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:
|
