We The Sales Engineers: A Resource for Sales Engineers, by Sales Engineers
315 episodes - English - Latest episode: 4 days ago - ★★★★★ - 37 ratingsLots of resources are available for sales people, and a lot more for technical people, but not enough for Sales Engineers. This resource is available for Sales Engineers who are interested in learning from other Sales Engineers as many will be interviewed on this platform.
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Episodes
Selling to Sellers and How Solution Engineers Can Add Valu
April 22, 2024 05:00 - 59 minutes - 136 MBI have my own opinions of what sales engineers should do, and how they should be involved in the sales process. My opinion is that they should be involved, early and often. But I sell in the enterprise market, with a small number of customers. My SE is tied only to me, and the main decision-makers are the users who use the product. So it would make sense that my SE is heavily involved, follows up post-demo, and maintains relationships. But when your product is being sold to othe...
Navigating the Presales Landscape From Green Shoots to Growth
April 15, 2024 05:00 - 47 minutes - 110 MBOver the many years that I’ve been doing this podcast, we’ve talked about the skills required, how to manage the team, communication, relationship building. But we’ve never discussed the SE Big picture, how external factors like the economy can affect the role, and what moves can be made internally to save money. So I invited John Simpson on this show to discuss that. John is the former head of Solution Engineering for EMEA at Qualtrics do discuss this in more detail. show notes...
Generate Great Revenue By Using Solution Engineers As Marketing
April 08, 2024 05:00 - 20 minutes - 46.9 MBSolution Engineers have a lot on their plate, and I have the pleasure of adding one more thing to that plate...marketing show notes: https://wethesalesengineers.com/show312
Expand Your Solution and Value Selling through Insight Selling
April 01, 2024 05:00 - 45 minutes - 104 MBThere are so many different selling techniques. I’ve personally been trained in Solution Selling and Challenger Selling. Full disclosure, I love Solution Selling, but hate challenger selling. I’ve also read SPIN Selling and then I noticed that a lot of them are similar, but they are all geared towards salespeople. But Solution Selling was introduced a long time ago. Some say in the 70s, but I don’t have a source for that. Since then, solution selling evolved into Value Selling, and now t...
Working With Customers To Realize Value Through Customer Success
March 25, 2024 05:00 - 54 minutes - 127 MBAt the ground level, we all put our heads down and work. We demo, discover, and manage support calls. How we do all that is the tactical work. But what about the strategy? How do we move an entire organization from reactive to proactive? How does the organization incentivize people, or in other words, how do they line up their interests with their employee’s interests? These are some topics I discussed with Fadi Bassil, the VP of Support at Incorta. Fadi is a fellow Lebanese, but that’...
Overcome the Boredom by Finding Something You Love
March 18, 2024 05:00 - 52 minutes - 121 MBMany of us go to university, wondering what we are supposed to study. Those of us who complete it then graduate, wondering what the job would entail. Once we get the job that we may or may not have thought we wanted, we find that we are bored out of our minds. Some people stick with it and learn to love it, or simply stick with it. Others try to find a solution. That’s what today’s guest did. Sameer Kausar found himself in a job he was not excited about. So he looked within, and looke...
To Secure Your New Job, Execute A Sales Process
March 11, 2024 06:00 - 53 minutes - 122 MBMy guest for today is Chris Beaumont and he is a recruiter. We discuss how people should approach the job hunt, and what they can do to increase their chances to secure a job. We also talk about what employers are doing wrong while they are trying to fill the few recs they have open. Show notes: https://wethesalesengineers.com/show308
Dealing with Stress as a Sales Professional
March 04, 2024 06:00 - 35 minutes - 82.5 MBLife does not exist without stress. There’s also added stress when you’re in the sales world. So I wanted to share the causes of stress as I see it, and how I handle it. show notes: https://wethesalesengineers.com/show307
Merging Creativity with Science For Amazing Career Growth
February 26, 2024 15:00 - 45 minutes - 104 MBEngineers are not usually known as creative types. This is a strange notion for me as I think engineers are some of the most creative people. We might not be creating art (although some engineers are artists), but we are being creative in solving a set of problems. The problem is it doesn’t show to the outside world. But there are ways to do so, and Melanie Flores, my guest for this week found out that she can do it through Solution Engineering. It’s not just about solving a problem cr...
