Engineers make awful sales people
I had an interesting conversation today about the ability of engineers to be able to sell their services. As a one-woman band type consultant, I don’t have the luxury of a sales force that markets my wares in an enticing way. I rely heavily on referrals and the fact that I do a great job in software testing.
When I am asked for a quote, I like to base my estimates on value. What is the best value that I can provide at a reasonable price? I think like an engineer.
However, I’m told that the best way to sell software testing is to focus on risk. How can you NOT afford to test? I need to think like a sales person.
So, are engineers in general good analysts but bad sales people?