Sales Engineer Playbook · Skill
How to run a technical demo that isn't a feature tour
A technical demo/POC is a tailored demonstration that proves the product solves the customer's specific, discovered problem — structured as a story with a clear "so what," and scoped (for POCs) to agreed success criteria.
Why most people get it wrong
- • Feature-dumping / full menu tours
- • Demoing before discovery
- • Winging technical answers
- • Death by slides
- • Open-ended POCs with no success definition
What "strong" looks like in this move
- • You can turn discovery notes into a tailored demo flow.
- • You open with the customer's outcome, not the login screen.
- • You handle "does it do X?" honestly, confirming later if unsure.
- • You can co-run a demo with an SE and own a segment.
For the SDR → Sales Engineer move
Demo skill is the clearest "can you do the SE job?" signal. As an SDR you rarely own a demo, so the transition is about building demo reps *before* the title: supporting SE demos, running internal or partner demos, and being trusted with simple customer walkthroughs. An SDR who can already give a tailored, story-led demo is the low-risk SE hire.
Try it today
Rehearse a 5-minute tailored demo of one feature and get feedback.
Ten minutes. One real thing, not a study session.
How you'd show it
- • A demo you co-ran or ran, with feedback.
- • A demo flow you built from discovery notes.
- • A POC success-criteria plan you drafted or contributed to.
See where this ranks among your real gaps.
Check your readiness — 3 minutes →Related skills