Getting a Networking Job For Dummies

Chapter 8

Working for a Networking Solutions Provider

In This Chapter

• Pitching products and services as a pre-sales engineer
• Implementing your company's products
• Helping your customers with difficulties

As an employee in a network solutions company, you'll have a role in the sales, support, implementation, or management of your company's products or services (or both). Most of these positions are “customer facing,” meaning you'll be working with customers in person or by phone. You'll need above-average people skills because you'll be representing your company in front of customers and prospective customers, often with a sales executive but sometimes alone.

In this chapter, you find out about a variety of networking-related roles in network solutions provider organizations.

Working in Sales as a Pre-Sales Engineer

As a pre-sales engineer, you accompany sales executives on sales calls to clients and prospective clients, explaining the wondrous features of the hardware products, software products, consulting, and other services that your company provides. You'll be looked upon as the expert in the room who can take your salesperson's comments deeper with real-life examples about how your company made other clients successful.

This job, however, entails a lot more than just smiling, nodding, and tossing in an occasional tale or two:

• Conducting product demos: You might conduct a demonstration of your company's product or provide a depiction of its operation. You describe in technical ...