, reviewing APIs docs, in preparation to deliver a 4-day workshop and training session to a prospect. Let me dive into what I mean by these three T’s a little further.
Technical – I love learning about new technology and how the tech can be used to efficiently solve problems. The outcome I’m searching for is how to streamline workflows to give people their time back to reinvest in solving higher caliber business concerns. Whether I’m advising on the right API for the job, recommending the best partnership integration to manage a business, or submitting a bug fix to patch the code, this is what brings me happiness.
Train – I believe in never keeping a good thing quiet. I love sharing knowledge, my learnings, and helping others acquire necessary skill sets to do their jobs. I initially found this passion on my first day teaching as an undergraduate teaching assistant at Indiana University under the guidance of professor Charles Pope. We were learning how to build websites and I witnessed students use their creativity to build something that reflected what they were passionate about. My love for teaching has evolved into the workforce and encapsulates both enterprise and small to medium sized businesses.
Travel – Who doesn’t love to see the world? Traveling to new places, immersing myself into various cultures, and living like the locals are parts of life that I discovered were most important to me. By incorporating travel into my career I found I was getting the best of both worlds. I use my experience in various locations and share it with my clients. I share stories on how other businesses are solving their problems in their own unique way and find relatable ways to solve problems in a global fashion.
This article was written by NAASE Advisory Board Member Mary Carter. To learn more about Mary, visit https://www.linkedin.com/in/maryecarter/
Key skills for sales engineers to leverage T-MEC and nearshoring
In recent years, the phenomenon of nearshoring has gained momentum in Mexico, which has significant implications for the United States in terms of trade and investment. Nearshoring refers to the outsourcing of services and commercial activities to suppliers located in nearby or neighboring countries, rather than doing so in distant or off-continent locations.
In the case of Mexico, the entry into force of the T-MEC (United States-Mexico-Canada
Agreement) in 2020 has been a catalyst for the increase in nearshoring, as the treaty
establishes new trade rules among the three countries, promoting investment and economic growth in the region.
Nearshoring in Mexico has significant implications for the United States, as many of the
investors and companies that are outsourcing services and commercial activities are American or have their headquarters there. Therefore, nearshoring is expected to increase trade and investment between the two countries, as well as increase competition in national and international markets.
It is time for suppliers to take advantage of this opportunity and offer world-class products and services to the industry arriving in the country.
For sales engineers in Mexico, this implies that they must be prepared to meet the needs of the new companies arriving in the country through this phenomenon. This includes a deep understanding of the needs and expectations of these companies, as well as the ability to communicate and relate effectively with them. Now more than ever, it is important to act as a consultant when selling and know how to assist others.
In terms of skills that sales engineers should acquire to show their products or services to new companies with appropriate professionalism, it is important to highlight the following:
Market knowledge: Sales engineers must have a detailed knowledge of the market in
which they want to sell their products or services, including the industry, competitors,
market trends, and local regulations.
Effective communication skills: Sellers must have effective communication skills to
establish trust relationships with customers, understand their needs, and convey the
benefits and features of their products or services.
Intercultural skills: Given that many of the investors and companies outsourcing
services and commercial activities in Mexico are American, sellers must have
intercultural skills to communicate effectively and establish trust relationships with clients
from different cultures. Of course, English language skills are essential to add value.
Technical knowledge: To sell technical products or services, sellers must have
adequate technical knowledge to understand the technical features of the products and
services they are offering.
Negotiation skills: In the sales process, there will always be situations that require
strong negotiation skills. Sellers must have the ability to understand the customer’s point
of view and be prepared to make concessions to close a deal.
In conclusion, nearshoring in Mexico has significant implications for the United States in terms of trade and investment. Sales engineers must be prepared to meet the needs of the new companies arriving in Mexico through this phenomenon, acquiring skills that go far beyond quality, price, and specification compliance. With these skills, sales engineers can establish solid and lasting business relationships with companies that are outsourcing services and commercial activities in Mexico, allowing them to make the most of the opportunities offered by nearshoring and T-MEC. In summary, sales engineers who are prepared and acquire the appropriate skills can thrive in the context of nearshoring in Mexico and capitalize on the growing investment and trade market between the United States and Mexico.
