Today I learned about the members who make up a sales team and what they each do. Back in the day, before technology exploded, salesmen oftentimes sold products individually. There was no need for a team of experts each specializing in one area of the sales cycle to complete a sale. The sales field was less developed and the products/solutions that were being sold were nowhere near as complex. This is not the case today as sales teams drive success for tech companies.

It is the goal of the sales team to convert prospective customers into satisfied buyers. Some of the aspects of doing this include but are not limited to identifying prospective customers, creating a sales plan, networking with customers and understanding their problems, proposing and selling solutions, and ensuring customer satisfaction. The ability to complete these steps better than competitors gives the sales team an advantage in the market. The sales team partially breaks apart the tasks stated above to improve performance. Each member specializes in one or more areas. These people make up the sales team.

The Sales Team

Below are the roles that I found that make up a tech sales team

Sales Executive

It is the job of a sales executive to conduct research and generate leads for more senior salesmen. These individuals are more entry-level salesmen and work on a more commission heavy plan to encourage them to generate leads and drive revenue. These people should be good at interacting with customers, know the product, and be able to handle questions and rejection well. This position is seen less in the tech sales field, as tech sales deals can be complex, but I thought it was important to mention them here anyway.

Sales Development Representative (SDRs):

SDRs are inbound representatives. Inbound representatives means that they are interacting with potential customers who have expressed interest in some way. SDRs prospect and reach out to new customers to generate and qualify leads. Their job is aimed more at finding customers and then passing those interested customers onto more senior salesmen, like an Account Executive(AE). SDRs use email campaigns, phone calls, social media, and other networking resources to contact and interact with potential customers. They use customer relationship management systems(CRMs) a lot, and schedule meetings for AEs. Great SDRs are outgoing, confident, and determined. This role can come with rejection and frustration, but SDRs are essential members of the sales team. This position generates leads and hands the qualified ones to the AEs.

Account Executives (AEs):

An AE is in charge of the entire sales process, from initial contact all the way to closing. These people interact with customers directly. They meet with customers and ask questions to understand their business and problems. They work with Sales Engineers (SEs) to demo solutions and answer questions about the product/solution they are selling. AEs must juggle multiple different customers and work to move customers through the sales pipeline towards closing the deal. AEs must have strong interpersonal skills, organizational skills, be good at working with others, and be able to negotiate and close deals. This position is what I initially thought of when I heard the job technical salesmen.

Sales Engineers (SEs):

A sales engineer is a technical expert for the product they are helping sell. It is the job of the sales engineer to support the account executive in demonstrating the solution to the client and showing how it drives value and solves the problem the customer is experiencing. The sales engineer has extensive knowledge about the benefits and impact of the technology they are selling. Any question the account executive may not know can be directed to the sales engineer who will address the concern. The sales engineer must also understand competitors in the market and be able to demonstrate why their solution’s advantages. Sales engineers must have a strong knowledge base, be curious learners, and have excellent presentational speaking skills. Sales engineers are the subject matter experts on their product and support the AEs in selling the solution.

Other Members

There are a few other members that I found that I will give a little information about. but since I do not think they relate as directly for my case, I will keep them short.

Sales Manager: These people manage sales teams however they are split. It is possible they manage the AEs, the SDRs, the SEs, all, or a combination of them depending on how territory is separated. These people keep the team working well together and report to directors on how their teams are performing.

Account Managers: These people manage accounts after the sale and ensure customer satisfaction. These people are the point of contact after a sale has been made, and they must make sure everything that was promised is delivered. They also keep an eye out for upsell opportunities or future needs.

Wrapping Up

After learning about the different roles of tech sales team members, I feel I have a better understanding of how tech sales teams operate. The SDRs generate the leads, which they give to AEs. The AEs meet with the customer and learn about their problems and attempt to solve them. The SEs work with the AE and customer to bridge knowledge barriers and demonstrate the proposed solution. All these members combined with managers make the sales experience a well oiled machine.

Now with the positions in mind, I think the sales engineer or SE sounds the most interesting. Moving forward, I want to understand the sales cycle a little better to get a look at the big picture.

References

A big thank you to each of the blogs/articles listed below. I used these resources to learn about the topic. This blog post is my new understanding of sales team roles.

https://www.bettercareer.org/blog/tech-sales-roles

https://www.benchmarkemail.com/blog/top-sales-team-roles/

Understanding The Tech Sales Team: SDRs, AEs, SEs, and More