As Sales Engineers, we have the ability to differentiate ourselves a lot more than any other role other than sales. That’s mainly because we work with customers. We work on high-value projects, and we know exactly how much money we’re bringing into their companies. We work with a lot of people— customers, sales, product management, product marketing, and with RND in some cases. We have a higher impact to the company which leads to more visibility, and that’s why we can differentiate ourselves a little bit more.

That being said, many SEs that I work with just want to do their job, keep their head down, and go home and hang out with the family. They don’t want to differentiate themselves. They don’t want to stand out. They just want to go under the radar— live their lives, basically. If that’s what you want to do, if that’s your choice, I don’t think that’s the right way to go. Not because we’re looking for fame or we’re looking for recognition. We’re not looking for anything extraordinary. Today, let’s talk about some reasons why I think we should be differentiating ourselves as Sales Engineers. 

Key Highlights:

Reasons You Should Differentiate Yourself as a Sales Engineer:

1. If you are recognized that you can help close deals, you have more job security than Sales Engineers who just do what they’re told or keep their head down. 
2. If you differentiate yourself, you have more opportunities to get paid more. You get the chance to be promoted and have more money.
3. If you differentiate yourself, you can get involved in projects coming up. You are the top of mind.

Two Sections You Should Differentiate Yourself In:

1. Internally

Whom should you differentiate yourselves to?

• Salespeople
• Other SEs
• Sales Managers

1. Externally

Whom should you differentiate yourselves to?

• Current customers
• Potential customers
• Greater SE community

Differentiate Yourself With “SPEED”:

S – Solve – Solve the problems. If you help people solve their problems, they will remember you.

P – Proactive – Proactively do things. Don’t wait for your manager to tell you what to do. 

E – Educate – SEs can educate not only from a technical perspective but also from a personal perspective.

E – Elevate – You need to elevate people around you, not bring them down. Elevate the team, the company.

D – Deliver – If you promise something, deliver on it.

Quotes:

04:41 “Being known that you actually excel at your job is a good thing for you.”

06:23 “We’re supposed to tell them what we’re doing. We’re supposed to market ourselves. No one’s gonna care about what you do as much as you do. You have to let people know what you’re doing.”

18:46 “If you don’t differentiate yourself, you’re not top of mind, they will not reach out to you when they have questions.”

22:09 “The more you help others, the more it’s paid back in spades.”

24:13 “It doesn’t matter who you are, even if you’re a nurse or a garbageman/woman. Find a way to differentiate yourself. So, if you’re a garbageman and you want to become the person who drives the truck instead of picking up the garbage, you can get there.”

24:32 “Everybody can move up in one way, shape, or form.”

If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a rating or review and get a chance to win copy of The Essential Guide to Navigate Your Proof of Concept written by one of our guests on the show, Tony Matos.