Sales Engineer Playbook · SDR → Sales Engineer
"I've been doing this two years."
Tenure alone rarely moves anyone — but two years is real signal that it's worth making the ambition explicit rather than waiting to be noticed.
Why this happens
SDR roles reward consistency in a narrow set of metrics, which can quietly become the whole story your manager has about you — competent at the current job, with no visible signal about the next one.
Why the obvious fix doesn't work
Working harder at the SDR job itself doesn't change the story, because it's more evidence for the role you're already in, not the one you want next.
What actually changes it
A direct conversation with your manager naming the ambition, paired with visible steps toward it — so "I want to move into pre-sales" isn't a surprise when a real opportunity appears.
Today's 10-minute version
Tell your manager directly that you're aiming for a Sales Engineer move, and ask what they'd want to see from you first.
The skills underneath this