Attributes of a Great Sales Engineer: Part 2

Be a People-Person!

Close your eyes for a second and imagine you are on a gameshow. Actually, hold on, open your eyes. I realized you can’t really read what I am about to say if your eyes are closed, as having your eyes open is a critical step in the process of reading. 

Imagine if you will, you are on a gameshow. The objective of this gameshow is to strike up a genuine friendship with a total stranger as quickly as you possibly can. A friend is someone who really likes you, enjoys spending time with you, trusts you. This is how a great SE views their job.

If you are at that level with someone, it becomes a lot easier to sell them software. That’s why the SE who is a people-person has a huge advantage!

There is absolutely a place for going into technical details or showing that you understand their pains. But the foundation has to be trust. The ones who succeed are the SEs who are good at making friends. They bring themselves into the room—quirks, jokes, and all—and build trust from there.

Beep, boop.

The more polished you are– the more jargon you use– the more the conversation revolves around only their processes and pains– the more you just sound like a robot, honestly. There is a growing skepticism in our society of robotic behavior. Take AI, for instance. There are studies that show when people think content is written or created by AI, they immediately tune it out. 

In this increasingly robotic world, people are CRAVING human connection. We are more isolated than ever in spite of how connected we are digitally. That’s why when you choose the vulnerable act of bringing your real personality to the meeting with a prospect, you are showing them that you trust them enough to be real with them. Most times they’ll reciprocate. 

Listening is Key

It’s very easy to get suckered into listening to respond, not to understand. This is very common during a demo, but it happens during discovery too.

If you’re just waiting your turn to talk, that will be obvious to the speaker. Ask them clarifying questions about the things they tell you. That shows them that you care about their perspective. Really seek to understand them. Everything else comes after that. 

The best SEs aren’t thinking about their next point while the other person is talking. They’re tuned in, picking up on what’s being said (and what isn’t). They’re listening to what’s being said and striving to understand why it’s being said. When you actually listen to understand, you’re not just hearing their words—you’re building trust.

Actually Caring Goes a Long Way

Genuine care isn’t something you can fabricate. If you don’t actually care, there’s no way to fake it– and your prospects will feel it. But if you’re truly invested in solving their problems, it shows. If you aren’t, it may make sense to find a new line of work. 

When you genuinely care, sometimes that even means saying, “This isn’t the right fit.” It’s a tough thing to do, but when you care about the client more than the sale, it leaves an impression. Let’s be honest, no one wants a deal that was never a good fit. The implementation team doesn’t want it, and your prospect certainly doesn’t want it. 

Humor Helps (When You Use It Right)

“I love to laugh” feels like a generic thing you might see on 75% of dating profiles, but it’s there for a reason. People love to share laughter together. 

Once a quarter, our SEs submit a demo to be graded through a demo rubric that we have established. Believe it or not, one of the criteria we grade our SEs on is sense of humor displayed during the demo. 

There is nothing that loses attention quicker than a dry monologue with no humor embedded in it. And there is nothing that gains attention quicker than an unexpected funny line or some sort of pre-planned gag. Afterall, by this point, you should be friends with your prospect. And part of the vast majority of friendships is sharing laughter. 

But it’s a balancing act. You don’t want to turn the meeting into a three ring circus, but dropping the occasional joke or lighthearted comment can make your demo more memorable. Bonus points if you are able to tie something humorous to an impactful point you are making about how the solution will help them. It will make that extra memorable! Oftentimes the prospect will even call back to that joke multiple times mid-demo. 

Wrapping It Up

Being a people person isn’t just a “nice-to-have” skill—it’s a fundamental attribute of a great SE. If you can connect with prospects, listen to what they need, show them you care, and maybe even make them laugh, you’re more than just an SE. You’re someone they actually want to work with.

So, bring your personality to your job and leave the dystopic corporate robot act at home. Be yourself. Make real connections. People buy from people—not robots.