The anatomy of a sales engineering "transaction" (part 2)

Product knowledge and business application experience are essential to the SE function.  Products are typically very complex and even being wrong on the smallest details can be catastrophic.  And there are so many small details that it is typically not possible to know them all.  My approach to product knowledge is to learn the "big picture" first.  What is the basic functionality of the product and what are the limits to these functions.  For example...it does you no good to drill down to figure out that the prospect needs 500 speed dial entries and your product can have 1000...and later on find out that they need 270 telephones and your product can only support 250.  Once you understand the big picture...you can slowly...over time...learn more details.  One trick I used was to know enough of the big picture...have equipment set up in the lab...and...if required...application by application...quickly verify the small details of proposed feature.  I did this because my target for accuracy in application details is 100%.  I wanted to see first hand proof of how a feature operated and how it solved the prospective problems and any limitations that it might have.  My target for accuracy is 100%...and...as good as they are...I could not trust documentation or other people's memories 100%.  Business application experience is the knowledge acquired by applying a product in business after business after business...so that you have a good idea of what features really deliver value and what features don't.  For example...if you have a really cool way of dialing a phone number...that is marketed as increasing efficiency...but it takes 10 button pushes to accomplish...and no one uses it because it is too cumbersome...then this feature...while well intentioned drops significantly in value.  Business application experience is important because the next time a prospect or sales person wants to discuss this feature...you can quickly dismiss it as a solution and steer the prospect away from it and hopefully toward a better alternative solution.  I view product knowledge and business application experience as my "quiver of arrows".  When a new prospect wants to investigate the fit for my product...I draw arrows from the quiver.  Let's take our product knowledge and application experience up a notch.  If you can identify features that are of high value to a business and unique...and spend time looking for homes for them...you will win lots of business and become a hero.  Next up is...asking the "right" questions...stay tunned for part 3.