Chapter 10: Cybersecurity Sales Engineer

This chapter focuses on the role of the cybersecurity sales engineer. The role is also commonly referred to as sales or solution consultant, solution architect, or simply presales. Although some organizations are moving away from using engineer in the title in favor of more business-focused titles, the sales engineer title is still very common and is therefore the title that will be used throughout the remainder of the chapter. When searching for jobs of this type, it would be wise to search all versions of the title to ensure the most complete search results.

The following topics will be covered in this chapter:

  • What is a cybersecurity sales engineer?
  • How much can you make in this career?
  • What education and/or certifications should be considered?
  • Common interview questions

What is a cybersecurity sales engineer?

The cybersecurity sales engineer is a technical sales resource that sells cybersecurity technologies and/or services to businesses. This role is a hidden gem in the cybersecurity and broader tech industry; many technical resources shy away from this type of role mostly due to misconceptions regarding sales requirements. In most organizations, sales engineers are considered sales overlays, basically meaning they support the sales process, but do not own it. This means that although sales engineers are often tied to the quota of the sales reps they support, they are not directly responsible for activities such as prospecting or cold calling, pipeline generation, and forecasting.

Sales engineers typically support one or more account managers (or sales representatives). While the account manager is responsible for managing the specifics of the sale (pricing negotiations, contract negotiations, term length, contract signature, and so on), the sales engineer is responsible for understanding the requirements of the business they are selling to and demonstrating how their products or services meet those requirements. These activities can include, but are certainly not limited to, providing a demo, delivering a Proof of Value (PoV) or Proof of Concept (PoC), documenting the scope of the project and implementation requirements, and articulating how their company's product or service is better than its competitors'. Sales engineers have significant influence over a buyer's decision to select their product or service and are therefore a critical function of the broader sales team.

How much can you make in this career?

Before diving into specific dollar amounts, it is important to understand the pay structure for a cybersecurity sales engineer. It is not the pay structure most technical resources are used to, which in my experience is either a base salary or, in some cases, a base salary and a performance-based annual bonus. According to a recent industry study, the most common compensation structure for sales engineers in general is base salary plus a variable component; the split is usually somewhere in the ballpark of 80/20 or 70/30, with base salary being more heavily weighted. Base salary is a straightforward fixed amount, but the variable component will differ from company to company.

The variable component of the total compensation package is performance-driven. For sales representatives, the variable pay is usually commission-based, meaning they are paid based on how much they sell. The same is also true for sales engineers in many cases, but the variable pay is sometimes tied to management by objectives (MBOs). In this model, variable pay is based on the achievement of tasks assigned to the sales engineer in alignment with company goals. In rare instances, variable pay can be a combination of commission and MBOs.

A few other helpful terms to be aware of are listed here:

  • Quota – The sales goal or target a seller must achieve over a specified period (for example, quarterly or annually)
  • On-Target Commission (OTC) – The amount of commission a seller can expect to earn if they reach their sales target
  • On-Target Earnings (OTE) – The sum of base salary plus OTC

Let's walk through an example. A seller receives a compensation plan detailing the following: annual quota = $3,000,000, OTC = $100,000. This means if the seller achieves $3,000,000 in sales, they can expect to earn $100,000 in commission for the year. To take it a step further, if the seller's base salary is $100,000, their OTE is $200,000. Compensation plans can become incredibly complex when you get into details around things like accelerators (which allow for overperformance) and overachievement bonuses, but we won't get into those.

It's important to note that technical sales is a high-risk, high-reward career when compared to traditional security roles. Referring to the previous example, $200,000 OTE may seem like an attractive offer, but keep in mind that $100,000 of that total is not guaranteed. If for some reason the seller is unable to close a single deal, they will only earn their base salary of $100,000. The upside, however, is that the seller could achieve more than $3,000,000 in sales, which would (at least, should) result in more than $100,000 in commission.

