E-Book, Englisch, 316 Seiten
Silver / Mar-Tang Mastering the Art of Sales Engineering
1. Auflage 2025
ISBN: 978-1-83588-097-5
Verlag: De Gruyter
Format: EPUB
Kopierschutz: 0 - No protection
Develop essential skills and gain valuable insights for high-tech sales engineering success
E-Book, Englisch, 316 Seiten
ISBN: 978-1-83588-097-5
Verlag: De Gruyter
Format: EPUB
Kopierschutz: 0 - No protection
Sales engineers often need to balance their technical expertise with the soft skills needed to close deals and build lasting client relationships. This book provides a framework for both senior engineers seeking professional growth and individuals just starting their sales engineering careers.
This book draws from the authors' extensive experience in this industry and as leaders in top high-tech companies, offering real-world insights and life lessons applicable to this specialized and in-demand industry. You'll pick up the core disciplines a successful sales engineer should exemplify, along with mastering practical, day-to-day operational aspects. Within these chapters, you will learn the roles and responsibilities of a sales engineer, as well as adjacent roles within a sales team. You'll also develop the skills needed to navigate complex sales cycles and exceed traditional expectations. This book covers various key aspects of sales engineering, including mastering communication techniques, navigating complex meetings, managing customer expectations, understanding legal matters, and handling administrative tasks.
By the end of this book, you'll have acquired advanced knowledge to excel as a world-class sales engineer and become a valuable member of your organization's broader team.
Weitere Infos & Material
Mastering the Art of Sales Engineering
Copyright © 2024 Packt Publishing
. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embedded in critical articles or reviews.
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First published: September 2024
Production reference: 1160824
Published by Packt Publishing Ltd.
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ISBN 978-1-83588-096-8
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Foreword
The Sales Engineering job is the best job there is! I can’t count the number of times I’ve said this (with gratitude) over the years. But not everyone can do it as it takes a unique set of skills. Sales Engineering is a job focused on solving problems and creating a vision of possibilities. It requires someone who can marry technical savvy with engaging presentation skills. A Sales Engineer (SE) must be a strong partner and have a team attitude. The SE must not only work with a sales organization but also with every part of a tech company. Being an SE is not about the individual – it’s not a loner sport. It is a job that demands constant education and development, as every customer environment is different. And yet, it is a role in which these skills drive big results. It is a job with rewards far beyond just the pay. Every day an SE can be a superhero.
When I was young in the tech world, I didn’t even know that being an SE could be a career choice. A lot of SEs tell the same story. Many SEs come to it from backgrounds where they weren’t necessarily focused on a technical selling career. Actually, it seems that there are few Sales Engineers who have a traditional CompSci education and IT background. I started work in the high-tech software world as an inside sales rep. I found I was naturally technical, but that I had a very communicative, customer-focused side as well. I met the pre-sales engineer for our inside sales team, and I remember walking up to him and saying, “You have the coolest job in this company, and I want to do this role!” Luckily, the company invested in me and put me on the path to being an SE. But the path for being an SE, managing SEs, and leading SE organizations hasn’t always been clear and straightforward.
Most people start the SE journey like me, by becoming a technical expert on a product. Very quickly (like the first time we must demo in front of a customer), we find that there are myriad other skills required to excel as an SE. We learn a lot of these skills by observing others and through trial and error. But, until now, there hasn’t really been a guide that helps SEs prepare and grow in the role or as an organization. When Jeff and Jay first talked to me about this book, my first thought was “Thank goodness! This is necessary.” I was thrilled they were putting this guide together.
As I was thinking about the impact this book could have, I reminisced about my early career. I thought about how once, after a long day of customer meetings, my sales partner and I had a conversation over dinner about what really differentiated the best SEs. Ultimately, he said that the most important asset an SE should have is accountability, or, the ability to do what they say they are going to do. So much of the SE job is about creating trust and being credible. An SE must not only know their subject area of technology but also understand the customer and stay loyal to their needs. The best SEs put themselves in a customer’s shoes and understand the problem from their perspective. When focusing on solving a customer problem, a keen SE will remember that the ultimate solution is often not the way the customer initially envisions it. The key skill of the SE here is the ability to understand the intention behind the customer’s request. SEs should always be looking for the reason behind the customer inquiries. And then, of course, they execute, follow through, communicate clearly, and make that sale.
When I look back at Jeff’s and Jay’s careers, I’ve seen them exhibit these skills in abundance. And I have seen them, over and over, guide their customers to solve key business problems. They have always understood the key concept of getting to the of what the customer is asking. Moreover, both have moved through their careers inspiring, coaching, and managing others to be great SEs. They both have a great perspective, and we are fortunate to learn from their vast experience in this book.
Here you will find inspiration and education about the world of Sales Engineers, and perhaps it will lead you to “the best job there is”. One last bit of advice to all the aspiring SEs – do the right thing for your customer, and everything will work out for the best! Enjoy the book! Enjoy the journey!
Michael Huckaby
Vice President of Sales Engineering
Phosphorus Cybersecurity
Contributors
About the authors
Jeffrey Silver has been involved in the network security industry for over 25 years. After earning his CISSP, he became a founding member and officer of the Delaware ISC2 Chapter. Currently, he serves as an adjunct professor teaching cybersecurity and is passionate about building a culture of mentoring young security professionals in our industry. A strong advocate of building cyber collaboration with law enforcement, Jeff is a graduate of the FBI Citizens Academy and a member of InfraGard. He currently lives in Newark, Delaware with his wife and two children and outside of the technology industry is active in his church and local community.
Jason Mar-Tang has been in the IT industry for over 17 years, with over 14 years of cybersecurity sales engineer experience. He earned his CISSP in 2014 and CCSP in 2023. He has spent years engineering different defensive cybersecurity solutions for clients of all verticals. After spending years with blue team defensive technologies, he has shifted to the offensive side of security, now advising attacker-led strategies for clients across the United States and Latin America. Additionally, he has led a team of engineers in North and South America since 2022. He now works strategically with clients and communities as a field CISO, a cyber evangelist; his expertise is noted in publications, podcasts, and presentations across the cyber industry.
About the reviewer
Ben Smith is an information security and risk management expert, most recently serving for more than a decade as field chief technology officer with RSA Security, the world’s oldest cybersecurity brand. He holds industry certifications in information security (CCISO and CISSP), risk management (CRISC), and privacy (CIPT). He is an acknowledged contributor to NIST SP 1800-1, -3, and -7; and he chairs the non-profit Cybersecurity Canon Project, the authoritative bookshelf for the information security community. He is a patent holder, a published contributor of four of the and previously served as a corporate representative to the U.S. government’s National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence (NCCoE) as well as an invited mentor supporting...
