Top Skills SE Managers Should Interview For

Given the breadth and depth of experience, skill, and knowledge required to be a top Sales Engineer (SE) it can be difficult to capture, much less remember, all those requirements as you interview candidates.  The below lists (in no particular order) may serve as reminders of things to discuss as you prepare for  and interview SE candidates. For more information on any of the below, click the link for a deeper dive into individual skills. 

Soft Skills

1. Read the Room
• The ability to intuitively understand what is happening around them and react accordingly.
2. Tour Guide
• The ability to guide customers through new information in an entertaining and informative manor while being perceptive of how this information is received and, if necessary, adapting the presentation accordingly.
3. Business Drivers
• The ability to understand why the people who write the checks are willing to pay for this product. Does it make them money, save them money, achieve intangible goals, or decrease risk.
4. Competitor Landscape
• The ability to understand who your competitors are, what their go to market strategy is,  and who they typically interact with on the customer side.
5. Personal Presentation
• An understanding of the importance of grooming and dressing appropriate for the audience or situation.
6. Relatability
• The ability to relate to customers, help them to like you, and quickly develop common ground with individuals.
7. Malleability
• The ability to become what the customer, or the account manager, needs you to be in any given situation.
8. Chameleon
• The ability to have an honest and realistic understanding of the account manager's weaknesses or shortcomings and fill in the gaps.
9. Procedure
• An understanding of the complete sales cycle, especially the parts you're not responsible for, so that in the absence of the account manager you can ensure customer's needs are met.
10. Communication
• Ability to communicate and respond clearly, succinctly, intelligently, and professionally via email, text, collaboration platforms, and in person.
11. Cool Under Fire
• The ability to maintain one's composure, control one's temper, and filter initial emotional responses regardless cause.

Technical Skills

1. Market Understanding
• A rich technical background and depth of experience in the particular industry or market that the candidate will be working in.
2. Technical Breadth
• The number of products, or product categories, that the candidate can speak intelligently about and convey and sense of expertise.
3. Technical Depth
• The depth to which a candidate can convey expertise on each of the products referenced in #2 above.
4. Technical Aptitude
• The speed at which a candidate can onboard new knowledge quickly and speak intelligently about its place in a customer's environment.
5. Understanding of the Competitive Landscape
• The ability to understand who your competitors are, what they may be pitching against you, and how to address the differences.
6. Innate Product Curiosity
• The degree to which the candidate naturally explores and investigates the products that they are helping sell, resulting from their own enjoyment or curiosity.
7. Design
• The candidate's ability, using the tools appropriate to your industry, to design/architect solutions for customers. This may be thought of as 'whiteboarding skills'.
8. Presentation
• The natural comfort and technical expertise in presenting material in front of a room full of customers, from an influencer to a decision maker to an executive. This can be though of as 'PowerPoint skills'.
9. Public Speaking
• The degree to which a candidate is comfortable with, and talented at, speaking in front of a large audience such as at a conference.
10. Demonstration 
• To the extent that your industry requires live product demonstrations, the skill level and comfort of the candidate at demonstrating products to customers.

Interested in a list of interview questions that will help you explore each of these skills with potential candidates?  Click the contact link to learn more about SE Leadership Consulting Services.