At the time of writing, the average base salary for an experienced sales engineer is $140,000. The average for an experienced cybersecurity sales engineer is a bit higher, with the average in the $150,000–$160,000 range. From a total earnings perspective, if we take the $160,000 base salary and assume an 80/20 split, the OTC would be $40,000, yielding OTE of $200,000.

What education and/or certifications should be considered?

The path to becoming a cybersecurity sales engineer is not a linear one. Some individuals transition into the role from hands-on technical roles, while others come from business or educational backgrounds and learn the technical skills on the job. In general, a successful sales engineer will have a solid understanding of advanced security and/or security technology concepts and specialize in a specific product or service. They are technically minded, but also business savvy, and possess a balance of both the technical and soft skills necessary to build relationships, solve business problems with technology solutions, and simplify complex technical concepts. Sales experience is a definite advantage, in addition to experience in a customer-facing role.

There are several organizations and individuals working to bring more visibility to technical sales as a career. Within the technical sales community, a very small percentage of sales engineers are cybersecurity specialists, so there is no shortage of opportunities available to the right candidates. The following list highlights some resources worth exploring if a career in technical sales is of interest:

  • PreSales Collective (presalescollective.com) – PreSales Collective is a global community of PreSales (technical sales) professionals that connect with one another to learn, grow, and move the profession forward. The organization provides access to webinars, blogs, podcasts, eBooks, and other resources aimed at helping members grow their careers as presales professionals. The PreSales Academy by PreSales Collective is an 8-week program that prepares individuals for a career in technical sales.
  • The 6 Habits of Highly Effective Sales Engineers by Chris White is a book that helps sales engineers improve their sales skills. It is a great read for anyone interested in entering the field.

Given the consultative nature of the role, degrees and certifications in the sales engineer's area of expertise help establish credibility with buyers. Specific to cybersecurity, the following are certifications you could expect a senior sales engineer to possess (this is by no means intended to be an exhaustive list):

Common interview questions

The sales engineer interview experience can sometimes be long and demanding, but finding the right fit makes it all worthwhile in the end. The number of interviews can range from three to more than five. I once went through eight interviews, which included a presentation to a team of sales engineers, before receiving an offer. Eight interviews might sound like a lot, but it's important that sales engineers integrate seamlessly into the teams they'll be working with and supporting. In a role where relationships can make or break a sale, cultural fit is as important as technical fit.

Throughout the process, you should expect to speak to any combination of sales reps and sales leaders, sales engineers and sales engineering leaders, a member of the human resources team, and maybe even members of the company's customer success and product organizations. Some interviews will be one on one, and others will be with a panel. The ultimate key to crushing the interview and landing this type of role is to be confident, relatable, charismatic, and memorable. Remember – people buy from people.

As previously mentioned, cybersecurity sales engineers require a mix of technical, interpersonal (or soft), and sales skills; you should expect questions that challenge your capabilities in each of these areas. Communication and presentation skills are at the top of the priority list in terms of skills a presales leader will want to validate, so you can expect some sort of presentation or pitch to be part of the interview process (a great storyteller always stands out when delivering a presentation). Depending on the company's product or service offering, technical requirements may be technology-focused (such as endpoint protection, firewalls, and so on) or outcome-focused (such as threat hunting or risk management services). In some cases, the role will require both.

I cannot stress to you enough the importance of what I'm about to tell you. Although this is a technical sales role, it is still a sales role. Your job will be to convince prospective buyers that your solution is best positioned to address their business needs, which means you will need to be convincing and believable. You must be a great listener, inspire confidence, and speak in the language and at the level of those you're speaking to. These tips are important to keep in mind during the interview process because the way you answer questions and articulate your value should be tailored to the interests of the interviewer. For example, you would want your technical skills to shine in an interview with a potential peer, but you may want your personality and sales or negotiating skills to shine instead in an interview with a sales rep or sales leader.

