When did you last hear someone ask 'Why doesn't someone do ...'?
Its a common situation, that everyone is better at spotting problems, than solutions. On top of this, not everyone will have the same desire to solve these problems. Much of the time, problems will slip into the cracks between different groups because its not anyone's job to solve that problem. When people are incentivised in a way to do their job well, something that affects them, but in an indirect manner will often be an ignored part of reality, and not seen as something they can change.
As a Sales Engineer, our job is to ensure the solution we offer is seen as the right fit for our customers. It is a very results orientated incentive that drives us. If we focus on just achieving the technical recommendation, or just doing the best POC or demo however we can still fail in our ultimate goal of increasing sales and earning the company more revenue.
Today I am writing about going that extra mile to ensure your company wins more deals. To reach this goal, you have to step outside of the boundaries to ensure your customer gets what they want. If you don't have the right marketing brief, sometimes you will just have to write it yourself. If your product needs to have a custom screen or image to make your customer happy, then you better get coding. If your sales team cant think of the right executive summary, you can certainly help out here.
The difference between being a good SE, and a GREAT SE, is the fact that GREAT SEs will not rest until they have used every option to win that deal, earn more revenue and win that customer over. Many GREAT SEs might make up for less technical know-how, less polished performance or dress sense but they have what it takes to know what is needed in a situation and provide it.
Having this know how will not only make you a great SE, but will set you up for developing your career in any direction you choose as you will just be someone who gets things done.
Next time you find yourself with a roadblock, or lacking the right kind of collateral or material to move forward, instead of waiting for someone else to do their job and get it for you, be proactive and make it happen yourself. You will be glad that you did.