Thanks to the Author of this article Luis Vasquez.
Presales at a SaaS FinTech Company
What makes the ideal Solutions Engineer or Pre Sales Engineer for a SaaS Financial Technology company?
I manage a global team at GoCardless and want to help folks, worldwide, decide if this role is right for them! When hiring I’m seeking at least three core traits; Collaboration, Curiosity / Drive, and Ability to prioritize.
When I reflect on my time as a Solutions Engineer, across a few organizations, I found some of the most rewarding experiences were when I exercised these traits.
1. Collaboration – As my previous mentor, Matt Doar at ServiceRocket, used to say, “We don’t hire a**holes”. There’s something special about a person who’s vulnerable enough to admit they don’t know the answer and can ask for help when needed. Taking that a step further, once you’re in the role you’ll need to work across teams to solve complex problems. Understanding what my product teams were building, the KPIs they were benchmarked against, and why it was exciting to them was crucial. It’s important to do this before I needed their help with collaborating on an opportunity. By knowing these things before a sales call, it allowed me to be an advocate for my product team. I could brag on their behalf and talk about projects they’ve successfully implemented against timelines. Based on my catch ups with the team, I already knew about all the hard work they put into their projects. It illustrates the complete picture a prospect needed to see before buying. By having a tight relationship with my product teams we were able to move together in a truly team-oriented way.
2. Curiosity / Drive – Having a natural sense of curiosity, attention to detail, intrinsic motivation, and pride in your work are crucial aspects that roll up into this trait. Are you proud of the work you are delivering? Does the company and industry align with your personal why? These are the questions I’ve asked myself, or simply know about myself, before delivering against my quota. 3. Ability to prioritize. I like to ask this question during interviews, “how do you go about prioritizing work when you have many teams competing for your time?” The ability to prioritize in a thoughtful, proactive, and productive way is crucial to your success and success of the overall business. Quite often you are the only one that can make a quick decision on how to manage your workload. Is your decision criteria process going to set you up for success? When I deliver on the higher prioritized tasks, I often solve more problems that way. It’s a bonus to the last person who gets my help because likely I’m more attuned to other solutions that may be problems they aren’t even aware of yet and could help them in the future.
3. Ability to prioritize. I like to ask this question during interviews, “how do you go about prioritizing work when you have many teams competing for your time?” The ability to prioritize in a thoughtful, proactive, and productive way is crucial to your success and success of the overall business. Quite often you are the only one that can make a quick decision on how to manage your workload. Is your decision criteria process going to set you up for success? When I deliver on the higher prioritized tasks, I often solve more problems that way. It’s a bonus to the last person who gets my help because likely I’m more attuned to other solutions that may be problems they aren’t even aware of yet and could help them in the future.
This article was written by NAASE Advisory Board Member Mary Carter. To learn more about Mary, visit https://www.linkedin.com/in/maryecarter/
Practical Advice and Optimism Amidst the Changing COVID19 Technical Sales Cycle
Today NAASE conducted our first industry conference call, for Association members and for other invited guests. We discussed several topics, including the best tips on being successful as a SE, as well as how work has changed due to COVID19 and what that might mean 6-8 months from now.
Professionals from a variety of industries, including software/IT, building materials, automation, and industrial, came together for an open exchange. Some tidbits that came up include:
Why does my partner Account Executive make twice what I earn?
Is the SE “road warrior” mentality of 2019 and prior really gone for good?
How being stagnant/complacent in your position can be the true career wrecker.
The North American Association of Sales Engineers wants to thanks those the registered and those that attended our first event. We aim to provide similar engaging conversation in the months to come. Please check out our website and our Blog Page for regular timely industry articles from a variety of sources, and consider joining us a member.
Thank you-
Ken Lambert, President