Going on a New Adventure and Becoming the Confidence Generator
February 19, 2024 06:00 - 1 hour - 141 MBA big piece of Sales Engineering is Sales. Most engineers don’t like the sales part of Sales Engineering, but it’s what SEs have to excel at to be good at their jobs. Taking it a step further, SEs have to excel at knowing their customers and that will make every aspect of sales easier. These are all topics of conversation that Alvaro Tuscano and I get deep into, in addition to the challenges of presales in Spain specifically, and how he overcame them to become a great SE and a trainer...
#304 Captivate Your Audience with a Few Simple Tricks
February 12, 2024 06:00 - 51 minutes - 118 MBIn this engaging conversation, Jason Zeikowitz discusses his experience as a Salesforce Technical Trainer. From handling an array of situations from training salespeople to construction workers who are initially resistant to using new technology, Jason shares the importance of combining questioning and communication to engineer buy-in. show notes: https://wethesalesengineers.com/show304
#303 Cracking AWS How To Become A Solutions Architect
February 05, 2024 06:00 - 1 hour - 144 MBMohamed, an experienced Solutions Architect, shares valuable insights about the hiring process and career progression at Amazon Web Services (AWS). He discusses various cloud roles, including Cloud Consultants, Cloud Providers, and Cloud Partners, emphasizing that there are opportunities beyond the 'big three' (Amazon, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud). He also provides a detailed view of the interview process at Amazon, including a discussion about the unique expectation of understanding Amazo...
#302 Cross-Cultural & Continental Tweaking of the Solution Engineering Style
January 29, 2024 06:00 - 48 minutes - 111 MBMoving from India to the US takes some adjustment. Even if you know the technology, the people change, the requirements change and the way you interact with people changes too. Show notes: https://wethesalesengineers.com/show302
#301 Pre-Sales Became The Swiss Army Knife of the Business World
January 22, 2024 06:00 - 59 minutes - 136 MBSales Engineering is a transferable skill. Just because you’re in one industry today, does not mean you cannot move. Case in point Faraz who is today’s guest. Faraz started off in networking and IT, then moved into several different industries and remained successful throughout. We will discuss his journey and what he did to learn and be successful in these different industries as a Sales Engineer. show notes: https://wethesalesengineers.com/show3301
#300 Taking a Step Back To Overcome Bad Decisions
January 15, 2024 06:00 - 47 minutes - 110 MBAfter 300 episodes, I bring the original cohost back. Binayak Kanungo, aka Bini, comes to join me again on the podcast to give us an update on his career. Bini started off his SE career at a company called Assent, and although he was happy with the work there, the thought of wanting more pushed him to move on which turned out not to be a great move. That’s when Bini started facing some challenges. That’s what we will focus on today. Show notes: https://wethesalesengineers.com/show300
#299 SE Best Career Progression to Achieve Your Goals
January 08, 2024 06:00 - 48 minutes - 112 MBWere you ever asked, “Where do you want to be in 5 years?” I believe I’ve been asked once, in an interview, and I had no idea what I wanted to do now, let alone in 5 years. I have not been asked since. John Simpson on the other hand talks to his SEs about career action planning. Not only where you want to be, but how to get there too. And for sales engineers, there are many options for what to do next, including staying put. We cover that in this podcast. Show notes: https://wethesal...
#298 It Depends - The Most Common Answer In Pre-Sales
January 01, 2024 06:00 - 55 minutes - 128 MBMany Sales Engineers are getting hit with layoffs, especially when there’s a new acquisition. This happened to our guest before he knew what Sales Engineering was, Jeff Dryall. But it did not happen once or twice. It's happened multiple times, and Jeff used it as an opportunity to identify a new challenge and go after them, including becoming a Sales Engineer. Show notes: https://wethesalesengineers.com/show298
#297 From Avoiding Sales Role to Becoming the First SE
December 25, 2023 06:00 - 59 minutes - 138 MBMost SEs have an aversion to sales, which is why many have been very hesitant to enter the SE world. But as soon as we learn more about it, we understand that SEing is about solving problems which as techies, is what we want. The same goes for our guest today. Chris Snyder is the first SE within his organization and he’s been thriving at it due to the support that he has, and the ability to get creative. show notes: https://wethesalesengineers.com/show297
#296 Procurement The Other Side of The Sales Coin
December 18, 2023 06:00 - 50 minutes - 115 MBHaving someone who worked on the procurement side, the vendor side, and the value-added reseller side in a condensed period allows us to ask many questions and get a holistic view of these different roles. Our guest, Wesley Bellman has that exact experience in addition to a few more, so we get to see the similarities of working in procurement and how they interacted with VARs. shownotes: https://wethesalesengineers.com/show296
#295 Using the Athlete Mentality To Earn Your Dream Title
December 11, 2023 06:00 - 56 minutes - 131 MBWe all have different paths into sales engineering. Some fell into it, and some fought for it. And once we get there, we find that not all sales engineering roles are created equal. Some require SEs to simply demo all day, and others have SEs on sight working to help an end user debug an issue they ran into. But all of them will have the SE deal with a salesperson. Our guest today is Ryan Krueger who will tell us about his path to sales engineering and the challenges he faced to get there,...
