Sales Engineers: Stop Being a Tool, Start Driving Value

One trend I continue to see in enterprise sales is SEs being relegated to a backseat role—treated as tools to support sales rather than as strategic partners in the buying process. This “tool approach” is a misuse of SE talent, and it flies in the face of what the data shows about where the most value comes from in a technology purchase.

Source: Mastering Technical Sales – Up2Speed, The Future Sales Engineer Research Report – 2025, with permission from John Care.

According to research from Mastering Technical Sales by John Care, technical teams deliver the highest value across customer positions, consistently outranking general collateral, salespeople, and executives themselves. Middle management, IT individuals, and even CXO-level executives all see technical teams as the most valuable source of guidance and insight throughout the purchasing process. You can find the full report here. Yet, too often, SEs are brought in to “support the demo,” configure solutions, or validate features—then sent back to the sidelines until needed again.

Being a Tool vs. Being a Carpenter

Think of it this way: when SEs are treated as tools, they are handed a predefined job to execute and expected to function only when called upon. They are reactive, limited to specific tasks, and disconnected from the larger outcome. Tools are essential, but they cannot create the finished product on their own, and their impact rarely lasts beyond the immediate task.

A carpenter, on the other hand, understands the full project. They see how every cut, joint, and measurement contributes to the final piece. They can adapt, innovate, and guide the process based on their expertise. Most importantly, a carpenter creates lasting value for the end user: the finished product is not just functional for today, but durable, effective, and meaningful over time. SEs positioned as strategic partners are the carpenters of the sales process: they understand the customer’s business, anticipate challenges, provide insight, and craft solutions that align with real outcomes, ensuring the customer receives long-term benefit.

The difference is clear: a tool executes tasks; a carpenter creates enduring value.

Why This Has Happened

The roots of this problem are both historical and cultural:

• Tool mentality from the early sales motion. In the past, SEs were often used primarily to handle product demos or technical questions, reinforcing the perception their role was secondary to closing the deal. This is very common in new sales teams that were recently in startup mode.
• Sales-centric culture. Sales teams were measured primarily on quota, not on long-term customer success. The fastest path to a number often meant leveraging SEs as tactical resources, not strategic advisors.
• Organizational inertia. Companies built processes around a transactional model of selling. SEs became reactive—waiting for instructions instead of proactively influencing the conversation.
• Viewed as blockers. SEs are sometimes seen as asking too many questions before a sale can progress, delaying decisions or, in some cases, preventing a deal from closing.

While these factors may have made sense historically, the landscape has changed. Customers are more sophisticated, technology solutions are more complex, and the value of the SE extends far beyond technical validation.

Why SEs Are Critical to Trust

SEs are not just technical resources—they are key drivers of credibility and trust throughout the sales process. Their impact goes far beyond demos and configuration:

• Technical expertise builds confidence. When an SE demonstrates a deep understanding of the solution and its application, clients feel assured that the proposed solution will work in their environment.
• Guiding discovery reinforces credibility. By asking insightful questions and uncovering the real business challenges, SEs help clients see that the team understands their world. This builds trust faster than a scripted demo ever could.
• Contextual problem-solving shows integrity. SEs who can adapt solutions to client-specific problems demonstrate that the company cares about real outcomes, not just selling a product.
• Human connection strengthens relationships. Clients often interact with SEs as the technical face of your company. A knowledgeable, empathetic SE fosters strong relationships, reinforcing trust in the broader account team.
• Validating business impact reinforces confidence. SEs who help quantify value, risk mitigation, or efficiency improvements make the client feel secure in the decision. This is especially powerful when paired with collaboration and co-creation during meetings.
• Bridging gaps between stakeholders. SEs help translate between technical teams, business leaders, and decision-makers, ensuring everyone has a clear, aligned understanding. This reduces miscommunication and builds trust across the client organization.

All of these activities are inherently customer-focused, not self-serving. SEs are building trust by creating value, insight, and confidence for the client—not just executing tasks to advance the internal sales process. This is what separates a transactional interaction from a trusted advisor relationship. Additionally, when SEs ask questions or challenge assumptions, they may be misperceived as blockers—but done correctly, this behavior cements trust because it shows the client that the team is focused on their success, not just the sale. John Care recently shared with me “humanity and relationship building are a powerful differentiator for the SE when dealing with the encroachment of AI into the profession.”

Practical Advice for SEs Stuck in a Tool Role

If you feel like you’re often used as a reactive tool rather than a strategic partner, there are subtle ways to shift your impact without creating conflict:

• Lead with insight, not just answers. Frame conversations around business impact or patterns observed with other customers.
• Ask strategic clarifying questions. Probe to understand the business context and the customer’s desired outcomes.
• Provide context and perspective. Share examples from other customers highlighting business outcomes.
• Document and communicate findings. Summarize key insights, decisions, or potential risks for both the customer and the internal team.
• Highlight outcomes, not just activity. Frame contributions around value and actionable insights.

By using these techniques, SEs can gradually move out of the tool mindset without stepping on toes or creating friction. Over time, this behavior builds credibility, influence, and trust with both clients and internal teams.

Moving Forward

Organizations must recognize that SEs are not interchangeable tools. They are experts who bridge the gap between technical solutions and business outcomes. Companies that continue to treat SEs as secondary risk undervaluing their most impactful resource—and losing out on trust, deals, and revenue in the process.

The future of sales engineering is clear: bring SEs to the table as equal partners, leverage their insights, and stop putting them on the shelf.

References

Up2Speed, The Future Sales Engineer Research Report – 2025. Graphic used with permission from John Care. Available at: https://digital.up2speed.biz/common/MTS/MTS-TheFutureSalesEngineerResearchReport-2025.pdf