To Engineer a Sale or Not to Engineer a Sale(sperson):That is the Question

I’m no engineer; but with more than 10 years of sales under my belt, I can do something that most of them cannot – I can “engineer a sale.” But can engineers “engineer a sale?”  It sounds a little tricky but the answer is simple; it depends on who you ask.  A pure salesperson will often tell you that your typical engineer gets too caught up in the details – confusing the customer and ultimately hampering the sale.  On the flip-side, engineers often tell me that they are better equipped to sell within certain technical environments due to their in-depth understanding of the product or service.  So who’s right?

The way I see it, it’s six of one, half a dozen of the other. What’s certain is that the landscape is changing.

With technology offerings abound and levels of complexity growing faster than ever, the need for finely tuned subject matter experts is growing and will continue to do so.  Gone are the days of the “I can sell anything” sales candidates.  Today’s top-producers are finely tuned, highly knowledgeable and often come with a technical background specific to their industry.  As a result, today’s engineers have seemingly limitless opportunities to grow beyond the confines of connecting wires and writing code.  Those with the ability to speak, act and dress the part will continue to have customer-facing roles presented to them as viable career options.  Those who can’t adapt will find themselves creating and tweaking product components again pretty quickly.  In my experience, this happens more often than not.  However, those who can adapt can quickly become formidable hunters in the field.  So who’s “better” when it comes to performing in a technical sales role – The subject matter expert?  The salesperson – whose craft, intellect and ability to communicate a value proposition have enabled them to evolve into a shark among guppies?

My take is simple.  We won’t be solving this debate any time soon.  However, there are some interesting trends and resulting behaviors that could arguably help both sides sharpen the razor.  Top-notch sales people in the technology space are now, more than ever, educating themselves.  While the goal is to “know just enough to be dangerous,” most are finding that they may need to understand a bit more than they did in years past.  Conversely, engineers who wish to break through the fiber ceiling and into the sales world must continue to develop personal traits conducive to selling.  This will require continued education of a different sort and professional training where sales methodologies are concerned.

“Sharks with laser beams on their foreheads!?”  Well yes, so to speak…

The rapid growth and complex nature of technology sales is creating an increasingly tech-savvy salesperson.  Regardless of which “side” a given salesperson has grown up on, the ability to appeal to customers – from a technical and sales-savvy standpoint, will continue to breed a far more informed and intelligent sales force.  Generalists need not apply.