Highlights
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Sometimes the best credibility comes from listening extremely hard and then speaking.
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Unfortunately, younger SEs can sometimes be too blunt – directly saying, “that is never going to work!” to your client may not be the best approach.
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If you do not know the answer to a question, say so, and then promise to get it for the customer. Do not guess! You can only do this a few times in a meeting – excessive “don’t knows” shows that someone is in the wrong meeting. Sometimes it’s you; sometimes it is the customer.
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First, you need to establish control over your time (calendar) and inbox, as it is far more likely that a lack of time, rather than a lack of desire or talent, will hurt your reliability.
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Reliability at its best isn’t just about doing what you say; it is also about anticipating what the customer may need and preparing for that eventuality.
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Don’t forget the personal side of things. Be emotionally consistent and professionally levelheaded. Note that this does not mean emotionally distanced and detached, but that you shouldn’t be doom-and-gloom one day and rainbows and puppy dog happy the next.
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the #1 thing most mid to senior-level executives expect from a vendor’s sales engineering organization is someone who understands their business.
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Don’t fall victim to Premature Solutioneering. Even if you know you can help and fix the pain, you must let the client finish talking. Coming up with a solution too quickly can hurt your Credibility, at least until the client has total faith in you. Customers often feel they are unique but secretly hope they are not.
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Customers don’t expect you to know the everyday minutiae of their business, but they hope that you understand the big picture and industry trends and share what others might be doing.
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you cannot deliver the advice in a format that the customer will accept and process, then almost everything else is pointless. Self is also a leading indicator, as the client needs to feel that you are looking out for them and not providing them with a self-serving recommendation.
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Also, do not assume that the customer will automatically understand. Relevance comes from just sharing enough information with the customer so that they can internalize your advice.
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Instead of saying, “Does everyone understand that?” in class after reviewing part of a lesson, you say, “Did I make that clear?” The first version puts pressure on the student to say that they didn’t understand, whilst the second version puts pressure on the teacher for not clearly explaining.
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Discovery is not an event but a constant process. Although we Sales Engineers like to place Discovery early in the sales cycle (because it prevents big problems later), we should have the attitude that we are always in Discovery mode.
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You Are There To Help. Your attitude is that you are in the room or on the phone to help the customer – not to sell them something. Anytime you are explicitly selling or closing, you are anything but a Trusted Advisor. Turn ABC - Always Be Closing into Always Be Consultative.
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Don’t make the mistake of explicitly using Discovery to show how smart and knowledgeable you are. That will come out naturally by asking the right questions, suggesting a few ideas, and then listening.
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Yet, there is something disconcerting about someone who seems to have all the answers. That pride can turn to arrogance or even the “smartest person in the room” syndrome. It is not your job to prove how smart and knowledgeable you are.
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Always enter every meeting assuming you will see the customer again. Of course, you want that encounter to be pleasant and professional. Never do or say anything (or allow anyone else to act in that manner) that you may regret later.
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You may think smaller companies have fewer people involved in a decision, so that they will act faster[24]. Not always the case because they can be more risk-averse.
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A mistake, such as data loss or delayed implementation, may be an inconvenience (and recoverable) for a large company; however, it can put a small company out of business.
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You may be able to diagnose the customer’s problems within 5 minutes, as you have seen those problems many times before. This is the first occurrence for the customer, and they need time to explain and process them.
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It also tells me that if in doubt, first work on the Intimacy, then go to Credibility, Reliability, and Self-Orientation. There is much to be said for understanding the other person’s motivations.