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4/1/1: 4 Random Thoughts from me, 1 tools to help Sales Engineers, 1 quote for motivation
4/1/1 Step Back, Step Aside, and Detach to See How to Move Forward
By Ramzi Marjaba
4/1/1 Weekly
4 Random Thoughts, 1 Tool, and 1 Quote
Decisions are hard. Sometimes it’s easier to keep the status quo. So when I hear someone took a risk, not to mention during a pandemic, to switch careers and industries, it inspires me and I hope it inspires you. So our podcast guest this week, Joel Duffield, inspired me to assess my life and career, and understand what needs to be worked on.
Listen to our conversation with the man of the hour here
Now let’s get down to brass tax. There are some mistakes that every new SE makes. There are even some mistakes that even the most experienced Account Manager makes. That mistake is confusing qualification with discovery. I talk all about that in the video below
Now, the 4/1/1!
4 Random Thoughts From Me:
1- People within the same organization tend to make the same mistake. That’s the whole reason I started the podcast and the 4/1/1. I wanted to talk to people outside my organization, learn from them, and get better at what I do. You can do the same. Maybe not start a podcast, although that’s not a bad idea, but you can listen to podcasts. Go to meetups. SENE had theirs yesterday and there are many more.
2- Sometimes we have to take a step back in order to move forward as Joel did. If you are feeling stuck, unmotivated, or just not excited to go to work, maybe it’s time for you to step back. As Jocko Willink, Retired Navy Seal Commander says: Detach. You are in the thick of it, and you need to detach and look around you to figure out why you are in that state.
3- Joel not only changed his career, going from IT Manager to Sales Engineer. He went into Sales Engineering in a different field altogether. He’s no longer in IT. He went into Sales and Marketing Solutions. So it’s not uncommon for SEs to be able to change industries.
4- More of a question here. I ask this on the podcast, but I’d like to hear your answers. If you take a step back and detach, what would you change about the SE role? Make sure to hit reply and let me know. I would love to read your answers on the podcast at some point.
1 Tool:
For some reason, SE tools are becoming more and more available, they are getting more funding and there is value in them. Provarity is one such tool. If you struggle to figure out the Proof of Value standards you should follow, or how to project manage the POV, then you should have your boss take a look at this tool as it helps streamline the process, and provides the tools to be successful during the POC. Your boss would enjoy it mainly because he or she’d be able to tell if a deal committed by the AE is actually going to come in time or it’s going to slip.
1 Quote:
Sometimes you have to completely detach yourself to understand why you were there in the first place
― Unknown
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