Selling is an emotional and psychological process. When you listen to a question, listen to absorb, listen to process. Don't make the dreaded mistake of simply listening to answer. Make sure you understand why the question is being asked so you not only can determine what to say but how to say it as well. Lastly, if you don't know the answer to a question, here are a few ways you can handle the situation:

  • Request that the question be repeated. This gives you additional time to think and come up with your next move. – "Would you mind repeating the question for me? I want to make sure I fully understand."
  • Repeat the question. This also gives you additional time to process. – "Let me make sure I have this right. I want to ensure I'm answering the question the right way. Is what you're asking <insert your interpretation of the question>? And are you asking this because you're concerned about <insert your interpretation of the concern> or should I be thinking about this a different way?"
  • Throw a question back at them. This is one of my favorite tactics, especially when dealing with a difficult personality. Believe it or not, sometimes a meeting attendee's sole purpose is to trip you up or invalidate your offering. I've had this happen to me in an interview. I handled it like a champ, of course, but it caught me a little off guard, initially. Watch out for these types, and don't be afraid to challenge their way of thinking.

In some instances, I've even had questions be withdrawn after asking for clarification or additional context. I'll warn you, though, this approach could backfire, so be careful. At the end of the day, you want to win over everyone you're engaged with, so you don't want anyone to feel like you're being combative. In some cases, there's a bit of an art and finesse required to pull this one off. – "That's a great question. I'd be happy to walk you through that. But before I do, would you mind telling me if you're handling that situation in your environment today? It would be helpful for me to have that context as well as I demonstrate my approach."

  • Simply say "I don't know." A common pitfall for sales engineers is believing they need to have all the answers. It's great to have most of the answers, for sure, but admitting you don't know something can boost your credibility and help establish trust. There's an art to this as well, of course, you never want to literally say "I don't know". – "Hmmm… I don't think anyone's ever asked me that question before. I'll have to look into that and get back to you. Looks like we'll both be learning something new today!"

The following is a list of interview questions that will help you prepare for a cybersecurity sales engineer interview categorized by the following types.

General/behavioral questions

Questions in this category generally assess the type of person you are, what your motivations are – basically, how are you wired? Cultural fit and personality are the primary focus here, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't take advantage of opportunities to put your other shining qualities on display as well:

  • Why are you interested in working with us?

I love this question. Why? Because it's the perfect opportunity to showcase so many things at once. In a very simple and concise way, you can describe a little about yourself, show that you've done your homework and researched the company, toss in a bit of flattery by describing what about the company sparked your interest, and put your sales and business skills on display by selling the interviewer's company right back to them. The hidden advantage is this question typically comes up pretty early in the conversation, so your answer could potentially set the tone for the remainder of the call.

Example: "When I researched ABC Company, I was intrigued by the unique approach to mobile device management. The market is pretty saturated with vendors having similar offerings, but I see ABC's solution as a disruptive technology the industry has needed for a long time. This aligns well with my personality and motivations as someone that enjoys leveraging technology to solve complex business problems. I see a tremendous amount of opportunity to do exactly that with ABC."

  • Why are you considering leaving your current role?

Be careful with this question. You'd be surprised at the number of candidates I've spoken with that have no problems bashing the current or previous employer. Maybe your boss drives you nuts, or perhaps you're bored or feel you're underpaid. All valid reasons for wanting to move on, but what value does that bring to a conversation during an interview? Not much.

Remember, the interviewer is asking questions to learn about you, not your previous employers. So, every chance you get, tell them more about you. And it wouldn't hurt to say something positive about your current role, either.

Example: "I really am happy in my current role, and to be honest, I wasn't actively looking. But when the recruiter approached me about this role, I felt like I'd be doing myself a disservice if I didn't at least have the conversation, especially after researching the company a bit more. If I leave my current company, it will need to be for the right opportunity, and I feel like this could be it."

  • What do you do for fun?

This is a simple question but can be challenging to answer if you're not prepared for it. When asking this question, the interviewer wants to know who you are outside the office. What are you passionate about? What are your hobbies? Are there any fun facts you can share? Family and pets tend to be pretty good conversation starters if you get stuck. Ultimately, you want to be relatable. And if you've done your homework on the interviewer, this is a great opportunity to touch on any shared interests you've uncovered.

  • What questions do you have for me?

