Sales Engineer

# Sales Engineer Skill ## 5-Phase Workflow ### Phase 1: Discovery & Research **Objective:** Understand customer requirements, technical environment, and business drivers. **Checklist:** - [ ] Conduct technical discovery calls with stakeholders - [ ] Map customer's current architecture and pain points - [ ] Identify integration requirements and constraints - [ ] Document security and compliance requirements - [ ] Assess competitive landscape for this opportunity **Tools:** Run `rfp_response_analyzer.py` to score initial requirement alignment. ```bash python scripts/rfp_response_analyzer.py assets/sample_rfp_data.json --format json > phase1_rfp_results.json ``` **Output:** Technical discovery document, requirement map, initial coverage assessment. **Validation checkpoint:** Coverage score must be >50% and must-have gaps ≤3 before proceeding to Phase 2. Check with: ```bash python scripts/rfp_response_analyzer.py assets/sample_rfp_data.json --format json | python -c "import sys,json; r=json.load(sys.stdin); print('PROCEED' if r['coverage_score']>50 and r['must_have_gaps']<=3 else 'REVIEW')" ``` --- ### Phase 2: Solution Design **Objective:** Design a solution architecture that addresses customer requirements. **Checklist:** - [ ] Map product capabilities to customer requirements - [ ] Design integration architecture - [ ] Identify customization needs and development effort - [ ] Build competitive differentiation strategy - [ ] Create solution architecture diagrams **Tools:** Run `competitive_matrix_builder.py` using Phase 1 data to identify differentiators and vulnerabilities. ```bash python scripts/competitive_matrix_builder.py competitive_data.json --format json > phase2_competitive.json python -c "import json; d=json.load(open('phase2_competitive.json')); print('Differentiators:', d['differentiators']); print('Vulnerabilities:', d['vulnerabilities'])" ``` **Output:** Solution architecture, competitive positioning, technical differentiation strategy. **Validation checkpoint:** Confirm at least one strong differentiator exists per customer priority before proceeding to Phase 3. If no differentiators found, escalate to Product Team (see Integration Points). --- ### Phase 3: Demo Preparation & Delivery **Objective:** Deliver compelling technical demonstrations tailored to stakeholder priorities. **Checklist:** - [ ] Build demo environment matching customer's use case - [ ] Create demo script with talking points per stakeholder role - [ ] Prepare objection handling responses - [ ] Rehearse failure scenarios and recovery paths - [ ] Collect feedback and adjust approach **Templates:** Use `assets/demo_script_template.md` for structured demo preparation. **Output:** Customized demo, stakeholder-specific talking points, feedback capture. **Validation checkpoint:** Demo script must cover every must-have requirement flagged in `phase1_rfp_results.json` before delivery. Cross-reference with: ```bash python -c "import json; rfp=json.load(open('phase1_rfp_results.json')); [print('UNCOVERED:', r) for r in rfp['must_have_requirements'] if r['coverage']=='Gap']" ``` --- ### Phase 4: POC & Evaluation **Objective:** Execute a structured proof-of-concept that validates the solution. **Checklist:** - [ ] Define POC scope, success criteria, and timeline - [ ] Allocate resources and set up environment - [ ] Execute phased testing (core, advanced, edge cases) - [ ] Track progress against success criteria - [ ] Generate evaluation scorecard **Tools:** Run `poc_planner.py` to generate the complete POC plan. ```bash python scripts/poc_planner.py poc_data.json --format json > phase4_poc_plan.json python -c "import json; p=json.load(open('phase4_poc_plan.json')); print('Go/No-Go:', p['recommendation'])" ``` **Templates:** Use `assets/poc_scorecard_template.md` for evaluation tracking. **Output:** POC plan, evaluation scorecard, go/no-go recommendation. **Validation checkpoint:** POC conversion requires scorecard score >60% across all evaluation dimensions (functionality, performance, integration, usability, support). If score <60%, document gaps and loop back to Phase 2 for solution redesign. --- ### Phase 5: Proposal & Closing **Objective:** Deliver a technical proposal that supports the commercial close. **Checklist:** - [ ] Compile POC