Sales Engineers

[mugs82]

Greetings,

I am interviewing for a sales engineer position with a provider of managed network services and products. I would like to here from those of you with experience on the business side of IT.

What qualities allow someone to become a good sales engineer?
How do you feel technology drives business?

Thanks!

 

[58sniper]

I suspect it's different everywhere. But I occasionally have to do pre-sales engineering. It can be fun going into an environment and seeing what the client has, what they "want" and what they "need".

I think someone who has "been in the trenches" supporting the products/services they'll be tasked with selling, makes a big difference.

As for technology driving business, keep in mind that you can't just sell technology for technologies' sake. It's cool to have the latest & greatest. But technology needs to support business before it can drive it.

I'm a big fan of convergence - you tie all the systems together and that really starts driving things. You give them more flexibility, lower admin costs, etc.

Hopefully, I've answered your questions.

Pat Richard, MCSE MCSA:Messaging CNA
Microsoft Exchange MVP
Want to know how email works? Read for yourself -

http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc2821.txt

 

[mugs82]

Thanks for your comments Pat. They are very helpful. I just finished the second interview....I'm not sure how it went. They asked me to describe a technology that I was excited about, then asked me to describe a specific vendor's technology that I am excited about....think I may have dropped a few points on that on. I think one thing that hinder's me is that I've spent a lot of time learning a little bit about a diverse set of technologies.
I'm not really an expert in anything....I have a few certs, but most of my success has been in supporting end users and being a good team member.....This could be an interesting change.

 

[jasidija]

...but most of my success has been in supporting end users and being a good team member."

mugs82 - I'm in the same boat. I've been administering Nortel Enterprise Voice suites for 15 years now.

Like you, most of my strengths lie in bringing non-savvy Nortel people - both in I.T. and Call Center business units - up to speed on the capabilities/features/usage of the technology.

For hobby, I'm drawn to the PC, surfing & other techie stuff, but I'm losing my desire to stay in this industry. It's losing it's luster (at least for me). Too much business, not enough techie fun. Plus I think I'm burning out.

But I can't quit if I wanted to; employers consider me too valuable and are paying me handsomely.

Sometimes I think about challenging myself with a leadership role, but when I try to move up in my own company, the business unit balks at the thought of losing my skillset. Plus, I make Spvs, Mgrs look good, so they are secure in their jobs (read = not going anywhere).
And when I look for Management positions, they all require experience in a formal leadership/supervisory role.
Seems like fate - I went the technical route from day one - never got a degree. Seems late for that now - with 3 kids.

So, I guess I missed the boat on management - no big deal. But man, I sure need to find a fire again. This falling asleep at my administrative, maytag-repairman job is getting old. I'm thinking I've got more to offer, but I'm starting to become afraid I'll never get a chance to offer it.

Just can't figure out where I'd be offering the most, and receiving the most stimulation from it...

But I digress...

I was in a sales engineering role briefly. It's fun, but the service provider had no clue as to what they were asking of me. They were expecting design quotes for major networked systems with layered applications in 30 minutes. And because they were a small shop, I was being asked to do field work as well, so I couldn't always stay on top of Nortel's latest bulletins/technology/marketing offers, etc.

If you're going down the road of sales engineering - make sure that you are not going to have to multi-task. A good sales engineer knows the product inside and out, both future and past. If you are also asked to help provide technical support/field support, in my experience, it makes for 16+ hr days. Beware of that, and best of luck!

 

[mugs82]

Wow! Thanks for taking the time to respond to my thread. I really appreciate your thoughts.

It is not too late to change directions, even with three kids. If your employer is stable and is not open to providing you with challenges that keep the job exciting for you, then you should think about pursuing other avenues. Going back to school part time is something you can do while working and will provide you with intellectual stimulation that work isn't. Also, a degree would definitely open more doors for you.

I also have 3 kids, and I am going to finish up my MBA in December. It's tough - especially on your spouse and kids.