We The Sales Engineers: A Resource For Sales Engineers, By Sales Engineers

A few weeks ago a discussion started on LinkedIn about vendors providing pricing on their web page. Damian Tomasino was for (with nuance), and John Care was against (also with nuance).  So I thought it would be best to jump on a call with Damian and John to discuss their initial thoughts and the nuances of it.  In this chat, we dig into their insightful opinions on this “controversial” topic, the evolution of the sales engineer's role, and the need for improved collaboration amongst sales engineers, account executives, and marketing teams.  Show notes: https://wethesalesengineers.com/show293

All sales engineers watching this show have been through the recruiting process in the past. Some have had great experiences, and some have been ghosted. It is hard. But looking through the other end of the process, SE Managers and Directors have to recruit and make decisions that can either greatly improve the SE team, or bad behavior can permeate throughout.   Along with my guest Co-host, John Hodgson, we interview Jeff Margolese and David Schultz, both great SE leaders with different backgrounds and experiences as we discuss the best process to recruit SEs.  Show notes: https://wethesalesengineers.com/show292

We've talked about moving into sales in the past. How to prepare for it, and what to do once we get there. The discussion with Mike today is similar, but he shares his own experiences. Why he wanted to move? What it was like once he was in that role and what did he learn?   Show notes: https://wethesalesengineers.com/show291

Mohamad has an interesting story where he had to solve multiple problems in his life from leaving Egypt to the Gulf and then coming to the USA. From finding jobs that suit him, to learning on the job to do it.   Shownotes: https://wethesalesengineers.com/show290

Account Planning is something that Salespeople are responsible for. Many Sales Engineers try to stay away from that as it’s boring and many salespeople don’t come up with a good plan. However, in this video, I make the case why some Sales Engineers should be involved. Here are the questions that we will answer today:   What is an Account Plan? Who is responsible for the account plan? Why should SEs care about having a good account plan? Who would not participate in creating one?   And finally, how to Account Plan? Show Notes: https://wethesalesengineers.com/show289

Are there any more secrets in this world? Actually, I’m sure there is, so let’s narrow it down to what we do. Are there any more secrets to Sales Engineering? There are many out there posting, teaching, and sharing their information.   Fortunately, yes there are still some secrets. Some are hiding in plain sight, and some that we actually need to dig and research to highlight them. Today’s guest Aileen McNabb helps with that today!   Aileen has been on the podcast before (show 155), but if you don’t know here, she is a former SE Leader, and now she is a coach and author who just published her first of what hopefully be many books, one of which she will discuss here today. shownotes: https://wethesalesengineers.com/show288

This week I chatted with Nate Broome from CaptivateIQ to discuss his career, his challenges, and what he is doing today at CaptivateIQ to build a great sales team. Show notes: https://wethesalesengineers.com/show287  

Technology changes on what seems like to be a daily basis. How we sell has not changed in ages. Sure, they slap a new name and tweak a couple of terms, but the process of selling remains the same. SPIN Selling, Solution Selling, Challenge Sale, etc. But after covid, the PreSales role specifically has had to change. Those who see it coming can prepare, others will be left as Sales Support.   Today’s guest is Paul Harris, Principle Solution Architect at Loftware. We talked about his interesting journey, where he had to make tough decisions, after being pushed into things he had to get out of. We also talked about the evolution of sales engineering, what it was like before the pandemic vs now, and where Paul thinks it will be in the coming years.   

Many individuals are looking for a job, and there are many common complaints. “No one is responding to me”, “I’m being ghosted” etc.   In this episode, Ramzi discussed his thoughts about the job search, some rules, and how you can go about securing your next job. This is true whether you’re looking to break into Sales Engineering, or you’ve been doing this for many years.  

