SE Sin #2: Blind Sales Calls. Every SE has been in a sales call where they ask themselves, “What am I doing here?”. That should never ever happen. Instead, before they commit their time, the SE should ask the sales rep or channel partner a series of basic sales-worthiness questions.

For example, “What’s the business problem the customer is trying to solve?” “Why do they have to do something now?” “When do they need to make a decision?” “Who is driving the project?” “How much budget do they have to solve the whole problem?” “Who owns the budget?”. If you rep or partner can’t answer some basic questions about the deal, then you should second guess spending your time on it.

The questions assure the SE that the opportunity will be a good use of their time. There is nothing wrong in asking yourself, “Is this a good use of my time?”. Don’t get caught asking yourself, “What am I doing here?”.