When I conduct an interview, I learn most about a person based on the questions they ask – how they process information, what their priorities are, and, often, whether they're truly interested in the opportunity. Prepare your questions in advance and work with your recruiter or whoever your internal contact is to get a sense of whom you'll be talking to upfront; this way you can plan strategically to align your questions to the individuals you'll be speaking with. Ask questions that demonstrate your understanding of the business and your desire to be a valuable contributor to the organization.

Long interview processes can make this challenging. As a senior executive, I'm often one of the last people candidates speak with and a lot of times they've emptied the tank by the time they get to me. If you find yourself out of questions about the company, ask questions about the person. Ask them what they enjoy about working at the company, or some of the challenges they face. What motivates them to come to work every day?

Lastly, don't forget the soft close. Ask the interviewer flat out if they have any concerns about your ability to fulfill the duties of the role. If the answer is no, good for you. But if the answer is yes, you can address the concerns on the spot. After you've nailed that part, ask about next steps. It shows you're interested and gives you a sense of what's coming, timing, and so on, so you can prepare.

  • How do you handle a situation where a buyer isn't responding to your messaging the way you thought they would?

There are lots of hidden questions under the surface of this question. First off, you want to tell a story. If too many of your answers are theoretical instead of based on a true story, you may come off as inexperienced. For example, don't say "I would probably…", or "I think I would…". Provide a real-world example of a situation you handled. Talk about how it started out, how you recognized there was a disconnect, and what you did to get things back on track. You want to tell a story that ends with a win – even if it's more of a moral victory.

  • Who is the best manager you've worked for? What did you like about their management style?

This question has nothing to do with any of your former managers and everything to do with you. Your answer will indicate the type of environment you thrive in and where you might have some challenges. For example, if you say, "My favorite manager was my old boss back when I worked at the pizza shop. We used to have so much fun hanging around the shop, playing video games and listening to music," well, it sounds fun, but doesn't say much about who you are or what you value in a leader or your work environment. Or maybe it does say something, but likely not what you want it to say.

On the other hand, if your answer is something like "The best manager I ever had was back when I first started my career as a help desk analyst. It was a scary time for me as a newcomer to the team, but I remember my manager always making herself available to answer any questions I had and really caring about my success as a member of her team." In short, you've said you value leaders with engaging and supportive leadership styles.

  • How do you overcome objections when working with a difficult buyer?

In sales, objections become a regular part of the job. Think about it: your job is to convince the buyer; the buyer's job is to pick the right product or service for the job. They will ask lots of questions and won't always agree with your answers or approach. The interviewer is asking this question to validate your ability to navigate a challenging situation. Make sure your answer, which should be a real-life story, leaves them feeling confident in your ability to win over the buyer persona sometimes referred to as a blocker.

  • What is your role in a sales opportunity?

Show that you're all in and fully support the deal end to end. Some sales engineers are more engaged in supporting deals than others. The more you show you care, the better.

Example: "My role as the technical resource in the opportunity is to establish credibility and build trust with the appropriate stakeholders. Wherever possible, I build relationships that create additional paths to the win. My primary responsibility is to get the technical win, but I also support the opportunity through the sales win. If we don't get the sales win, the technical win doesn't matter as much."

Interpersonal/communication skills

These questions usually aim to assess your ability to effectively communicate and build personal relationships. Be sure your answers reflect these skills. Some examples are provided here:

  • How would you approach explaining a complex concept to a non-technical audience?

When answering this question, it's important to demonstrate your ability to meet your audience at their level and speak their language. For example, your conversation style and talking points with a chief financial officer should be much different from those with a SOC analyst. It's helpful to use analogies and tell stories that simplify the concepts and make them relevant to your listener. Again, if possible, tell a story about a time you've actually done this.

  • Tell me about a time when you were able to convince a buyer to solve their problem in a different way.