#294 Unlocking Your Untapped Potential Energy To Operation in Your Genius Zone
December 04, 2023 18:00 - 52 minutes - 120 MBAs I watch my kids in their activities, I can tell what they are good at, great at, and what needs work. For professionals, who don’t have their parents watching their every move, every technique and reaction, we have to figure that out for ourselves. My conversation with Jeff Perry is all about that. Jeff is a leadership and engineering coach. He takes me through some exercises to find my genius zone and uncover some self-limiting beliefs that I may have. show notes: https://wethesa...
#293 Published Pricing, An Evil Marketing or A Business Need?
November 27, 2023 06:00 - 52 minutes - 119 MBA 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 sale...
#292 Presales Recruiting Challenges from a Leadership Perspective
November 20, 2023 06:00 - 1 hour - 140 MBAll 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...
#291 Surprises, Mistakes, and Challenges of Moving to Sales
November 13, 2023 06:00 - 51 minutes - 120 MBWe'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
#290 The Best Tip I've Ever Heard About Learning Something New
November 06, 2023 06:00 - 1 hour - 150 MBMohamad 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
#289 Here's Why Account Planning Is Important for Sales Engineers
October 30, 2023 05:00 - 21 minutes - 50.6 MBAccount 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? ...
#288 Finding And Using Your Strengths To Succeed as a Sales Engineer
October 23, 2023 05:00 - 1 hour - 191 MBAre 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),...
#287 How Self Awareness and Self Investment Propelled an Introvert to Senior VP
October 16, 2023 05:00 - 1 hour - 156 MBThis 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
#286 The Evolution of Solutions Engineering Pre and Post Pandemic
October 09, 2023 05:00 - 59 minutes - 137 MBTechnology 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 intere...
#285 Step by Step Process to Overcome the Job Market and Land Your Next Job
October 01, 2023 05:00 - 22 minutes - 52.4 MBMany 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.
#284 Continuous Learning, Types of Learning, The Best Technique and Assessments
September 25, 2023 05:00 - 1 hour - 146 MBAs 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 ...
#283 Changing the Solution Engineer Role to the Requirements of the Customers
September 18, 2023 05:00 - 1 hour - 148 MBSales 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 toda...
#282 11 Mistakes Tech Startup Founders Make In the Sales Engineering Process
September 11, 2023 05:00 - 26 minutes - 60.5 MBStartup 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
#281 Preparing But Not Practicing Means You're Not Fully Prepared
September 04, 2023 14:00 - 22 minutes - 52.5 MBOne 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
#280 Getting Creative In Hiring Sales Engineers from Different Backgrounds
August 28, 2023 05:00 - 42 minutes - 97.7 MBToday 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
#279 How Can Sales Engineers Recognize and Bust Through a Career Rut
August 21, 2023 05:00 - 46 minutes - 108 MBWe 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 over...
#278 Even The Best Solution Engineers Bomb Sometimes
August 14, 2023 05:00 - 38 minutes - 35.7 MBTrevor 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 ...
#277 The Best Career Path for Sales Development Reps
August 07, 2023 05:22 - 1 hour - 61.6 MBLast 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 introv...
#276 Sales Engineering What Is It and How do You Become It
July 31, 2023 05:00 - 1 hour - 82.6 MBIn 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...
#275 - The Small Steps Needed To Become a Solution Engineer
July 24, 2023 05:00 - 55 minutes - 51.1 MBIn 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' prob...
