Sales & Marketing
- Sales Engineer
This
is probably one of the most misunderstood engineering
jobs in the profession. Sometimes people confuse
this category of Engineers to be sales people – synonymous
with Sales Representatives, etc. In the engineering
context, we should be able to clearly separate
the two.
A
Sales Engineer is not only a sales person.
It is true that a Sales Engineer gets the order,
sometimes in the same way as other sales personnel.
However, it is what goes on before an order
is firmed up that makes the difference.
A
Sales Engineer’s principal function is
to provide professional consultation for customers
towards finding a solution to their problems.
You need to have a very good understanding
of what your products and services can and
cannot do. It is fairly accurate to say that
Sales Engineers exist to help customers solve
their particular technical problems. You spend
time collaborating with customers to understand,
define and plot a solution to solve their problem.
Success means getting the order. Failure means
building a good technical relationship with
the customer to find other opportunities to
add value.
A
good Sales Engineer will need to have a deep
understanding of the range of applications
for your products. You will need to be fully
updated on the trends for the technologies
you are supporting, so that you can forge successful
collaborations that lead to winning orders.
In
order to do that, the Sales Engineer must be
well read on the latest developments in your
industries and more importantly, well connected.
The ability to forge strong connections not
only with customers, but also with other members
of the trade will enable you to understand
the hot problems of the day and identify the
space you will focus on.
Here
are some key successful characteristics:
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