Altar of the Demo Gods

In this episode of Altar of the Demo Gods, hosts Keith Wilson and John Morton welcome Ahmed Usmani, a Senior Sales Engineer with over a decade of experience in both technical support and sales engineering. The conversation covers Ahmed's unique career journey and insights into the role of a sales engineer, from his beginnings in platinum-level support to becoming a cloud success coordinator and ultimately a senior sales engineer.

The episode provides valuable lessons for both aspiring and seasoned sales engineers, especially about transitioning from technical roles into sales. Ahmed shares his experiences with learning the sales cycle, navigating sales processes, and the importance of being a fixer—someone who can bridge gaps between teams, solve technical problems, and still maintain excellent relationships with customers.

Some key topics include:

In this episode of Altar of the Demo Gods, hosts Keith Wilson and John Morton sit down with Jose Barajas, VP of Worldwide Sales Engineering at AttackIQ. The conversation dives into Jose’s career progression, from his early days as a security researcher to transitioning into sales engineering, and eventually moving into leadership as the VP of Sales Engineering.

Jose shares valuable insights on how his technical background in malware analysis and reverse engineering helped him develop a deep understanding of the products he now helps sell. He discusses the evolution from technical work to sales and leadership, and how learning soft skills, such as public speaking through Toastmasters, prepared him for success in the world of sales.

The discussion also covers key aspects of his transition into a leadership role, where he highlights the importance of building relationships, learning the sales process, and adapting to challenges like hiring and managing teams. Jose offers actionable advice for those in technical roles looking to transition into sales or leadership, such as developing a strong partnership with account executives and honing communication skills to better connect with customers.

Key Topics Discussed:

In this episode of Altar of the Demo Gods, hosts Keith Wilson and John Morton welcome special guest Evgeniy Kharam, author of the book Architecting Success: The Art of Soft Skills in Technical Sales. They dive deep into the world of soft skills, especially in the context of sales engineering, discussing how these often-overlooked abilities can make or break success in technical sales roles.

Evgeniy highlights the importance of adapting communication styles to your audience, understanding when to go deep into technical details, and when to keep it high-level. He also explains how critical it is to engage with customers based on what they want to learn, rather than simply showing off demos and presentations.

Throughout the conversation, the hosts and Evgeniy cover key themes from his book, including how to ask the right questions, overcome the fear of public speaking, and build rapport with customers and teammates. Evgeniy also introduces the concept of a Soft Skills Development Plan (SSDP), offering practical steps for professionals to improve their soft skills over 30, 60, 90, and 120 days.

Pickup "Architecting Success: The Art of Soft Skills in Technical Sales" from Amazon and other major book retailers.

Learn more about Evgeniy and the book here: https://www.softskillstech.ca/

The hosts share practical tips and tricks for making documentation less painful, including how to record your work, transcribe it, and organize your notes to build a playbook for success. Keith and John also touch on how proper documentation allows teams to avoid scope creep in POCs, foster accountability, and create artifacts that live beyond the immediate sales process.

While the conversation centers on documentation, the episode is filled with personal anecdotes, lighthearted banter about DuckTales, and the occasional AI reference—like how ChatGPT can assist in brainstorming and making tedious tasks a little more manageable.

Key Topics Discussed:

In this episode of Altar of the Demo Gods, Keith Wilson and John Morton dive into the world of sales engineering culture and how it impacts team performance, retention, and overall success. Drawing from their personal experiences across various industries—from the military to startups—the duo explores the importance of positive work culture and its far-reaching effects on sales teams.

They discuss key elements such as mental health support, the role of HR (or Chief People Officers), and how values set at the top can shape the entire organization. Keith and John also touch on hustle culture, burnout, and the shift from traditional HR departments to people-focused leadership.

With plenty of lighthearted banter about childhood TV shows and generational identity (they proudly proclaim themselves members of the DuckTales Generation), this episode blends humor with insight into what it takes to build a culture where employees thrive.