#274 What Most Sales Engineer Leaders Agree as Best Onboarding Practices
July 17, 2023 05:00 - 1 hour - 59 MBIn 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
#273 Challenges Being a Part of Life, You Have No Choice But To Overcome
July 10, 2023 05:00 - 41 minutes - 38.1 MBIn this episode with Gleb Sinani, a Ukrainian developer who relocated to Poland following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, we gained insights into his experiences as a freelance Sales Engineer and the challenges he faced while moving to a foreign country. Gleb shared valuable wisdom applicable to Sales Engineers, emphasizing the importance of technical and communication skills. Gleb also mentioned the diminishing demand for Sales Engineers and his personal journey of learning programmin...
#272 Audience Questions - Get Comfortable being Uncomfortable and Differentiating Oneself
July 03, 2023 05:00 - 47 minutes - 44.2 MBIn this episode we discussed how Sales Engineers can differentiate themselves, the potential impact of AI on their work, and the comparison between sales and presales. Tune in as we talk about the importance of effective communication, asking the right questions, building strong customer relationships, and staying informed about technology advancements, as well as the misconceptions about presales and sales roles. https://wethesalesengineers.com/show272
#271 Why Your PreSales Enablement Solution Sucks And How to Fix It
June 26, 2023 05:00 - 24 minutes - 22.6 MBIn this episode we address the lack of training and enablement for Sales Engineers (SEs) in many companies and also discuss the importance of sales and presales enablement, the role of a good manager in the process, and the common neglect of presales training. We will explore the challenges faced by newly hired Sales Engineers, the need for mentorship and coaching, and the benefits of continuous learning. https://wethesalesengineers.com/show271
#270 Helping Hiring Managers Find a Great Quality of Hire
June 19, 2023 05:00 - 1 hour - 57.6 MBIn this episode, we have John Hodgson, the Owner and Director of Bright Dynamics, a staffing and recruiting company specializing in matching leaders with professionals in the presales field. John shares his insights in the hiring process from the perspective of hiring managers and sheds light on how they assess competencies and make hiring decisions. https://wethesalesengineers.com/show270
#269 Start A Side Hustle and Improve Your Life
June 12, 2023 05:00 - 48 minutes - 67.7 MBIn this episode of We the Sales Engineers Podcast, Donald Kelly, Founder and Chief Sales Evangelist of The Sales Evangelist, explains the significance of side hustles and shares insights on how anyone can start one successfully. https://wethesalesengineers.com/show269
#268 Solving the Mystery Of Pre-Sales In Japan
June 05, 2023 05:00 - 56 minutes - 52.3 MBIn this episode, join the conversation with Shivagni Dharne and Bryan Rios as they discuss various aspects of sales engineering in Japan. From the work culture to language requirements, interview processes, and the importance of soft skills, they delve into the unique challenges and opportunities in this field. Gain insights into the booming recruitment industry in Japan, the relationship between Sales Engineers and salespeople, and valuable advice on breaking into sales engineering. If you'...
#267 Finishing What You Started Is Not Always the Right Move
May 29, 2023 05:00 - 52 minutes - 48.6 MBShould you always finish what you started? For example, after landing a sales engineering role, are you going to stick to it no matter what even if it no longer works for you? If these questions are bothering you, then this episode is for you. Our guest for today is Meri Martinez, a Project Manager and Regulatory Specialist at Innolitics. Before her current role, she was a sales engineer who realized, after just a few months, that it wasn’t for her. What did she do after realizing th...
#266 The Mentality For Becoming a 1% Top Earner
May 22, 2023 05:00 - 1 hour - 59.4 MBIn this episode, Sales Engineer professionals looking to transition into sales will find valuable insights and practical advice from Doug C. Brown. Doug is a sales and business advisor, author, and CEO of Sales Strategies, and he will share his experiences and tips on becoming a successful salesperson. Whether you're an aspiring salesperson or seeking to enhance your sales skills, this episode offers actionable strategies to thrive in the sales industry. wethesalesengineer/show266
#265 Searching For the Right Role that You Can Be Great At
May 15, 2023 09:18 - 55 minutes - 51.6 MBJosh Price is the Manager for Solutions Engineering at Trella Health, an IT services and consulting company based in Atlanta. In this episode, Josh joins the podcast to talk about transitioning from music to sales, the health IT industry, and the challenges of being an SE leader. https://wethesalesengineers.com/show265