Deep Solution Understanding - aka Hands-on Experience

You might think this is a no-brainer, or that I'm just covering this to be thorough, however, this is actually something of a contentious topic among SEs and their leadership. I know a number of very good SEs who have never installed or configured products that they routinely recommend and sell. Some argue that as long as an SE has general experience in the industry and sufficient training that hands-on experience with a specific product or even product category is not necessary to be adept at using it in designs or recommending it. 

Others would never hire an SE who didn't have deep solution understanding of their brand's primary product category. In addition to management concerns, many SEs feel incredibly uncomfortable proposing solutions they don't have any real world experience with, they consider it a question of personal integrity. Others have no problems at all with that.

Some might say this is simply an issue of perspective, or preference, but it is more than that. If your goal is to build a team of top performing SEs, or to be a member of a team of top performing SEs, then deep solution understanding is a must. Deep solution understanding is more than memorizing whitepapers, datasheets, and design guides. It is having a number of years of hands-on personal experience with your given product category.

An illustration: Several years ago I found myself in the market for a side-by-side. I went to a local powersports dealership to look over various models. I'm more of an impulse buyer than a researcher, so I went there planning to bring something home with me but having no idea what it would be.  The dealership sold a number of brands and each brand had at least a half dozen different models. Among the thirty-plus different brand/model combinations they ranged from as low as ten thousand dollars to as high as over fifty thousand dollars (yikes!).

After an hour looking over the options and repeatedly shooing away the sales person, I felt I had made a decision. I liked the Polaris RZR line. They look aggressive, appear to have good ground clearance, seat two people, but were at the very top of my budget. Finally I waved over the sales guy who had learned to hover just far enough away to not be annoying but close enough that he could keep an eye on us. I told him I wanted the grey one.  He said "great" and began to lead us to a desk in the corner where I supposed we'd begin on paperwork.  On the way over he asked what seemed like friendly chit-chat questions about what we were planning to do with it. I answered his questions and then, in the middle of the floor he stopped, turned, and asked me if I hunt. I said that I had just started, trying to learn, and the RZR would allow us to get to some places that were too far to walk. He said he was a long time hunter and really enjoyed the time outdoors. I agreed.  He then asked whether I was a member of a hunt club.  I indicated I had recently joined one. He asked if I had seen anyone else there with a side-by-side.  I replied no, that everyone used four-wheelers but that I liked the idea of a side-by-side better so my wife and kids could drive it and for the additional versatility. Finally he asked if I knew how wide the trails were that I'd be using. I said I didn't but, knowing nothing on the topic, assumed that since they were wide enough for a four-wheeler then a side-by-side should be fine.

The salesman smiled at me and turned away from the desk and led us to a display. He pulled out a product brochure for the RZR I selected as well as a red one from some other brand.  "Here" he said, handing me the RZT brochure. "The one you choose has a width of 62 inches. Most four-wheelers have a width of 47-52 inches. That ten to fifteen inch difference is a big deal if you're trying to use four-wheeler trails. I've never seen members of a hunt club do the extra work to make trails any wider than they have to be, and I've been a member of a few over the years. They make them wide enough for four-wheelers and no wider; even then it is often a tight fit for them." I thought about it and realized I was about to spend $20,000 on a machine that may not even do the main thing I was buying it for.

We left the store and drove the hour out to the hunt club, tape measure in hand. I measured the width of several of the trails I expected to use most. They were no wider than 52 inches. The next day I went back to the dealership and found the salesman I had spoken to previously.  This was a different experience from the previous day. I told him what I found at the club and listed all the other things I thought I might do with the side-by-side. He listened patiently, nodding his head and commenting whenever I spoke of something he also had experience doing. When I was done he walked me over to a Honda Pioneer 520. It was half the horsepower of the RZR, still had seating for two, but was only 50 inches wide. It also had a tilt bed which the RZR didn't; I had mentioned the plan to use it in the yard to move rocks, gravel, and fill dirt.  

Ultimately, the Honda Pioneer 520 was a much better fit for my needs than the RZR. The other bonus was that it was half the price too, saving me over $10,000. Had the salesman not had deep solution understanding, based on his years of side-by-side use and years of hunting and fishing, he would not have been in a position to help me avoid a very expensive mistake. I still love my 520 and am grateful for the salesman's willingness to delay the sale and decrease my cost (and his commission) to ensure I had the right machine for my needs.  Since then I've recommended him to others and bought two other toys from him.

The sales cycle, where an SE is involved, has a number of stages and are often long.  Sometimes you can get by without deep solution understanding while other times you simply can't. In the cases where you can't, and you don't have it, you're likely to lose the sale and you may not even know why. From engendering trust as you talk about the customer's challenges to deep design conversations to considering all the 'gotchas' they may encounter based on your experience, deep solution understanding will get you through. Even for after the sale support, during a proof of concept (if your industry does these), or during implementation you can strengthen or weaken a relationship as the customer develops a perception of whether you understand them, whether you 'feel their pain'. 

What if you're already on the job and don't have the hands-on experience?  Get it. Eat your own dog food, as they say, to the extent you're able. My current company develops and sells IT security technology. Even though I do have decades of experience using similar technologies, you can bet that I also have as much of that running at home and on my personal computers as possible. I maintain a tiny datacenter in my office using my company's products. It gives me experience. Whether you sell HVAC systems, cars, hydro-electric generators, or anything else, there are opportunities to get hands on familiarity with your products. If you're hiring for a position, make sure that all serious candidates have deep solution understanding. Hiring for an engineer to sell hydro-electric generators? Hire from among people who build them, or who operate them, or who helped design them. Hiring for a data storage SE? Find one who has years of experience managing storage arrays in datacenters of various sizes. These people resonate with customers.  They've walked in their shoes. They can commiserate, and this will build relationships and develop trust.  After all, an SE's currency is all about trust.