Storytelling for Sales Engineers
In 2020, I achieved my long-standing goal of publishing my first book. This achievement was inspired by my conversation with a colleague in June 2019. During this conversation, my colleague shared an inspirational story that painted a picture of me achieving my goal.
This conversation was a pivotal moment for me, as it motivated me to pursue my lifelong dream of becoming a writer. My colleague, a skilled Sales Engineer who incorporates storytelling techniques, adeptly communicated the benefits of stepping out of my comfort zone and pursuing my passions.
You may be wondering what my colleague being a Sales Engineer has to do with my decision to chase my goals. The answer is straightforward: Sales Engineers are some of the most skilled in helping others solve their problems. Allow me to elaborate.
What is a Sales Engineer?
A Sales Engineer is a professional with technical knowledge and sales skills.
Sales Engineers possess strong technical backgrounds and excel in communication, negotiation, and relationship-building with customers and sales teams. Their expertise makes them a vital asset in the sales process for complex or technical solutions. Their responsibilities may vary depending on the industry and product complexity.
Over the years, I have had colleagues dislike the term “Sales” in their job titles; I disagree, but I understand their perspective. The term “salesperson” can sometimes carry negative connotations. When I told my wife my job title years ago, she laughed because it sounded like someone referring to a janitor as a “sanitation engineer.”
The perception of salespeople being manipulative and dishonest exists in our culture, and some have even resorted to unethical behavior. However, achieving long-term success as a salesperson requires maintaining the highest level of integrity and ethics. Although most people understand this instinctively, the slick salesperson stereotype is prevalent in Hollywood and sometimes in real life.
As a result , some colleagues may prefer the title “Solution Engineer.” But, no matter how you spin it, a Solutions Engineer is, without a doubt, a Sales Engineer.
Fortunately, Sales Engineers can break this stereotype by offering a different approach. Sales is not about manipulating buyers into purchasing a product but understanding their needs and providing solutions. At the highest level, sales involve providing value and building long-term relationships based on trust and mutual benefit.
Sales Engineers use their technical knowledge and sales skills to challenge the negative stereotype of salespeople being manipulative and unethical. Sales Engineers provide technical support, demonstrate product features, and create customized solutions. They possess unique technical knowledge and sales expertise, enabling them to identify customer needs and develop customized solutions. This makes them a critical player in the sales process.
Sales Engineers Vs. Regular Engineers.
Sales Engineers may seem different from other engineers because their primary focus is identifying and addressing potential customer’s business needs. However, like any other engineer, Sales Engineers utilize their engineering skills. They collaborate with sales and marketing teams to understand customer requirements, propose solutions, and demonstrate their value.
While Sales Engineers are recognized for their ability to present solutions that resonate with customers and persuade them to purchase, presentation skills are not limited to them. Other engineers also require these skills to understand their client’s needs and present solutions effectively. Therefore, while Sales Engineers may have a unique role, they are not fundamentally different from other engineers.
Everything is a story, and everyone is a storyteller.
“I am an engineer, not a storyteller!”
The art of storytelling is rooted in the human experience, representing an essential aspect of how we learn and communicate. Throughout history, humans have relied on storytelling to convey information and context, using oral, written, or visual mediums to captivate our audiences. The mediums change, but the process of storytelling remains. The effectiveness of storytelling lies in its ability to provide a foundation of basic facts and context that can be relatable and accessible to others.
Storytelling is a powerful tool for effectively communicating information and ideas. There are several compelling reasons why stories are an effective method of transferring information. One reason is that stories provide audiences with the basic facts needed to understand the conveyed message. Unlike other methods of communication that may simply present facts or data, stories help to illustrate complex concepts in a way that is more accessible and memorable for listeners.
Another reason stories are an effective communication tool is that they provide context to problems. By weaving various situational elements into a narrative, stories give listeners a better understanding of the issue. They can see the entire problem rather than just focusing on individual components. This context is important because it helps listeners understand the implications of the problem and why it is important to address it.
Perhaps most importantly, stories help listeners identify with a problem. By creating relatable characters and scenarios, stories make it easier for listeners to understand and empathize with the presented issue. This identification is essential because it helps listeners connect emotionally with the message, making them more likely to remember and act on it.
“I’m a doctor, not a coal miner.”
-Dr. Leonard McCoy, Star Trek — The Original Series
Storytelling is an essential skill for engineers. And in my opinion, the most successful engineers, whether intentionally or not, employ storytelling techniques. Engineers may have to communicate with a diverse audience that varies in roles, responsibilities, interests, and concerns.
Not everyone may be interested in the technical details. However, by integrating persuasive and captivating storytelling into their communication, engineers, particularly sales engineers, can effectively captivate their audience and effectively communicate the advantages of their solutions.
For example, a video conferencing engineer might use storytelling to explain how they designed a seamless virtual meeting experience for remote teams. By sharing anecdotes about how their design resolved previous communication challenges and enabled productive collaborations between teams, the engineer could demonstrate their work’s value and its positive impact on the organization.
