Sales Engineers and Remote Work: Navigating the Future
Introduction to Sales Engineers and Remote Work
Whether sales engineers can work from home often depends on their employer and the nature of their role. Post-pandemic, many companies have adopted flexible work arrangements, allowing sales engineers to work remotely part-time or full-time. However, certain aspects of their job, such as client meetings, product demonstrations, and collaboration with other teams, may still require in-person presence. It's important for sales engineers to check with their employer's HR policies or their direct manager to understand the specific work-from-home arrangements available to them.
Real-world Experience
After 25 years in IT, one sales engineer decided to become a sales engineer (SE) ten years ago. Their first job was with a Silicon Valley startup, while they lived in the D.C. area. They worked from their home office and traveled three times a week to cover 38 states and all of Canada. They even had to travel to Bermuda for a presentation. This experience taught them the value of combining technical skills with soft skills to build strong customer relationships. In their current role, they still travel once a week to local customers and rarely spend the night away from home. The downside is that on bad weather days, they have to make sure their kids and school teacher wife stay home, and they also recognize that extended periods of sitting can be detrimental to their health.
Opinions and Recommendations
The consensus among experienced SEs is that remote work is possible, even highly beneficial in many cases. However, it's crucial to maintain corporate visibility and build strong internal relationships at the company. One SE recommends starting by sitting down with each department to figure out the 'Go-To' resource individuals and build a strong relationship. These relationships will save time and streamline the process of finding and chasing internal folks for answers.
Conclusion and Future Outlook
The flexibility of remote work is transforming the sales engineering industry. While some jobs, particularly in sales engineering, require face-to-face interactions, the rise of technology and changing work dynamics allows for a blend of remote and in-person work. By navigating the right balance and leveraging their technical and interpersonal skills, sales engineers can thrive in a remote work environment and continue to deliver outstanding results for their clients.