售前菜鸟：从业2年我学到了什么？

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It's been almost two years since I transitioned from a customer support role to a presales engineer. While both positions are technical, I've discovered they are fundamentally different. Here are some lessons I've learned as a sales engineer so far. Maybe they'll help other new presales professionals and rookies, and perhaps they'll serve as a refresher for seasoned presales veterans.

This might come as a surprise, but even though sales engineers are seen as experts on the products they support, no one expects you to know everything. However, in technical support, you couldn't tell a customer "I don't know."

As long as you show the prospect or customer that you will find the answer and get back to them (and, of course, actually follow up!), your reputation as an expert in the field won't be diminished. This isn't to say you shouldn't know your product inside and out, but don't feel pressured to know every nuance and configuration option a customer might ask about. If someone asks you something you're unsure of, don't panic, and don't feel the need to give an answer (any answer!) on the spot. Calmly deflect the question, assure the customer you'll find the answer for them, and then continue your demo. This is a bit different from what standard technical support training usually recommends, but again, being part of presales is different from being part of a post-sales support organization.

Knowing how to use the product isn't enough. You also need to invest time in understanding how your customers use your product, what they're doing, and how your tool helps them accomplish those tasks and achieve their goals.

Depending on your role as a sales engineer, you may or may not use the tools you demo extensively, but it's highly likely you won't be as invested as someone who uses the tool full-time or works in that field. The key is to take some time—ideally on a regular basis—to understand why your software does what it does, how it benefits users, and what needs it fulfills or what processes it improves. If you can master these topics and connect features and benefits to the user's perspective, it will truly elevate your demos. Instead of showing them the product you want to sell, show them the solution that helps them.

Be honest and authentic, but always try to frame everything in a positive light.

Of course, your product may not be perfect, and it may not have all the features and functionality users want, but focus on what it does have. Have success stories or use cases ready to share if appropriate for the situation. If users absolutely need something to make the product a viable solution, explore workarounds or alternatives.

Your product may not be the right fit for every customer, but that doesn't reflect poorly on the product or your skills. Along those lines, avoid disparaging competitors, even if you know your product is better. Speak positively, but acknowledge the limitations of that choice while highlighting the strengths of your solution—without resorting to grandstanding.

If you've come from a technical support role like I have, you might mentally lock yourself into the role of customer advocate. Now, while no one is saying you should do anything unethical (at least I hope not!), you should do your best to remember that your primary job as a sales engineer is to... sell! You are now part of the sales team, and they are your primary focus. Support them in every way you can, especially the person you're on the call with. Try not to contradict their messaging (even if they're wrong), and don't commit any sales fouls. Let your product speak for itself, walk through its features and benefits in your demo, guide the customer through exploring the tool and creating a viable proof of concept, and above all, do your best to support your sales team. After all, they're the ones you'll be dealing with after the call ends.

Keep honing your presales skills!Bring your best self to every interaction!While you can never plan for every eventuality, you can plan how you'll respond when the unexpected happens.There will always be times when you don't have an answer, you're caught off guard, or something completely out of the ordinary occurs.When you find yourself in those situations, you can rely on your presentation skills and objection-handling techniques (like the <