In general, purchasing agents have a good deal of disdain for engineers (and probably vice-versa). This doesn’t have to be the case, but it generally is. Below is a list of reasons why this often happens. These two groups rarely work together in harmony, but with a little effort they probably can.
In my experience as a finder of hard to find metals, I get inquiries from buyers on a daily basis for metals, forms, sizes and quantities that are simply not available from US metal suppliers. Typically, the buyer has received a print from a client for a new widget designed by an engineer who has searched high and low to find “the perfect material” for his or her new design.
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In past blog posts (here and here), I discussed change in the high-tech design workplace. Today’s blog is about innovation: the driving force for profit in this market. Companies who deliver the newest, best-performing, most-reliable products to market are almost always the most successful. This requires an efficient company streamlined to foster, cultivate, and encourage designers to come up with cutting-edge ideas on a daily basis. Read the rest of this entry »
It takes a tremendous amount of time and skill to be the first person called about a problem. Below are five tips that helped me become more than just a Sales Engineer.
1. Know Your Stuff – Become a RESOURCE
If you know your products and services inside and out, great! You can go meet with engineers, be an awesome order taker, and repeat the same spiel like a broken record. Now, you know your competitors products TOO! You are starting to become dangerous now because you understand the landscape of available products and can competitively sell. Finally, you understand the applications that your products are used in. YOU just became a resource to engineers as opposed to just another salesperson. This is the factor that separates the amateurs from the pros!
Why purchasing agents and engineers hate each other! (Guest Post)