Working at startups is sexy. Every Sales Engineer bored out of their mind at name-a-large company dreams about making an "impact" at a startup. But, this transition is painful. While the job title stays the same, the role itself changes dramatically.

And why wouldn’t it? After all, every other job – from engineering to marketing – is different at a startup than at a large company.

Here are four key differences you should keep in mind, as you take on the role at a startup:

Evangelism, evangelism, evangelism ….

Successful sales revolve around three questions:

• Why do anything?
• Why do it now?
• Why do it with us?

At startups, the first two questions are the hardest to answer. You're either creating a new category or selling in an existing one with zero brand recognition. Either way, your biggest enemy isn't competitors – it's customer inertia.

The best startup Sales Engineers are evangelists. They help prospects see the value of doing something and doing it urgently.

At larger companies, the focus shifts to the third question: Why work with us? Big brands benefit from existing budgets and established categories, so their Sales Engineers need sharp elbows to counter competitors.

This is precisely why most large company Sales Engineers struggle at startups. They've never had to be evangelists before.

You’re a Part-Time Product Manager

Startups are slipping in and out of product-market fit. They gotta listen to customers and pivot product roadmap based on just a few data points to stay alive.

That’s why startup founders are usually the first (and best) Sales Engineers at the company. That’s because they listen closely and have the authority to change the roadmap.

As a startup Sales Engineer, you don’t have the authority to change the roadmap, but you have a HUGE say in it. That’s because your product team can’t be on every call, but you can. And in startups, the voice of the customer is the voice of God. Speak with actual data points and you get to bend the roadmap to your will.

This skill atrophies in large companies. Their product teams are usually locked into rigid roadmaps, racing to deliver on last quarter's promises.

Sales Engineer = Solutions Engineer

Startup sales engineers are often selling a buggy product with incomplete features. They have little documentation to share with customers. 

• A bug no one has time to fix? You fix it.
• Missing documentation? You write it.
• Need a custom demo? You build it

Put another way, no matter the title, the job is closer to a Solutions Engineer at a startup than at large company

Depth vs. Breadth of Expertise

Startups often sell one core product, so Sales Engineers are expected to develop deep expertise in it.

In contrast, Sales Engineers at large companies often juggle a portfolio of products. While they specialize in one or two, they’re also expected to have a working knowledge of the broader lineup, relying on product specialists or engineers for deep dives when needed.

Conclusion

The Sales Engineering job changes dramatically between large companies and startups. This is consistent with how every other job changes at the two ends of the spectrum.

This doesn’t mean a large company Sales Engineer can’t succeed at startups.

It just means they need to adapt.

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