Sales isn’t another “s” word. When done correctly, and underpinned by engineering expertise, an engineer is the critical customer touchpoint to winning business for his or her organization or individual business venture. An engineer who combines sales, marketing, quality and manufacturing operations perspectives – and can translate into return on investment – brings value to any table.
First things first, however…..
Ask yourself how you function within your company. Are you waiting for the order (e.g., tell me what to do and I’ll do it)? Or do you have a 360 degree perspective of the multiple factors impacting any business / manufacturing situation (usually equated with taking risk)?
Depending on where we sit around the table, we see the same things differently. Have you ever thought of mentally changing seats around the table during a meeting? What would happen if you took on the perspective of each individual and shifted your gears?
That’s the first…. and ultimate… step of the Sales Aerobics for Engineers® Blog- being able to understand, respect and build on the perspectives of all those seated around the table.
What seat will you take?
Babette Ten Haken is a catalyst, corporate strategist and facilitator. She writes, speaks, consults and coaches about how cross-functional team collaboration revolutionizes the industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) value chain for customer loyalty, customer success and customer retention. Her One Millimeter Mindset™ programs draw from her background as a scientist, sales professional, enterprise-level facilitator, Six Sigma Green Belt and certified DFSS Voice of the Customer practitioner. Babette’s playbook of technical / non-technical collaboration hacks, Do YOU Mean Business? is available on Amazon. Visit the Free Resources section of her website for more tools.
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