Wreck Diving: a Sales Engineering analogy

As an avid scuba diver, I enjoy diving on shipwrecks. I have found that the skills I employ for Sales Engineering overlap with those used for wreck diving.

Scuba diving is a passion of mine. The name of this blog, “Decompression Stop”, is a technical diving term.

In Ontario we have the best shipwrecks in the world. A rich maritime history and a propensity for severe weather combine to yield a prolific shipwreck record that estimates hold is in excess of 6,000. The highly anaerobic environment of our huge fresh water lakes help to preserve wooden and steel shipwrecks that can be more than 100 years old.

Wreck diving requires discipline. You must remain cool, calm and collected. You must be prepared for disorienting events such as “silt out” that can cause sudden, complete loss of visibility.  Frequently, wrecks are located in areas of strong current which adds to the strain of the dive. Special training is recommended and, at the very least, diving with others who already have wreck diving experience is a must.

Similarly with Sales Engineering, before you plunge into the abyss of consultative selling, the Sales Engineer (SE) needs specific training and experience. Additionally, in order for the SE to navigate the quagmire of the solution selling process, the SE needs to be prepared for the unexpected.

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Customers are increasingly savvy about their business needs. The SE must plan to address detailed questions about the value proposition of the offered solution and how it specifically applies to the unique business case of the particular client being addressed.

Equally the SE needs to recognize when they’re in too deep and that proceeding without further research would only damage the customer relationship. In this case, the SE should acknowledge this to the customer and offer to do more research offline and to subsequently get back to the customer with the relevant information.

Armed with appropriate training and experience, Sales Engineers can successfully employ consultative selling techniques. Increasingly this method of selling is enabling companies that offer comprehensive and complex solutions, to connect with their customers in a valuable way that is apparent and relevant to the customer’s business needs. If along the way you manage to have a little fun, then good for you—you must be getting the hang of it.

                 navigating the quagmire

Group motorcycle trip: a Systems Engineering analogy

A big part of my Sales Engineering experience is classical Systems Engineering. Frequently, when seeking a solution for a customer’s business case, a Sales Engineer needs to go beyond the company’s product portfolio and draw on third party products.

It turns out that the skills we use to pull off a major group motorcycle trip draw on our experience in Systems and Sales Engineering (and vice versa). Let me explain.

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I’ve completed two epic motorcycle trips with my colleagues and Sales Engineering veterans, Walter and Jerry. In July, 2014 we did our second trek—4,200 km around Lake Superior over nine days. We went clockwise around the lake to maximize our chance for great views en route.

Miner’s Castle Rock, Michigan

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Trip planning is always a delicate exercise employing the judicious use of advanced interpersonal skills as we negotiate where we should stay and what we should see. In this I utilized my Sales Engineering experience to ensure that top must-see destinations were strategically incorporated as way-points in our GPS units.

We stayed in lakeside cabins and these quaint quarters had us jostling for space to spread out our huge assortment of motorcycle paraphernalia. You need to understand what irritates a particular person and work around that to avoid conflict. I won’t lie—not all conflict was avoided but we all came out of it happy. Conflict resolution is a science and an art.

And so the trip progressed with long days of riding and short stops for quick sight-seeing.

Ouimet Canyon, Ontario

When you do this…

with characters like these…

and you do it right…
you end up at cool places like this:

In Systems Engineering, you need to know the ins and outs of each piece of equipment in the solution you’re designing in order for it to be viable. You also need to listen, know when to step up and when to back down. So too with group motorcycle trips—understanding your companion colleagues and what makes them tick is key. Only then will you be able to pull off an amazingly successful and super fun career—and maybe even the occasional epic trip.

DIY motorcycle starter valve sync: a Sales Engineering analogy

I have found similarities between Sales Engineering and other activities that on the surface are seemingly unrelated. In this series of Sales Engineering Analogies I’ll explore some connections I’ve made between my Sales Engineering career and other activities in my life.

I’ve been suffering from the reasonably well documented surging problem with my 6^th gen 2006 Honda VFR800 Interceptor. At small throttle openings, the bike was surging. In neutral, I could not get it hold any steady RPM in the 2K-3.5K range. My research convinced me that my surging problem could be somewhat reduced, if not eliminated, by synchronizing the Starter Valves.

This would prove to be a large effort. Details on the construction of the DIY differential 4-way manometer etc. can be found here.

First things first – I tore apart the top of the engine area and took apart the air box for the first time since taking ownership of this slightly used VFR only two months earlier. Well imagine my surprise when I found this on top of my air filter:

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It looks like a mouse made a nest in the top of my air box, probably during a winter when the previous owner winterized and stored it himself.
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After cleaning the air filter, I rigged up my jig next to the bike.
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I disconnected the 5-way vacuum connector and connected up the jig’s manometer lines to the starer valves on the throttle bodies.
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The initial readings were way off clearly demonstrating that the Starter Valves were not well synchronized.:
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I then proceeded to start synchronizing the Starter Valves. Because this is a differential manometer, changing one Starter Valve basically affects all the others. The Starter Valve adjustment nuts are sensitive – just gently pushing on the set screw nut sends the manometer readings soaring – so you want to be sure they’re getting re-seated in their natural resting spot by blipping the throttle before making further adjustments. More details can be found here.

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Eventually you get a feel for this and ultimately I got them to line up something like this.
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Conclusion (test ride time):

There is an unbelievable difference with the bike now. It’s like a completely new machine. Let me tell you that the small throttle opening surging problem is all but gone. I can coast down to idle in first gear without surging nor does the bike sound like it wants to stall. I can then roll on the throttle again with smooth response.

This servicing was worth every minute of time it took in preparation and execution. I find it’s the same with Sales Engineering. You only get out of it, what you put into it. Cut corners and you can expect problems down the road. Do your due diligence on requirements and gap analysis and you’ll be rewarded with a happy customer.