Key Topics Discussed:

In this episode of Altar of the Demo Gods, hosts Keith Wilson and John Morton dive deep into the complex world of ethics, integrity, and legality in sales. Picking up where they left off from the previous episode on building trust and rapport, they now explore how having a solid ethical foundation is critical for long-term success in technical sales.

Keith and John share anecdotes about the fine line between moral, ethical, and legal decisions in various sales scenarios, including international deals where practices and expectations may differ greatly. They emphasize the importance of transparency and accountability, especially when navigating high-stakes deals. Throughout the conversation, they highlight how companies that prioritize integrity can build stronger brands, attract top talent, and establish lasting trust with clients.

Key Topics Discussed:

In this episode of Altar of the Demo Gods, hosts Keith Wilson and John Morton discuss the crucial topic of building trust and rapport in sales engineering and technical sales. Drawing from their extensive experience in cybersecurity, they explore strategies for establishing genuine connections with clients who are often cautious and skeptical.

Keith and John delve into the importance of authenticity, integrity, and curiosity in the sales process. They share personal anecdotes about how being genuinely interested in solving a client's problem—not just making a sale—can set you apart from the competition. The hosts also touch on the challenges of rapidly building trust in fast-paced sales cycles and offer practical tips for overcoming these hurdles.

Key Topics Discussed:

In Episode 39 of Altar of the Demo Gods, Keith Wilson and John Morton dive into the critical topic of sales forecasting and why it’s a make-or-break element for any company, especially startups. The hosts discuss the importance of accurately forecasting revenue and how failing to do so can lead to catastrophic results, particularly for startups relying on investor confidence.

John, who’s especially passionate about sales forecasting, explains how startups and established companies alike depend on forecasting to track revenue goals, and how it directly affects the confidence of investors, stakeholders, and leadership teams. Keith and John also delve into the sales process, outlining how sales opportunities move through different stages of the funnel, from marketing qualified leads (MQLs) to sales qualified leads (SQLs), and how this progression informs forecasting accuracy.

Keith highlights how important it is to use historical data to inform predictions and avoid "happy ears" when forecasting deals. Both hosts emphasize the significance of maintaining alignment between sales efforts and genuine customer pain points, ensuring that deals are forecasted based on realistic data, not just optimism.

Key Topics Discussed:

In Episode 38 of Altar of the Demo Gods, Keith Wilson and John Morton explore the art of competitive analysis in sales engineering. They kick off the episode by reflecting on last week's deep dive into the perils of business travel and how they've evolved in their approach to achieving travel status. Shifting gears, they focus on the critical role of understanding competitors in the sales process.

The duo discusses practical strategies for gathering competitive intelligence, whether through direct observation at industry events, reviewing public resources, or simply engaging with existing customers. They also delve into the importance of framing your competitive edge in a way that highlights what your product does the same, what it does better, and what it doesn’t do at all. The goal? To equip you with the knowledge needed to effectively lay traps, differentiate your product, and ultimately win the sale.

Listener Questions: Keith and John also tackle a listener's question on maintaining a balance between being technical and being customer-focused as a sales engineer, offering advice on continuous learning and applying technical knowledge in a customer-centric way.

In this episode of Altar of the Demo Gods, Keith Wilson and John Morton dive into the unexpected chaos of the recent CrowdStrike incident that disrupted travel plans worldwide, including John's personal trip to Aruba. As they recount the challenges of navigating airport delays and airline mishaps, they pivot into a broader discussion about the travel hacks and tips that every sales engineer and frequent traveler should know. Whether you're a seasoned road warrior or prepping for your first business trip, this episode offers practical advice to make your journeys smoother.

Keith and John also share their experiences with airline and hotel loyalty programs, debating whether the perks are worth the effort. From the value of having status to the unexpected downsides, they explore how travel has changed in recent years. They also offer some light-hearted moments, including an amusing late-night hotel experience that’s sure to make you chuckle.

Key Topics Discussed: