Altar of the Demo Gods

From Platinum Support to Sales Engineer: Ahmed Usmani’s Career Path

In this episode of Altar of the Demo Gods, hosts Keith Wilson and John Morton welcome Ahmed Usmani, a Senior Sales Engineer with over a decade of experience in both technical support and sales engineering. The conversation covers Ahmed's unique career journey and insights into the role of a sales engineer, from his beginnings in platinum-level support to becoming a cloud success coordinator and ultimately a senior sales engineer. The episode provides valuable lessons for both aspiring and seasoned sales engineers, especially about transitioning from technical roles into sales. Ahmed shares his experiences with learning the sales cycle, navigating sales processes, and the importance of being a fixer—someone who can bridge gaps between teams, solve technical problems, and still maintain excellent relationships with customers. Some key topics include: * Transitioning from Support to Sales Engineering: Ahmed explains how his technical background in security and cloud infrastructure laid a solid foundation for his sales career. * Learning Business Acumen and Sales Cycles: Ahmed highlights how working with sales leaders and mentors helped him gain the business knowledge needed for success. * The Importance of Relationships and Teamwork: Ahmed emphasizes that internal collaboration and shared knowledge are key to winning deals and creating successful outcomes. * Navigating Sales as a Fixer: The importance of being both technical and people-oriented, with the ability to handle tough customer situations. * Sets and Reps in Sales: Ahmed talks about the need for repetition to hone skills in both technical support and sales, stressing that ongoing learning and practice are essential.

From Researcher to VP: Jose Barajas' Journey in Sales Engineering

In this episode of Altar of the Demo Gods, hosts Keith Wilson and John Morton sit down with Jose Barajas, VP of Worldwide Sales Engineering at AttackIQ. The conversation dives into Jose’s career progression, from his early days as a security researcher to transitioning into sales engineering, and eventually moving into leadership as the VP of Sales Engineering. Jose shares valuable insights on how his technical background in malware analysis and reverse engineering helped him develop a deep understanding of the products he now helps sell. He discusses the evolution from technical work to sales and leadership, and how learning soft skills, such as public speaking through Toastmasters, prepared him for success in the world of sales. The discussion also covers key aspects of his transition into a leadership role, where he highlights the importance of building relationships, learning the sales process, and adapting to challenges like hiring and managing teams. Jose offers actionable advice for those in technical roles looking to transition into sales or leadership, such as developing a strong partnership with account executives and honing communication skills to better connect with customers. Key Topics Discussed: * Transitioning from security research to sales engineering. * The importance of relationship building and networking in career growth. * Challenges and solutions in technical sales, including POC development and using cyber ranges to accelerate the sales process. * Learning to adapt to formalized sales processes as a company grows. * How to develop soft skills, like public speaking, through Toastmasters and other opportunities. * The complexities of hiring and managing teams, including the principle of “hire slow, fire fast.” * Moving into leadership and the importance of effective communication in technical sales.

Unlocking the Power of Soft Skills in Sales Engineering: A Chat with Evgeniy Kharam

In this episode of Altar of the Demo Gods, hosts Keith Wilson and John Morton welcome special guest Evgeniy Kharam, author of the book Architecting Success: The Art of Soft Skills in Technical Sales. They dive deep into the world of soft skills, especially in the context of sales engineering, discussing how these often-overlooked abilities can make or break success in technical sales roles. Evgeniy highlights the importance of adapting communication styles to your audience, understanding when to go deep into technical details, and when to keep it high-level. He also explains how critical it is to engage with customers based on what they want to learn, rather than simply showing off demos and presentations. Throughout the conversation, the hosts and Evgeniy cover key themes from his book, including how to ask the right questions, overcome the fear of public speaking, and build rapport with customers and teammates. Evgeniy also introduces the concept of a Soft Skills Development Plan (SSDP), offering practical steps for professionals to improve their soft skills over 30, 60, 90, and 120 days. Pickup "Architecting Success: The Art of Soft Skills in Technical Sales" from Amazon [https://www.amazon.com/Architecting-Success-Skills-Technical-Connect/dp/1998503003] and other major book retailers. Learn more about Evgeniy and the book here: https://www.softskillstech.ca/

Document, Win, Repeat: Why Sales Engineering Success Depends on It

In this episode of Altar of the Demo Gods, Keith Wilson and John Morton dive deep into the topic of documentation in sales engineering, emphasizing its critical role in the sales process and beyond. They discuss how effective documentation can reduce friction, improve clarity in communication, and ultimately help close deals. From early discovery to proof-of-concept (POC) engagements, having a structured approach to documentation helps sales engineers and their organizations win over customers and streamline their internal processes. The hosts share practical tips and tricks for making documentation less painful, including how to record your work, transcribe it, and organize your notes to build a playbook for success. Keith and John also touch on how proper documentation allows teams to avoid scope creep in POCs, foster accountability, and create artifacts that live beyond the immediate sales process. While the conversation centers on documentation, the episode is filled with personal anecdotes, lighthearted banter about DuckTales, and the occasional AI reference—like how ChatGPT can assist in brainstorming and making tedious tasks a little more manageable. Key Topics Discussed: * Importance of documenting pain points, customer environment, and use cases. * How documentation benefits not just sales, but also marketing, product development, and leadership. * Tips for creating effective POC documentation to prevent scope creep and streamline the sales process. * Using technology, like transcription services, to make documentation easier and faster. * Building personal and team success through structured policies and procedures. * How proper documentation leads to better sales enablement and long-term client satisfaction.

From Hustle to Health: Shaping a Positive Sales Culture

In this episode of Altar of the Demo Gods, Keith Wilson and John Morton dive into the world of sales engineering culture and how it impacts team performance, retention, and overall success. Drawing from their personal experiences across various industries—from the military to startups—the duo explores the importance of positive work culture and its far-reaching effects on sales teams. They discuss key elements such as mental health support, the role of HR (or Chief People Officers), and how values set at the top can shape the entire organization. Keith and John also touch on hustle culture, burnout, and the shift from traditional HR departments to people-focused leadership. With plenty of lighthearted banter about childhood TV shows and generational identity (they proudly proclaim themselves members of the DuckTales Generation), this episode blends humor with insight into what it takes to build a culture where employees thrive. Key Topics Discussed: * How a strong organizational culture affects turnover, productivity, and brand perception. * The balance between hustle culture and burnout prevention. * The role of leadership in setting cultural values and maintaining a healthy work environment. * How cultural missteps at major events like Black Hat can damage a company’s reputation. * Encouraging dissent and feedback to foster a culture of continuous improvement. * Personal accountability in shaping and maintaining company culture.