[somat]

I love it when some company gets one of the engineers to do a demonstration, you know you got an actual engineer because it will be the worst sales pitch you ever received. They will tell you in excruciating detail all the problems with their product. Recognize and cherish these moments for what they are worth, despite the terrible presentation it is infinitely more valuable than yet another sales rat making untenable promises.

It is something to do with that being the engineers actual job, to find and understand the problems with the product. so when talking to a customer, that is what tends to come across, all the problematic stuff. The good stuff that works, not important to them.

[Jgrubb]

As a former sales engineer - it's more about setting expectations correctly. If the customer knows the shortcomings (as well as the benefits) and signs anyway it's usually a good partnership. If the customer finds them out after the contract, then it's the opposite.

[arethuza]

Hence the role of "sales engineer" - who the customer things is from engineering but is really part of the sales team.

[kridsdale1]

Right. They “engineer” “making the sale happen”.

[honeybadger1]

it's truly a horrible thing that hearing the facts as they are, is considered excruciating. i'm very lucky that the company i've been working for for 6 years takes care of me exactly because i'm detailed, i say what i think when i think it, and have built a cult following amongst our customer base for being able to get to the meat of problems and solve them, or get at least on the path to resolution.