What Separates Great Sales Engineers from the Rest with Marjorie Abdelkrime

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The Unexpected Lever

Vivun

47 episodes

1 week ago

The secret sauce to your sales success? It’s what happens before the sale. It’s the planning, the strategy, the leadership. And it’s more than demo automation. It’s the thoughtful work that connects people, processes, and performance. If you want strong revenue, high retention, and shorter sales cycles, the pre-work—centered around the human—still makes the dream work. But you already know that. The Unexpected Lever is your partner in growing revenue by doing what great sales leaders do best. Combining vision with execution. Brought to you by Vivun, this show highlights the people and peers behind the brands who understand what it takes to build and lead high-performing sales teams. You’re not just preparing for the sale—you’re unlocking potential. Join us as we share stories of sales leaders who make a difference, their challenges, their wins, and the human connections that drive results, one solution at a time.

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Marketing

Business

What Separates Great Sales Engineers from the Rest with Marjorie Abdelkrime

The Unexpected Lever

16 minutes

7 months ago

What Separates Great Sales Engineers from the Rest with Marjorie Abdelkrime

Are sales engineers relying too much on technical expertise and missing what truly drives customer decisions?

In this special V15 episode, Jarod Greene sits down with Marjorie Abdelkrime, Head of US West and Healthcare Solutions at VMware by Broadcom, to explore what separates great SEs from those who get stuck. Marjorie shares why curiosity is the most critical trait for success, how Sales Engineers can build trust by admitting what they don’t know, and why AI-powered demos provide an opportunity to elevate the human element in technical sales. She unpacks the evolution of the SE role, from product expert to strategic advisor, and the mindset shifts required to elevate sales engineering conversations.

From leveraging AI to enhance—not replace—SEs to understanding the customer’s customer, this episode explores the nuances of modern solution consulting.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

Why curiosity is the foundation of SE success - The best SEs go beyond technical expertise by asking deeper questions, uncovering business needs, and connecting solutions to real customer challenges.
How admitting “I don’t know” strengthens credibility - SEs who acknowledge knowledge gaps and follow up with thoughtful insights build stronger trust with customers and internal teams.
The evolving role of AI in sales engineering - AI-powered demos can enhance efficiency, but SEs need to double down on soft skill development to drive meaningful business conversations and strategic decision-making.

Things to listen for:

(00:00) Introduction

(00:58) Why curiosity determines SE success

(02:25) The danger of pretending to know it all

(03:54) AI’s role in demos and what it can’t replace

(05:57) How SEs can use AI to advance their careers

(07:37) Understanding the customer’s customer

(14:17) From demo expert to trusted business advisor