Who can your prospects reach out to to get specific technical information about the product your reps are selling, so that they can close the deal? It has to be someone who has sound tech knowledge combined with an understanding of selling. It has to be your sales engineer.
What is a Sales Engineer?
A sales engineer is someone who sells complex scientific and technological products or services to businesses. They must have extensive knowledge of the parts and products they sell and are typically found in B2B settings.
Qualities of a Good Sales Engineer
Has good technical skills
As a sales engineer, you should have the knack of explaining technically complex concepts in a really simple way. It’s imperative that you have a technical mind, and the ability to communicate about product features & technical aspects in a way that’s engaging for the prospects so that they can understand what the product is all about.
Problem solver
Your prospects might have a problem for which your product can be the solution. It’s the sales engineer’s duty to have a sound understanding of the product and make it a captivating one for your prospects. For this, you should take a solution-oriented approach, and explain why your product can be the best solution for your prospect’s problems.
Excellent product knowledge
Ensure that you know about the product in and out, and you’re in a position to answer any question that your prospect may have about the product. It’s isn’t enough for you to have a superficial understanding of the product.
Experienced in sales
You use your technical expertise to bring sales to your organization. This is where having a thorough understanding of the sales process from awareness to closing becomes crucial for you. So that you’d know when your rep would need your technical inputs, which will only speed up deal closure.
Top-notch people skills
How good a team player are you? Are you a good listener? Do you know how to make your prospects comfortable so that they open up? All these are vital qualities to have as a sales engineer. You work closely with sales reps in designing sales strategies. Hence you should know how to get along well with team members so that you can help prepare them to close deals.
How to become a sales engineer?
In general, a bachelor’s degree in engineering or a related field can amp up your chance of becoming a sales engineer. Though, if you have a background in any of the related fields, or have sales experience, you can become a sales engineer as well. Having a sound knowledge of the sales process is necessary so that you can truly excel in your job. In many instances, sales engineers continue to take up educational courses to keep themselves updated with the ever-changing tech trends.
A day in the life of a sales engineer:
Not every day looks the same for a sales engineer. They’d be required to take up a variety of tasks as mentioned below:
Assisting with Research
A sales engineer’s technical expertise can come in more than handy during the research and development of a new product. They can also assist with the manufacturing & marketing process, and in the competitive analysis as well. On the whole, they are the ones to reach out in case of any technical issues.
Technical presentation & product demo
You need a sales engineer to effectively present the technical aspects of a product in a sales pitch. Other than this, sales engineers have to demonstrate the technical concepts to the prospect, so that they can clearly see how the product can be a solution for their problem.
Answering queries of prospects
Though some of the questions from prospects can be generic in nature, it is always good to have those answered by a sales engineer, on how your product benefits them.
Marketing
Sales engineers can help develop USPs of your product by working with the marketing team. Their expertise will also be useful when checking the accuracy of marketing content and can share their point of view on technical topics.
Final Thoughts
Sales engineers are surely a valuable addition to your sales teams, specifically, if you’ve to sell products that are technically complex. You need top talent in your organization to stay ahead in the race, and for that, you’d need a competitive compensation plan.
