Technical Sales

The world's most misunderstood oxymoron.

Let's be honest — "Technical Sales" sounds like a contradiction. Technologists don't sell. Salespeople aren't technical. And yet here we are.

The truth is, the role exists in your business whether you've named it or not. Your technical people are out there every day — training customers, running deployments, giving support. They're already in the room. The question is whether they're making the most of it.

The missed opportunity

While your sales team are chasing meetings with the exploration manager, your technical folks are already having coffee with the exploration team. They know what's going on, and when. That's not a small thing — that's pipeline.

The problem is that most companies respond to this by pulling a handful of presentable engineers into a "Technical Sales" team and sending them on the same sales training as the account managers. Two birds, one stone. Except it doesn't work.

Why generic sales training misses the point

Technical people don't need to become salespeople. They need to understand how their everyday interactions — a support call, a training session, a site visit — are opportunities to build trust, shape requirements, and spot new business. The framing has to fit their world, not a sales manager's.

The best technical sales programs change behaviour. That's harder than teaching a methodology. It requires context, relevance, and a clear answer to the question every engineer will ask: why does this matter to me?

One more thing — lose the job title

If "Sales" is on your business card, the customer is already on their guard. Let your technical people be what they are: domain experts. That credibility is the asset. Don't undermine it with a title.

Technical Sales. Seriously funny. Clearly misunderstood. Deceptively powerful.