The methods I use to understand problems, prove value and move complex technical sales forward.
4 playbooks
Discovery should give an SE enough context to make good technical decisions without restarting the deal from zero. I use a structured intake, stakeholder reasoning and microfeatures to understand what actually matters before deciding what to build, show or test.
A technical trial should be a controlled evaluation of whether a product can deliver an agreed business outcome. I designed Surfly's enterprise trial process around defining success before activation, instrumenting the evaluation, intervening early and reviewing evidence against agreed criteria.
A demo should prove that a product can solve this customer's problem, not walk them through a feature catalogue. I build demonstrations around the customer journey, stakeholder concerns and the specific outcomes that need to become believable.
Solutions Engineering should not be a reactive technical support function inside Sales. I believe the SE and AE share ownership of the deal, with the SE accountable for engineering the right solution, managing technical risk and making sure the technology actually sells.