Example: "I remind myself going into every sales conversation that our buyers already have a picture of what they're looking for in mind and, most of the time, it looks nothing like what I have in my portfolio. This mentality prevents me from making assumptions and forces me to listen so I can visualize the buyer's desired outcome. In my experience, it's usually the process the buyer is highly opinionated about, so if I align with them on the desired outcome, I create the perception that we're in full agreement. This enables me to position my approach as a faster, more efficient path to the desired outcome instead of dismissing the buyer's thoughts on how things should be done. This approach has never failed me."

  • How do you usually open your sales meetings?

Example: "I like to open my sales calls with general conversation instead of getting down to business right away. Starting out this way encourages meeting attendees to let their guard down a bit and I'm often able to identify something we have in common so I can connect with them on a personal level."

  • How do you decide what to include in your pitch or solution proposal?

Example: "It's important to me to include enough detail in my presentation to address all the concerns and requirements of the buyer, but not more detail than necessary. Too much information can be confusing and open the door to unnecessary questions. After I've prepared my presentation, I put it through what I like to call the 'so what?' test. Anything in the presentation that doesn't have a specific purpose or add additional value gets removed."

Sales skills

This area of the assessment is two-fold. On the one hand, the interviewer is seeking to validate your sales experience and your perspective on where your role as a sales engineer fits into the sales process. On the other hand, there is the very simple question – would I buy from you?

  • Describe your current sales process and your level of involvement.

This question separates good sales engineers from great ones. There is an implied question behind the stated question, and that is: are you truly a sales-focused technical resource, or are you a technical resource that supports the sales team upon request? You'd be surprised, but many sales engineers don't love the idea of being considered part of the sales team, so their approach is to parachute in to support sales requests, then parachute out. Great sales engineers see themselves as part of the sales team and remain engaged throughout the sales cycle. When you answer this question, you want to demonstrate your knowledge of a typical sales cycle and how you are able to influence opportunities at the various stages.

Sales stages and definitions will vary from company to company, but a list of commonly used sales stages and high-level definitions is provided here:

  • Lead generation – Find potential buyers.
  • Qualification – Determine whether the buyer is a good fit for your product or service.
  • Discovery – Understand buyer challenges, pain points, timelines, requirements, and so on.
  • Proposal/presentation – Present the proposed solution and pricing.
  • Evaluation/negotiation – Buyer determines which vendor will be awarded their business.
  • Win/loss – Opportunity is closed as a win or a loss.

Sales engineers can be involved at any of these stages but are most involved in the middle of the sales cycle, meaning they typically enter during or after discovery, and in most cases will own the presentation of the proposed solution (the sales rep will typically handle pricing), and participate in the evaluation process (PoV, competitive comparison, implementation requirements, and so on). Sales engineers want to achieve the technical win, meaning the buyer believes their solution is the best fit, but sales reps own the final commercial and legal negotiations that ultimately lead to the overall sales win or loss.

  • What is your definition of sales success?

This is another question aimed at testing your sales IQ and level of buy-in as a member of the sales team. Articulate your understanding of the importance of the technical win, but also your awareness that the real success lies in the sales win. The sales win is how the sales team meets sales targets, retires quota, and earns commission – reiterate that you are a part of that team. Sales success should be rooted in financial goals, whether that's meeting quarterly or annual targets, driving x% in expansion opportunities, or growing your customer base by x number of new logos. At the end of the day, the goal is revenue generation, so make sure your answer aligns to that somehow. This is also a great opportunity to be seen as a team player.

  • How do you handle a situation where the solution you're selling may not be the best fit?

Hopefully, buyers that are not a good fit are disqualified during the qualification stage, which means a sales engineer would rarely encounter this situation. There are instances, however, where requirements are misunderstood, or a sales rep thinks there's a chance to win the business even though you may not agree. Remember, you're on the sales team, so your position should be to exhaust every option, including offering a solution that fits a subset of the requirements if you can't meet them all. Sales engineers are sometimes seen as a roadblock if they push too hard on requirements and introduce unnecessary friction. It's perfectly fine to stand your ground. You don't want to sell something that will lead to an unhappy customer, but you also don't want to appear inflexible during your interview. So, back to the main point, your answer should carry the theme of exhausting all options while maintaining the trust relationship and the integrity of the company. Who could be upset with that answer?