As Sales Engineers, our job is complex, but it’s very hard to do if we don’t stay on top of our learning. Therefore a great skill that we need to develop is continuous learning. Or even more importantly the skill to set time aside to do continuous learning or to learn on the fly!    Today’s podcast is an interview with Max Van Burke, Director of pre-sales at Pluralsight for EMEA. EMEA stands for Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. We will cover the topic of continuous learning, how Max tackles it, and what he expects his team to do as well.   And If you're not familiar with Pluralsight, it is a learning website that owns Cloud Guru that I’ve been using on my AWS journey! show notes: https://wethesalesengineers.com/show284

  Sales Engineering looks different in different companies. It looks different in the same company selling to different customers. And being able to service all different customer sizes is a skill that not many people have. Some organizations look for specific SEs with experience working with specific customers mainly since Sales Engineers method of working is very dependent on who they have worked with in the past.    And that is part of the discussion I have with Mohamed Barkhad today, a Customer Engineer at Google Cloud who has been a Sales Engineer for close to 10 years. We discuss how he shifted between roles and customers, how he shifted industries as well and how he learned to have tough conversations. Shownotes: https://wethesalesengineers.com/show283

Startup Founders act as Salespeople, sales engineers, product managers, and many other roles. There lies the problem because some who have no sales experience make many mistakes in the sales process, and those without presales experience make more mistakes in the presales process.   Show notes: https://wethesalesengineers.com/show282

One of the most important tasks that sales engineers need to do is practice their trade, and yet this is one of the most overlooked. Today, we discuss what it means to practice to be fully prepared, what we need to practice, and how we can go about it.   Show notes: https://wethesalesengineers.com/show281

Today we talk to Cathryn Prudence, an SE Manager from Calgary Canada. We discuss what Calgary is trying to do to become a tech hub, but most of our focus will be on hiring Sales Engineers from unorthodox backgrounds due to some limitations. Show notes at https://wethesalesengineers.com/show280

We all reach a plateau in life and in our careers. Some we recognize, others we don’t. Some we want to break through, and others we’re ok staying within. And this is the main topic of today with Chris White.   Chris is a friend of the show. He’s been on several times so far, and you can find links to his previous episodes below, but today is all about being in a rut, recognizing it, and then doing something about it. Chris shares the ruts that he’s been through in his career, how he overcame them, and how he thinks others can overcome their personal struggles.   show notes: https://wethesalesengineers.com/show279

Trevor Spires, an experienced Sales Engineer, characterizes the profession as full of highs and lows. In this episode, he discusses managing proof of concepts, sustaining momentum in product evaluations, and dealing with challenges. Trevor shares his lowest moments, emphasizing learning from failures, camaraderie within teams, and managing interactions with product managers. He highlights the unpredictable nature of outcomes, offering insights into maintaining resilience and knowledge. Tune in! https://wethesalesengineers.com/show278

Last week, I had the privilege of being a guest on Chris Bussing's podcast, and it was a huge success. Now, I'm excited to have Chris join my show as we discuss his journey in account management, including his experience at Google. During our conversation, we touch on valuable insights for salespeople, such as separating self-worth from performance, dealing with layoffs, and how sales can foster personal growth. We also explore the advantages and disadvantages of being an extrovert or introvert in sales, the importance of caring for others, and the impact of my father's influence on my career. Moreover, we share tips on becoming an SDR, the foundational role of coachability, and handling objections effectively. Tune in to learn more and discover some great book recommendations related to sales.   https://wethesalesengineers.com/show277

In this episode of the We the Sales Engineer Podcast, we explore how sales engineering can lead to a fulfilling life. I will be sharing my journey, tips for success, and insights into building a career in sales engineering. We will cover handling rejections, leveraging strengths, and the importance of human skills. Tune in to learn about the interview process, networking, and strategies for overcoming challenges. This episode emphasizes continuous learning, resilience, and finding purpose in one's professional journey. wethesalesengineers.com/show276

In this episode we have Jonathan Davis, a Senior Solutions Engineer at Snyk. Jonathan emphasizes the importance of independent learning in technology. He shares his journey from an unrelated field to sales engineering, highlighting the significance of soft skills, understanding competitors, and building customer relationships. The key to success as an SE lies in mastering valuable skills, focusing on business outcomes, and continuous deliberate practice. Becoming an expert on customers' problems is the key differentiator in sales engineering. https://wethesalesengineers.com/show275

In this episode, we have Brian Geery where we discuss the exciting benefits of mentorship, the importance of clear expectations, and how to gamify the onboarding process. We also touch on making meetings more engaging, the role of sales enablement teams, defining ideal candidate qualifications, and the value of proof of concept. Throughout the episode, we share valuable insights and practical tips to improve the onboarding experience. https://wethesalesengineers.com/show274