results and success metrics - [ ] Create technical proposal with implementation plan - [ ] Address outstanding objections with evidence - [ ] Support pricing and packaging discussions - [ ] Conduct win/loss analysis post-decision **Templates:** Use `assets/technical_proposal_template.md` for the proposal document. **Output:** Technical proposal, implementation timeline, risk mitigation plan. --- ## Python Automation Tools ### 1. RFP Response Analyzer **Script:** `scripts/rfp_response_analyzer.py` **Purpose:** Parse RFP/RFI requirements, score coverage, identify gaps, and generate bid/no-bid recommendations. **Coverage Categories:** Full (100%), Partial (50%), Planned (25%), Gap (0%). **Priority Weighting:** Must-Have 3×, Should-Have 2×, Nice-to-Have 1×. **Bid/No-Bid Logic:** - **Bid:** Coverage >70% AND must-have gaps ≤3 - **Conditional Bid:** Coverage 50–70% OR must-have gaps 2–3 - **No-Bid:** Coverage <50% OR must-have gaps >3 **Usage:** ```bash python scripts/rfp_response_analyzer.py assets/sample_rfp_data.json # human-readable python scripts/rfp_response_analyzer.py assets/sample_rfp_data.json --format json # JSON output python scripts/rfp_response_analyzer.py --help ``` **Input Format:** See `assets/sample_rfp_data.json` for the complete schema. --- ### 2. Competitive Matrix Builder **Script:** `scripts/competitive_matrix_builder.py` **Purpose:** Generate feature comparison matrices, calculate competitive scores, identify differentiators and vulnerabilities. **Feature Scoring:** Full (3), Partial (2), Limited (1), None (0). **Usage:** ```bash python scripts/competitive_matrix_builder.py competitive_data.json # human-readable python scripts/competitive_matrix_builder.py competitive_data.json --format json # JSON output ``` **Output Includes:** Feature comparison matrix, weighted competitive scores, differentiators, vulnerabilities, and win themes. --- ### 3. POC Planner **Script:** `scripts/poc_planner.py` **Purpose:** Generate structured POC plans with timeline, resource allocation, success criteria, and evaluation scorecards. **Default Phase Breakdown:** - **Week 1:** Setup — environment provisioning, data migration, configuration - **Weeks 2–3:** Core Testing — primary use cases, integration testing - **Week 4:** Advanced Testing — edge cases, performance, security - **Week 5:** Evaluation — scorecard completion, stakeholder review, go/no-go **Usage:** ```bash python scripts/poc_planner.py poc_data.json # human-readable python scripts/poc_planner.py poc_data.json --format json # JSON output ``` **Output Includes:** Phased POC plan, resource allocation, success criteria, evaluation scorecard, risk register, and go/no-go recommendation framework. --- ## Reference Knowledge Bases | Reference | Description | |-----------|-------------| | `references/rfp-response-guide.md` | RFP/RFI response best practices, compliance matrix, bid/no-bid framework | | `references/competitive-positioning-framework.md` | Competitive analysis methodology, battlecard creation, objection handling | | `references/poc-best-practices.md` | POC planning methodology, success criteria, evaluation frameworks | ## Asset Templates | Template | Purpose | |----------|---------| | `assets/technical_proposal_template.md` | Technical proposal with executive summary, solution architecture, implementation plan | | `assets/demo_script_template.md` | Demo script with agenda, talking points, objection handling | | `assets/poc_scorecard_template.md` | POC evaluation scorecard with weighted scoring | | `assets/sample_rfp_data.json` | Sample RFP data for testing the analyzer | | `assets/expected_output.json` | Expected output from rfp_response_analyzer.py | ## Integration Points - **Marketing Skills** - Leverage competitive intelligence and messaging frameworks from `marketing-skill/` - **Product Team** - Coordinate on roadmap items flagged as "Planned" in RFP analysis from `product-team/` - **C-Level Advisory** - Escalate strategic deals requiring executive engagement from `c-level-advisor/` - **Customer Success** - Hand off POC results and success criteria to CSM from `../customer-success-manager/` --- **Last Updated:** February 2026 **Status:** Production-ready **Tools:** 3 Python automation scripts **References:** 3 knowledge base documents **Templates:** 5 asset files