I would be interested in some advice on how to support the sales team without doing their job for them. Our managers have lately started talking a lot about “focusing on the value we bring to the client” and so on, and while that is surely a crucial perspective to be aware of, there are perspectives that the sales team are not expected to be aware of that are the technical team’s responsibility and I would like to strike a balance there. Are there some things you are now aware of that you wish your engineer colleagues would have shared with the sales team, for example?
Not going to lie here... having been in both worlds I'm actually in awe of how much leniency many sales people get regarding product knowledge and technical considerations- it's a very one sided relationship in that regard. Engineers are expected to be much more empathetic to sales considerations than sales people are to technical aspects of a business. It's kinda messed up IMO.
Specifically to your question:
> "Are there some things you are now aware of that you wish your engineer colleagues would have shared with the sales team, for example?"
I think this is a great topic for an article! Just as a knee jerk answer in case you don't see the article:
On a case by case basis (aka depends on the sales person), but I think engineers could do more to provide an approachable "why" they did something that they did.
Put another way, there are often technical decisions which sales people can understand at a high level (if communicated properly) that would help them do their job more effectively. This is especially impactful with client work, but still useful for product work. I know that it is difficult to express our work sometimes to audiences that don't have the same mental models but even just understanding that there is an objective reason can help them communicate with customers more effectively.
The other thing, which to me feels intuitive... the work we do is exciting! We build things, and make things better! I feel like those emotions could be shared... new R&D, new features, new products... that stuff could be another place where sales people can get motivation. They are part of something that is moving forward, which helps A LOT. Energy makes a sale happen
Thank you! I will try to apply both of your suggestions when I get back to work from vacation :) looking forward to your articles, I think the topic has a lot of potential.
