AE and SE Chemistry

What does partnership with your SE look like? Are you two a dynamic duo or is it a transactional relationship? How do you identify strong AE and SE orgs.? 


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13
Feds_Watchin
Politicker
9
AE
Do your AE and SE do drugs together? That’s the top 1% of chemistry.
InQ5WeTrust
Arsonist
4
No marketing, mayo isn't an MQL
The classic sales team meeting with a side of DMT. 
goose
Politicker
0
Sales Executive
Sometimes the drug references aren't funny
CuriousFox
WR Officer
9
🦊
A good way to start is to take matters into your own hands and start a relationship with an SE, even if you're not assigned to one.

I fill out a detailed high level account overview. Contacts, mission statement, vision, goals, rev, IT contact info, etc and schedule a 1:1 with an SE that helped me once when I was new. We come up with a game plan together and he helps me understand the technical questions he needs answered. We have been highly successful with this, off the record of course.
Diablo
Politicker
2
Sr. AE
I agree with this totally
CuriousFox
WR Officer
3
🦊
Including them from the start of the process works for any internal relationship you want to build imo. 
buckets1
Politicker
4
AE
I provide a one page brief of the customer, where I’m at in the sales cycle, contacts, tech stack, types of questions I expect them to ask, and goal of the call anytime I bring my SE onto a technical discovery call. Seems pretty basic to me but I learned a lot of reps don’t do something like this and my SE really appreciates that I do. We also sell several products so I also took it upon myself to learn how to demo the most basic one and I do those demos myself with my SE riding shotgun to answer any complex questions that come up. This buys me a ton of credibility with my SE AND drives the point home to the customer that setup/training won’t suck up too much of their time. Doing these two things have lead to successful partnerships with multiple SEs over my time at the company.
SlinginSoftware
Politicker
3
Account Executive
"This is my SE. There are many like it, but this one is mine..."

Anything thats transactional, I close on my own... Anything strategic and big, my SE is with me every step of the way as an equal partner. In my mind, it all has to do with the complexity of the sale.
SaaSData
Catalyst
2
VP of SaaS & Unit Economics 🏴‍☠️
Keep your SEs on a tight leash.  Their honesty becomes a problem.

Never give them extra tech work, they hate it.  That's why they are SEs.  Push back on your customer and when they do you favors always compensate them with dinners etc.... be overly nice.  You can't have beef here.  It takes one SE to screwup with the entire SE team.

Find ways to talk them up, always giving them credit.  Make sure they look like a hero every-time.  Take the fall for everything who cares if you get paid big checks.

Also, you want to try to get them to focus only on what the customers pain is.  SEs have a hard time reading the room and will go into demo crazy land.

Correct them on this in a respectful way.

I always used SEs to make sure they covered the low level people while I floated up to the top and got the big deals done.  But, they will respect you if you are a data/tech person more than your peers.
Sunbunny31
Politicker
1
Sr Sales Executive 🐰
I don't have a 1:1 SC, so I build rapport on my end by having at least one quick meeting internally to get ready for our customer-facing meeting or demo.  I like to collaborate on our goals for the meeting, how we can work together, and leverage our individual strengths to have that great synergy with each other and while representing our company in front of the customer.
cw95
Politicker
1
Sales Development Lead
I guess I got lucky, my SE is a top bloke, regularly go out on weekends and he is a part of my friend group now as well! I imagine when I move on it may not be the same...
DFWSpartan2013
Opinionated
1
Presales Manager
I’m and SE with a handful of reps. I’m a dynamic duo with some and transactional with others. And from my point of view it’s not anything the rep does. You know how some people you just like more and others you don’t? That’s how it’s happened to me. I love some of my reps and others I’m just business with. Some of the business reps are better but we just don’t gel.
FromaBlankPerspective
Politicker
1
District Manager
Dynamic Duo for sure. We came up together and she is one of my best friends. Not necessarily replicable, but I consider myself very lucky! Also, she's an absolute beast on calls.
TeddyRoo
1
TeddyRoo
I’ve found AE SE relationships work best when we compliment each other’s skills
countingmyinterest
Politicker
0
Account Executive
I'll have a virtual beer with him after a long deal. He's a chill guy and I get along with him! Also knowledgable 
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