Udemy
    •  
    •  
    •  
    •  
    •  
    •  
    •  
    •  
Turn what you know into an opportunity and reach millions around the world.
Learn More
Your cart is empty.
Keep shopping
Ten Rules for Solution Engineers
Rating: 4.6 out of 5(55 ratings)
1,357 students

Ten Rules for Solution Engineers

Mastering the craft of influencing customers through technical competence. Solution Engineering, and Sales Consulting.
Created byAlan Berrey
Last updated 1/2023
English
English [Auto],

What you'll learn

  • Obtain an overview of "Solution Engineering."
  • Technical professionals will help their sales colleagues attract new customers and win deals.
  • Focus on the top objectives for solution engineering.
  • Learn the skills needed to influence customers through technical competence.

Course content

1 section • 12 lectures • 33m total length

  • Introduction3:12

    Subject matter experts act as sales enablers through solution engineering, driving revenue growth; this course presents the top ten rules for technical professionals who influence customers in the sales process.

  • Rule #1: Win the Deal2:20

    Win the deal drives the first duty of a solution engineer, prioritizing revenue before engineering a solution. Sales are the lifeblood, and selling is a valuable, ethical skill.

  • Rule #2: Stop Thinking You need to Answer All the Questions3:00

    Learn that solution engineers should not try to answer every customer question, focusing on winning the deal and what truly matters instead of giving overwhelming or partial responses.

  • Rule #3: Focus on the True Objectives4:02

    Focus on the true objectives—trust, mutual vision, and delivery—to guide solution engineering conversations and ensure credible, customer-aligned outcomes.

  • Rule #4: Seek Agreement3:15

    Learn to seek agreement by asking follow-up questions, avoiding blunt no, and offering alternatives. Apply these ideas to a pricing-model change example, where yes and compromises emerge through agreeable language.

  • Rule #5: Use Proper Language4:10

    Master your vocabulary and syntax; use industry language when appropriate but sparingly, so your audience understands and your credibility remains intact.

  • Rule #6: Be Gentle with the Truth2:45

    Be gentle with the truth to support informed decisions; present truth gradually and kindly in client meetings, using the 'tell all the truth, but tell it slant' approach.

  • Rule #7: Do not Create Problems3:32

    Avoid creating problems where none exist, as the Barclays text messaging case shows: lawsuits arose despite following standards, later clarified as appropriate by an FCC declaratory ruling.

  • Rule #8: Target Risk2:00

    Target and assess customer risk, respond when risk is realized, and show how you can eliminate risk to win customer trust.

  • Rule #9: Be Humble2:20

    Emphasize a humble mindset and accurate self-knowledge, give credit to others, engage clients with respect, and avoid belittling or arguing to foster trust, engagement, and creativity.

  • Rule #10: Obtain Training and Take Courses for Solution Engineering Mastery1:25

    Seek training with the Solution Engineering Mastery Series to master your domain, technology, industry, and customers. Trained engineers close more sales, retain customers, and deliver clear return on investment.

  • Summary1:17

    Master the ten rules for solution engineers to maximize influence and effectiveness: win the deal, answer all questions, target risk, seek agreement, use proper language, and be humble.

Requirements

  • No prerequisites for this course. Solution engineers typically have a technical competence that customers trust.

Description

The scenario happens frequently. an account manager meets with a customer. The customer starts asking questions that the account manager cannot answer alone. So, the sales person asks a technical colleague to help.  Sometimes technical people are fantastic with customers, other times, unfortunately, they are disasters. They can save the day and help close deals, or sadly they can destroy all opportunities of doing so. Technical competence alone is not good enough, there is a lot more to the craft of solution engineering.

Whenever any technical professional interacts with a customer, either before the customer buys, or after, they are performing solution engineering. They are influencing the thoughts and actions of the customer by virtue of their technical competence. Few activities are more valuable to companies, or to customers, than effective solution engineering. We need more solution engineers, and we need better solution engineers, far better.

This course gets us started toward that objective, more and better solution engineers. In this course we hit on the first ten things technical professionals should know before they meet with customers. Whether you are a recent college grad who just joined your company, an experienced technician, or even a technical leader, these are the ten things you should know before meeting a customer. I guarantee your sales colleagues will appreciate it if you and your technical coworkers master these items.

In this course we talk about:

  • Closing the deal

  • Questions and answers

  • An SE's true objectives

  • Finding agreement with the customer

  • Using proper language

  • Using truth as an instrument

  • Avoiding problems

  • Targeting risk

  • Maintaining and conveying a humble mindset

  • Securing appropriate training

Any technical person who meets with customers, or who may ever meet with customers, should take this course as a minimum. The top ten rules for solution engineers.

Who this course is for:

  • Technical professionals who meet with customers or support their sales colleagues

Report abuse