Check out these important sales assets sales engineers can rely on to effectively engage prospects, overcome objections, and close deals.
When it comes to closing deals, sales engineers (SEs) are powerful stakeholders on the front lines. They're the bridge between product knowledge, technical skills, and customer needs, turning prospects into paying customers.
But it takes more than just tech know-how to seal the deal; it takes strategy - and some killer sales assets. Here are the top seven sales assets that we recommend every SE needs in their toolbox to keep those close won deals rolling in.
Let's be real: A good demo can be a make-or-break moment. Sales engineers rely on well-crafted demo scripts to keep the presentation focused, engaging, and, most importantly, understandable. These scripts are more than just talking points; they’re customized stories that connect the product’s value directly to the customer’s needs.
If you have a product marketer on your team, work closely with them to develop the best stories for your demo scripts and sales talks.
Super important! - Don’t make it sound rehearsed! The best scripts give SEs flexibility to dive deeper where a prospect shows interest or shift gears if the room needs a different angle. Think of it as a conversation starter, not a college essay.
Pro Tip: Tailor that script with insights about the customer’s industry and pain points so they feel like the demo was made just for them.
Generic case studies are no longer acceptable. Your case study library must be segmented and organized by variables such as vertical, title, use case, even results! Nothing convinces and builds trust like social proof. SEs use case studies to show prospects, "Hey, this isn’t just a cool tool; it’s solving problems like yours every day!"
Case studies give SEs an impactful way to present real-world results, with stories that go beyond the numbers and showcase actual transformation.
A solid case study does two things: paints a picture of where the customer was before, and then highlights the benefits they reaped after using the product. The best case studies come from similar industries or tackle comparable challenges so the prospect can see themselves in the story.
Pro Tip: Remember one size does not fit all! Send case studies that are most relevant to the buying committee members. There are great tools like Centralize, ZoomInfo, and Apollo.io for account mapping and understanding the various personas that might need to be accounted for when sending case studies.
All salespeople know that objections are inevitable. And they don’t wait for you to dig through pages of documentation or receive the latest sales training. That’s where battlecards come in. These are short, easy-to-reference documents that give SEs a powerful resource to respond quickly and confidently to customer objections.
With battlecards, SEs can handle objections like a pro - whether it's pricing concerns, feature comparisons, competitive questions, or integration capabilities. The goal is to keep the conversation flowing, ready with smart and accurate responses to the most common objections.
Pro Tip: Work closely with your product marketing team to keep battlecards updated! Products change, competitors shift, and new objections pop up. Regular refreshes will keep you ready for anything the customer throws at you.
Sometimes, prospects need to see it in black and white - what makes your product better than the competition? Competitive comparison docs are the answer. These easy-to-read visuals help SEs break down features, pricing, and unique benefits at a glance. For decision-makers who need to see the differences clearly, nothing beats a well-laid-out chart within a personalized asset that tells the story of "why us."
These assets should feature charts that highlight any weaknesses the competition might have - without needing to say a word. So, you can focus on your product's strengths and let the chart do the talking for you. Just be sure it’s all accurate - no one wants to get caught fudging the details!
Here's an example of Competitive Comparison Chart within a sales asset:
Pro Tip: Use graphics like the one above or use AssetMule's out-of-the-box comparison table component (check out this template) to make the competitive comparison chart visually appealing and easy-to-read.
At the end of the day, prospects want to know what’s in it for them - financially. Especially when CFOs are more involved in buying decisions or procurement teams are running disciplined analyses. That’s why ROI calculators are a go-to sales tool to embed in sales assets like one-pagers, business briefs, or POC documentation. These tools allow SEs to input specific customer data and show an estimate of the financial impact the product could have.
With an ROI calculator, SEs can walk prospects through potential cost savings, productivity boosts, and long-term financial gains, helping them see the product’s value in a concrete way. Plus, it's interactive, which keeps prospects engaged and makes them feel like they’re discovering the answer themselves.
Pro Tip: Have an ROI calculator that’s flexible and allows for quick customization. The more you can personalize it, the more it feels like a genuine financial analysis, rather than just another sales pitch or BS numbers.
Especially these days, even the best demo or ROI calculator isn't enough - prospects need to experience the solution firsthand. That's where a Proof of Concept (POC) comes into play. POCs let prospects test drive the product in their own environment, solving their specific challenges. It’s a "try before you buy" approach that removes guesswork and builds confidence.
Sales engineers create a POC as a controlled experiment that highlights the product’s functionality, solves a key problem for the prospect, and provides a tangible example of the product’s value. Unlike a general demo, a POC is customized and may include specific configurations, integrations, or workflows that align with the prospect’s needs.
A successful POC can be the tipping point for prospects on the fence. By showing real results with their data or workflows, SEs make it easy for decision-makers to envision full implementation.
Pro Tip: Create a personalized asset like a one-pager which contains access to the POC. Set clear success metrics before starting the POC to ensure you and the customer agree on what "great" looks like. This clarity helps avoid scope creep and keeps the POC focused and efficient. Software tools like TestBox are great for building and managing POCs.
Technical documentation is the deep-dive resource that backs up everything the SE has presented in demos, POCs, code samples, and more. While sales teams typically focus on high-level benefits, SEs often work with tech-savvy stakeholders - IT leaders, engineers, and other technical buyers - who want to see the nuts and bolts of the product and even code.
This documentation includes detailed information on the product’s architecture, APIs, integrations, and compatibility. It answers questions like, “How will this fit with my existing stack?”, “What are the requirements for implementation?”, and "What does the code look like?".
By providing comprehensive technical documentation, SEs can address any technical questions, respond to concerns, and minimize the friction of introducing, implementing, and adopting a new solution.
Great technical documentation should be clear, organized, and easy to navigate. Visuals like architecture diagrams, workflows, and code snippets can make complex information digestible, especially for stakeholders who want fast, direct answers.
Pro Tip: Make sure your technical documentation is up to date and includes FAQs. This makes it a living resource that grows more valuable with every new question answered.
Sales engineers and product marketers are like peanut butter and jelly when it comes to crafting killer sales assets. While SEs bring the deep technical knowledge and real-world customer insights, product marketers have the strategic view of how to position those assets in the broader market.
By collaborating closely, they can create demo scripts that speak both to a prospect’s pain points and product’s features, design case studies that tell compelling stories, share competitive intel, and develop battlecards that arm the SE with the exact responses they need.
Product marketers can help make sure the ROI calculators and comparison charts are aligned with the messaging, while SEs can provide the technical input to ensure accuracy. When these two teams sync up, it’s a winning formula for creating assets that not only sound great but also deliver on the value proposition.
With these seven sales assets in hand, sales engineers are set up to succeed in any sales conversation no matter what is thrown at them! From personalized demos to POCs that close the deal, these assets empower SEs to overcome objections, demonstrate real value, and drive revenue like the ATM machines they are!
If you have any questions about sales engineering strategies or just want to talk sales assets, please reach out to me or my Co-Founder Justin Dorfman!