  • I'm a buyer that believes your solution is similar to a competitor's, and your solution is more expensive. Tell me why I should buy from you.

This is all about your ability to sell value. Don't make the mistake of focusing on features and functionality. Your buyer has clearly stated that their concern is price, which means you are very close to having the technical win – you just have to remind the buyer why you're better. To do this, remind them of why they began this journey in the first place. Remind them of the problem they're trying to solve and their desired outcomes, and why your solution gets them closer to that outcome, in a more effective, efficient, and sustainable way than the competition. Focus on the key differentiators, operational considerations, and competitor shortcomings that support your solution. Hopefully, at this point in the sales cycle, you know who the competitor is; if not, ask. If the buyer declines to tell you, see if they'll at least tell you what they like about the solution so you can provide an apples-to-apples comparison and highlight the pros and cons.

Technical skills

Technical skill requirements will vary based on the product or service you're selling. For example, if you are interviewing with an endpoint security vendor, you can expect questions to be focused on things such as operating systems, ransomware, policy management, and so on. The following questions are more generic in nature and focus more on your understanding of the product or service, your ability to position it, and your perspective on continuous learning:

  • How much do you know about what we do?

Do your homework. Learn as much as you can about the company's offering. Become familiar with the value proposition, key differentiators, integrations, top competitors: basically, whatever is publicly available to you. The way you answer this question shows the interviewer your level of interest, your ability to perform research and provide feedback, whether you understand the product or service offering, and ultimately, how steep your learning curve will be if you're hired.

  • Are you familiar with any of our competitor's offerings?

Again, do your homework. Know who the key competitors are and how the company you're interviewing with stacks up against them. Be prepared to identify ways you'd win against those competitors in a sales opportunity.

  • How do you stay up to date with the latest trends, breaches, and emerging threats?

Reference any blogs, articles, newsletters, podcasts, and so on that you leverage to stay in the know. If you attend conferences and webinars, highlight those as well. Depending on how you're feeling about the conversation, you could even bring up a recent noteworthy event, your thoughts on emerging threats and trends, or simply something you found interesting during your research. (You can expect to find sales engineers at well-known security conferences such as Black Hat and RSA, typically answering questions, providing demos, and delivering presentations at their company's booth.)

  • How do you keep your technical skills up to date?

Whether the role requires hand-on skills or not, understanding how things work only makes you better at your job. If you have a home lab, great! If you don't, be prepared to discuss other ways you prevent your skills from becoming outdated – even if it's reading whitepapers and watching video tutorials. This is important because even if you're not part of the implementation team, your buyers and their teams will want to understand the integration process and requirements, where applicable. The more you know and feel comfortable with, the more confident you will be in your sales conversations.

By no means is the list of questions included here intended to be exhaustive. As you prepare for interviews with specific organizations, ask yourself how these types of questions might show up in your interview and how the interviewer might ask them. The more you're prepared to tie your experiences to the specific needs of the company you're interviewing with, the more you'll stand out as a candidate. Remember, in a role like this, every call is a sales call – including the interview.

Summary

A career as a cybersecurity sales engineer can be incredibly lucrative and rewarding. The key to success is always seeking to understand the reason behind the question or concern, providing conversational answers and telling stories (avoiding binary answers where possible), and making sure your audience remembers you. Have fun in your interview – be yourself. Sure, the company you're interviewing with is assessing whether you're a good fit, but you should be doing that as well.

Finally, I'll leave you with this golden nugget…

Turn your interview into a conversation. There are only so many questions that can be asked in a 30-to-60-minute window. The more time you spend having a conversation, the more the interviewer gets to know you and remember you as a person, not just another candidate. Also (and this is super top-secret stuff!), conversations help limit the number of questions the interviewer can ask. Now, go out there and crush it!

In the next chapter, we'll pivot to the role of a CISO. This is actually great context for a cybersecurity sales engineer because many of your conversations will be with CISOs and other cybersecurity managers.

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