Constant team or varied partners? What works best in sales engineering?
I’ve worked in both situations. Sometimes as an SE I worked exclusively, or close to exclusively with one salesperson (AE). I’ve also worked with different AEs depending on industry or geography. I’ve liked both.
I struggled with the 1:1 only because I just didn’t connect with the AE’s style. But even then, over time we learned to work well and efficiently together.
I was an SE in the software industry. I watched my husband work in a 1:1 team arrangement in the medical diagnostic equipment industry. He was the AE. He worked with one SE. They were a strong team who were friendly as well as efficient. For them, it seemed to work perfectly.
I didn’t like working with different AEs all the time. Didn’t hate it but it was hard to establish an efficient cadence.
So what are the pros and cons?
1:1 | 1:Several | |
---|---|---|
Efficiency You get to know each other and develop shortcuts | + | |
More deals to work Especially important in areas like Canada with less ability to segment market due to population | + | |
Creativity Working with different people should naturally bring new & approaches that could be lost in getting used to doing things the same way. | + | |
Need for rapport Always important. But with 1:1 more critical. | ± | ± |
What do you think? Tell us in the comments below.

Ready to Join NAASE?
Join the premier community for Sales Engineers to network, share insights, and accelerate your professional growth across North America.
Become a Member