Sales Engineering

I have been working as a sales engineer for the last 15 years across a variety of markets.  I have been focused on the cyber space for the last 7 or so years.  I came into sales engineering from a different direction that most do, which is more typically from being a technician.  My background in selling goes all the way back to retail in 1989. I spent some time in management and running several of my own businesses before pursuing sales engineer roles.

Much of my success as a sales engineer is less about the technology and being the technical guru and more about applying good business and sales practices as well as basic psychology.  I tend to be very concise about what I say to prospects and do my best to let THEM talk.  I work with my reps to be very considerate of our prospect's time and to get to the point and above all be honest.  People hate being lied to or fed BS.  I have been a technical buyer for many businesses and I tend to incorporate what I liked and disliked into my selling process.  I have also been a direct seller so I also incorporate those skills into working and advancing opportunities.

Knowing the tech is still important!  I know quite a bit of detail about quite a bit of technology, but I don't know everything, I never will and I don't need to.  What I can say though is I have an incredible foundation and can come up to speed on new technologies quicker than others.  More importantly I can do it at the right level of abstraction needed to close deals.   Sometimes deeper and other times more shallow.   At times extreme technical depth in a product is what it takes to sell but often times that is not what is needed.  I can figure out what level of technicality is needed to make the deals happen.

Creating a demo system filled with the right data to engage prospects is crucial. While it may seem straightforward, it often proves complex in practice. I have crafted storylines for demo systems and established processes for populating them with scripted and live API data. Additionally, I have explored market options for streamlining this process through demo automation systems. These systems can sometimes be used to structure a POV in a way that reduces the risks and deal velocity loss that can arise from using customer data.

I have a great deal of experience with this beloved task. I collaborate with representatives to establish search criteria, assist them interactively during searches, and can independently conduct a significant amount of this work. My capabilities extend to managing lists for email campaigns and making outbound calls. These are tasks I've undertaken while self-selling and occasionally in collaboration with or on behalf of representatives. Within the Federal domain, I navigate systems to pinpoint competitor renewals that could be vulnerable to competition, akin to having a personal Business Development Representative.

In the tech sales arena, selling licenses is becoming less common; instead, we're focusing on ARR and ensuring high renewal rates is crucial. I am equipped to collaborate with your Customer Experience team, if available, or directly engage with customers to implement strategies that have proven to maintain high renewal rates.

While I have not been in a leadership role as a sales engineer that doesn't mean I have not been leading.  I have been leading reps in approach and methods.  I have been leading organizations by giving them the advice needed to make the teams and selling effective.  I have also been leading by directly influencing other sales engineers and sales processes.  If you have the opportunity for a direct leadership role, I have the experience as a sales engineer as well as my experience in past roles as a leader.

Even if I don't have direct experience with your technology I am going to be more effective in a shorter period than someone who has the technical background but less experience in sales and business.  There is money to be made from the business, soft skills and selling skills I bring to the table.  I have been selling since the late 80's and, partnered with just a decent rep, I can turn over better numbers than other people you will hire.  Don't get me wrong, often the difference of being the "Rock Star" or not has to do with product fit to market, the competitive landscape and overall market conditions.  My experience will tilt the scale to your favor if you have me selling with your rep.