Why Software Engineers Should Learn How to Sell ?
Sales is one of the most underrated Software Engineering trait
When you think of sales, you’ll probably imagine a salesperson trying to convince someone to buy something they don’t need.
Selling is much more than that, especially for software engineers. It's a skill that can boost your career, help you build better products, and even land you your next job.
Knowing or unknowingly, you are making a sales pitch everyday and this skill gets more and more important as you move up the ladder.
As a side note, I started an IG account where I share daily career growth and interview tips and resources. You can follow at hemant_careerbytes
Collaboration
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Coming back to the topic, some of the situations where having those solid sales skills will help you
1. Selling Ideas Internally
As a software engineer, you often need to convince others about your idea. Whether it’s a new feature, a better way to solve a problem, or even just the approach you think the team should take. This is selling. You’re selling your idea to your teammates, your manager, or other stakeholders.
If you want to introduce a new tech stack, you'll need to explain the benefits clearly, address concerns, and show why it’s the best choice. This isn’t just technical; it’s selling your vision.
I wanted to learn ReactJS at my old job and the team was using a proprietary tech stack. I prepared a doc on why React will solve the problem more efficiently and why we should use React even if the learning curve is higher.
2. Influencing Product Decisions
Understanding how to sell helps you communicate better with non-technical teams like legal, product, or customer support. You can advocate for features that truly solve user problems, ensuring the product you build is aligned with what the market needs.
Imagine you're working on a feature that could greatly simplify the user experience, but it’s not in the initial plan. By understanding what customers value and pitching it effectively, you could help prioritize it and influence the product roadmap.
3. Networking and Career Growth
Your ability to sell yourself is crucial when it comes to job interviews, networking, or even negotiating a raise or promotion. Knowing how to highlight your skills, showing your accomplishments in such a way that you comes out as the best candidate among all.
In a job interview, you’re not just sharing your resume, you’re selling your fit for the role. When you negotiate a salary, you’re selling your worth to the company. These moments require clear, confident communication of your value.
4. Building Your Own Products or Side Projects
If you ever want to create your own product, start a side project, create content or even launch a startup, knowing how to sell is a must. It’s not enough to build something great; you need to sell the idea to potential users, audience, investors, or partners.
Let’s say you’ve built an amazing app. To get users, you need to clearly communicate why it’s worth downloading. This means understanding your audience, crafting your message, and convincing them to give it a try.
Growing this newsletter or creating content itself is half writing effectively and half sales and marketing.
How to Get Started
Learning to sell doesn’t mean losing who you truly are, it’s about understanding what others value and communicating effectively.
Explain Your Work Simply
Practice talking about your projects in easy-to-understand language. Focus on what makes it valuable, not just the technical details.Listen to Others
Pay attention to what people around you need or value. Understanding their problems helps you position your ideas as solutions.Adjust Your Pitch
Tailor your message based on who you’re talking to. Highlight the benefits for non-tech folks, and dive into details with tech teams.Start Small
Begin with low-pressure situations like suggesting small changes in meetings. This will help you build confidence and improve your skills gradually.
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Would love a part 2 deep dive on tactics for selling! Thanks for the read, Hemant!