EM – Enterprises that distribute technical and technological equipment often prioritize recruiting sales engineers (Sale Engineer – SE) and are willing to pay a starting salary 10-30% higher than candidates of the same position. In the elevator sector, this margin can be even larger. This shows how valuable SE is.
It took him five years to graduate from mechanical engineering, a difficult subject at a top technical university, and Son had no intention of starting a business. However, from a contact with a customer who wanted to buy an elevator, after negotiations that seemed to have reached a dead end, with just a brief introduction about him having graduated from HUST, the elevator contract was signed in a moment. Customers believe and even affirm themselves: Graduating from a technical school like HUST is… off the table!
The story of the sales engineer and his interesting experiences also begins there with engineer Chu Ngoc Son, GamaLift Head of Sales Department. According to him, the customer’s first impression of SE will determine up to 50-60% of the chance of success of the elevator sales contract.
Industrial goods such as elevators are different from ordinary consumer goods, they have great value, often have a very complex structure, so if they buy the wrong thing, customers will suffer heavy losses. Therefore, if the customer is consulted by a technical expert, the buying and selling process can go smoothly. In fact, this has both ensured to satisfy the needs of customers for in-depth technical knowledge and increased the rate of “closing orders” for businesses.
Currently, the concept of SE is not new, simply understood as a sales engineer. SEs are well-trained in technical expertise. They also understand customer needs as well as business goals. Therefore, it is no exaggeration to say that SE is considered to be the highest level in current sales related to technical and technological products. SE is also likened to a “living dictionary” of techniques in the sales team.
For customers who are knowledgeable and interested in technical factors, SE is especially necessary. Guest feedback questions will be answered with technical-based answers. This increases trust in your sales reps, driving faster-than-expected buying decision behavior.
If there is no suitable reason, then businesses probably do not prioritize paying salaries to SEs that are 10-30% higher than their colleagues according to a survey in Vietnam in 2021. Reference from the job site Vietnamworks.com (the leading reputable website on job search in Vietnam), the average salary for SE position is more than 800 USD/month, 4.6 times more than the average income (4.2 million VND/month) now.
For customers who do not care much about technical factors, they will care about the personal experience of using products and services throughout the life of the product. This is something that SEs understand well and are thoroughly trained to give the right advice on what customers need.
An SE in the elevator industry shares, no matter what job they do, they can switch to sales, but technical people will have their own advantages. From a background of basic training in technical specialties, such as technical drawing or motor structure, electrical equipment, cybernetics, … after only a short time of getting acquainted, learning, SE has the ability to master the technique of elevators.
When surveying the site, SE will have an accurate assessment of the location or advise on appropriate elevator installation solutions to achieve optimal efficiency for customers and the capability of the distributor, construction. SE often is not periphrastical but goes straight to the actual problem, finding ways to solve the problem.
In fact, there are many customers who are annoyed with sales staff when they are often disturbed after asking questions to buy products. This creates a bad impression in the eyes of the customer. SEs are usually not so clingy. They ask permission to survey the actual site to frankly give advice on solutions and the remaining decision belongs to the customer. Therefore, this has turned SEs into a bridge for business and customers to find each other.
This potential customer has little time, so it needs to be brief, sharp and highly persuasive. SEs are required not only technical knowledge, but also need to have extensive knowledge of life, society, history, culture, … because there have been customers who closed their purchases just because of the same taste…..with an SE that hasn’t said anything about elevators. In many cases, only through initial communication, the customer immediately “closed the order”. That is, the ability to close the deal through the attitude, through the words of the consultant. Besides, for elevator products in the high-end segment, SEs often have to come into contact with customers, often leaders of companies, units,…
One more success
by SE Chu Ngoc Son…
Whether it is an SE or a salesperson, the main goal of the job is still to convince customers to buy products/services with complex technology and techniques such as elevators. Therefore, they have to give product presentations, explain technical issues related to products/services to customers. They interact with customers, assess equipment needs, determine product requirements. Plan and propose strategies to upgrade products/services to better suit the needs and tastes of customers. They must also assist customers with technical problems during equipment installation. Directly participate in research and development of products/services.
In many cases when the elevator has a problem, customers trust SE immediately for advice and SE must have enough knowledge to satisfy customers’ pressing concerns before the Customer Experience department takes care and the technical team comes in…
In fact, many businesses that distribute elevator products and services are using the SE team very effectively, even becoming a growth lever in their business strategy. However, this does not mean that the chances of success are only for SEs. All other “sellers” completely have the opportunity to catch up, even outperform the SE, because there are many solutions to get successful results in business.
Sales Engineer is increasingly proving the importance as well as the key role in enterprises with advanced and modern technology and technical products/services. Therefore, SEs will certainly be welcomed by many businesses.
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