The number one request we get for improving the pre-sales role is helping SEs manage their time better. We hear inumerable complaints involving the constant chaos and time crunch SEs find themselves in.

It’s no wonder. For many professional fields, you go to school for formal training. Not so for a Sales Engineer. SEs figure out how to be an SE through on the job trial and error. We then become Senior SEs who are creatures of bad habits without realizing it. With lack of formal training, the SE role is fraught with inefficiency and ineffectiveness.* And so, time becomes our #1 enemy.

Here are some helpful hints for SEs to better manage time:

• Envision the Goal, and Have a Plan: These are tightly intertwined. “In the absence of clearly defined goals, we become strangely loyal to performing daily acts of trivia.” “If you don’t know where you’re going, it’s a lot harder to get there.” In fact, in our program, we teach an engineering technique for defining a least-cost path to achieve a technical decision, and key to that technique is first envisioning the end goal, and then planning from there.  Always ask yourself, “How can I win faster?”
• Just Say No: As an SE, you get demands for time from sales reps, customers, your manager, tech support, engineering, product management, family — all over the place. You cannot possibly keep everybody happy all the time.  Prioritize activities based on revenue potential, customer satisfaction, funnel cleanliness, reclamation of time, etc. When a new demand for your time arises, prioritize it accordingly, and if you have to say “No”, explain your case that you have other higher priorities.  Always ask yourself, “Is this a good use of my time?”
• Know What You Must Know: Some inefficiency is the result of not having all the information necessary to make an informed decision. To save time, filter which deals to work on. What information do you need to prioritize the deals that deserve your time?  As a team, develop a qualification checklist that everybody will use for every deal. The consistency and completeness will go a long way in improving effectiveness and team alignment on prioritizing time and deals.  Always ask yourself, “Do I know what I must know?”

 
Control what you can control.
Get SE specific training through a program like salesengineering.com’s.
This will go a long way toward reducing the continual chaos and lack of time.

* We are aware of two relatively new college programs in the U.S. that now have a Sales Engineering minor — the University of Florida, and the University of Iowa.

It’s happened to us all. The solution we so proudly represent rolled over and died, and left the customer’s mission critical system in ruins. Rome is on fire, tech support dropped the ball, and you have been called in to face the music. How do we recover and save face?

There is a nice structured approach to regaining lost credibility called the 6 A’s.

A 1) Accept Responsibility. The first three steps are very important in conveying empathy to the customer. Empathy is a critical component in establishing credibility, in this case re-establishing credibility. A customer needs to know that you, personally, are leading the charge to resolve their crisis.

A 2) Admit the Problem. Admission goes a long way in conveying empathy. It breaks down any perception of defensive posturing. If we don’t admit the problem, we are at risk of getting caught in a lie. If we do admit the problem and then later find we weren’t at fault, then we are the better for having taken the high road to begin with.

A 3) Apologize For It. A “we’re sorry” also goes a long way in conveying empathy. Right on the heals of falling on our sword we then say, “and we want to make it right.”, which is Step 4.

A 4) Act Quickly. Immediately and mutually create a get well plan. You and the customer must walk through this crisis together – get their “skin in the game”. Define specific goals, dates, and milestones. You will need the customer’s time, resources, and general assistance to resolve the crisis. Set proper expectations, and don’t over promise. Hedge your bets and develop a Plan B and Plan C.

A 5) Amend. Fix it. Execute the plan hand in hand with the customer. Become personally involved in providing the resolution. Become the “project manager” for the resolution. Provide frequent status reports to the customer’s appointed owners.

A 6) Attend. Stay on top of it. Get feedback. Show you care. Follow through to ensure long term satisfaction and success. Mutually define a plan with the customer to prevent such a crisis from occurring again, and define procedures to follow should another crisis occur. Setting these expectations goes a long way toward approaching the next crisis in a more rational manner.

Very often, once the crisis has passed, that customer will become a great reference for you. How great is it when a customer says, “You know, we had our issues, but they were there for us and got us through a rough patch.”