Using storytelling techniques, a network engineer could effectively communicate to management and non-technical stakeholders how they detected and resolved a crucial network outage. In addition, the engineer could make the technical details more accessible to a broader audience using storytelling techniques. They do this by sharing the events that caused the network outage, describing how they identified and diagnosed the issue, and explaining their steps to fix the problem. In industries where technical issues impact overall business operations, engineers must communicate with stakeholders who may not have a technical background.
The process of storytelling involves several key components. Firstly, it is important to identify and thoroughly understand the intended audience before developing a narrative. Secondly, one must determine the story one wishes to tell. Finally, it is essential to convey the story with appropriate context to ensure the message is clear and effectively resonates with the audience.
Identify and understand your audience.
Crafting a compelling narrative is a critical step in successfully communicating the benefits of a solution to potential customers. Developing such a narrative begins with understanding the intended audience on a deep level.
“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
- Maya Angelou
It is essential to consider the audience’s demographics, interests, pain points, and other relevant factors. This understanding allows for crafting a narrative that speaks directly to the audience’s needs and desires, increasing the likelihood of engagement and conversion. Furthermore, engineers can establish a stronger connection and effectively communicate the benefits of their solution by tailoring their message to speak directly to their audience. This is achievable by developing a comprehensive understanding of the audience.
Determine what story you are telling.
Sales engineers are storytellers. They must craft a narrative that engages and resonates with their audience, using characters like end-users, technical teams, power users, customers, and guests.
One of my former colleagues and mentors taught me an important lesson. When meeting with customers, he would recognize that while he had researched their company, he still needed to develop a more personal understanding of their operations. To achieve this, he often said, “I know what you do, but I don’t know what you do.” He would then ask questions to better understand their processes and operations.
This approach enabled him to provide more effective service by comprehensively understanding their business. For instance, if the customer were a shoe company like Nike, he would recognize that they produced shoes. Still, he would also inquire about what made their process unique and what made them stand out as a company.
I would sometimes find his questions tedious. I was impatient and wanted to jump to the exciting part of suggesting products that would suit their needs. However, I soon realized that a comprehensive understanding of a company’s operations provides a deeper context to its problems. The more knowledge you have about your customer, the more effective the solution you can propose.
Asking detailed questions
To effectively engage their audience, sales engineers must deeply understand their customers. This requires asking detailed questions to uncover the customer’s needs and pain points, going beyond surface-level information.
Then, by customizing their sales pitch to address these specific needs, sales engineers can position their solutions as the perfect fit for the customer. Doing so demonstrates their commitment to understanding the customer’s business and offering a personalized solution.
The ability to ask targeted questions and identify the customer’s priorities is crucial to successful sales engineering.
“The only true wisdom is in knowing that you know nothing. “
– Socrates
Active Listening
Although asking questions is crucial, listening to the answers is even more critical.
“Most people do not listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply.”
-Stephen R. Covey
It can be challenging to hold back from interjecting when you think you know the solution to the problem at hand. However, doing so is essential not only to gain an accurate understanding of the issue but also to show the person you are supporting that you comprehend the problem. Active listening involves not just hearing the words that someone says but understanding the entire story they are telling, including their nonverbal communication.
Active listening also requires engagement and a sincere effort to understand the complete story behind what is being said rather than just responding immediately. This type of listening takes practice but is essential for building strong relationships with customers and effectively addressing their needs.
“I only wish I could find an institute that teaches people how to listen. [people] need to listen at least as much as they need to talk. Too many people fail to realize that real communication goes in both directions.”
- Lee Iacocca, Chrysler Corporation
Tell the story with context
the art of the presentation
Once one has identified the customer’s needs and crafted a compelling narrative, sales engineers must present their solutions to their audience. However, presenting the solution alone is not enough. It is crucial to contextualize the story, considering the specific industry, business challenges, and market environment of the customer to ensure that the message is clear and resonates with the audience.
Sales engineers can help customers understand how a solution can benefit them by tailoring it to their specific needs. By doing this, they demonstrate that they have taken the time to understand their unique challenges. This helps build rapport and communicate the benefits more effectively.
The most effective engineers concentrate on communicating the benefits of their solutions, rather than just describing their features, to engage with their audience more effectively. This approach communicates how the solutions can address problems and meet the customer’s specific needs, leading to a stronger connection and increased engagement.
“Engineers love features; everyone else loves benefits.” — Andy Callan
Storytelling for Sales Engineers
If you want to stand out and become the hero of your own story, listen up: technical knowledge and sales expertise aren’t enough. To truly excel, you must also master the art of storytelling.
But here’s the good news: storytelling doesn’t have to be formal. You can use storytelling techniques in any form of communication, from simple text messages to emails: use examples, case studies, and anecdotes to illustrate how your solutions can solve similar challenges. Keep it simple and clear, so your audience can easily comprehend the value of your solution and be motivated to take action.
With effective storytelling, you can become a successful Sales Engineer and the hero of your own story. To become skilled storytellers, Sales Engineers must begin by identifying and understanding their audience, determining what story they are telling, and telling the story with context.
If you want your solution to stick in your audience’s mind and inspire action…
