Here's how you can maintain motivation as a Sales Engineer while working remotely.

As SE’s we have our hands in everything. From demand generation at expos, presales activities, post sale enablement, creating new assets, giving feedback to product and helping marketing better tailor their assets, and continuously learning new features / products. It can be easy to be overwhelmed with all those different activities. The best way to bring order to the chaos is start your day or end your day by working on a daily todo list. Putting your highest priority tasks at the top and sprinkle in medium priority 5-10min quick tasks in so they don’t excessively pile up. There’s a great sense of accomplishment by writing todo’s and checking them off throughout the day. Anything that doesn’t get finished gets added to tomorrow.

Motivation is key for success, particularly in sales. Feeling demotivated at work happens, but there are ways to combat it. One effective strategy is to embrace new challenges. By stepping out of your comfort zone and engaging with fresh tasks, you can reignite your passion for work and elevate your motivation levels. Demo presentations are pivotal opportunities to exhibit how your product addresses business challenges. To excel in delivering impactful demos, it's essential to master the art of preparation and structuring. Aspiring Sales Engineers can enhance their skills by focusing on showcasing how their product tackles specific pain points faced by customers.

To maintain motivation as a Sales Engineer while working remotely, establish a structured daily routine and set clear, achievable goals to stay focused. Regularly connect with your team and clients through virtual meetings to foster a sense of community and collaboration. Additionally, create a dedicated workspace to minimize distractions and enhance productivity.

As sales engineers, we often find ourselves involved in multiple tasks, which can lead to getting lost in the shuffle—especially when working remotely. To maintain focus and ensure adherence to daily goals, it’s essential to set realistic Goals. Begin each day by planning and setting goals, and take time to review yesterday’s accomplishments. Before each customer demonstration, I allocate time to review my pitch, demo assets, and network connectivity. This helps prevent last-minute surprises, especially since each demo requires unique planning and goals. Lastly plan your calendar to allow you breaks and time to sync with your co-workers and its perfectly acceptable to reserve sometime for yourself each day

What I will describe in the different sections of this post is based on what I experienced during a 4-month period during Covid, where I had to work from home. On my Outlook, I would assign Tasks to myself and review them first thing in the morning. If I would call a customer, and he or she told me that they didn't have a project at the time, I will update the task to call them in 4 months. I would have a goal of calling a certain number of existing customers per day, while I also had a second goal of discovering a certain number of potential new customers per week. It kept me motivated and with a sense of accomplishment.

During Covid, I would get up at 4:30 AM, meditate for 20 minutes, shave, shower, dress as if I was going to visit a customer, have breakfast, and be in front of my computer by 6:30 AM. At that time, it was game on, so I need to feel professional and fully engaged. This professional approach was contagious to my team and my customers. At noon, I would have a 15-minute lunch, brush my teeth, and go back to work. By 5:30 PM, I would stop working and made a point of walking with my wife every evening for about an hour or more. This approach made me extremely productive.

Professional norms & boundaries are keys to success in remote work. Whether your office is 20 feet or 20 miles from home, it's vital to prepare for success through morning routines, business attire, and a predictable work schedule. - When you join a video call you want to look as prepared on camera as you would in a conference room. Dress for success even if you may be the only one who sees it! - Get up early enough to include a morning motivational message / podcast before you transition into your home office daily. 15 minutes of inspiration and refresh can set the whole pace for your day. - It is essential for you & your team to know when you are available and when you're not. Set predictable office hours and be diligent to keep them.

Our roles can be very demanding on our calendars. Some days almost completely booked with a combination of customer meetings, internal calls, and prep. Understanding your work style is key here. I find myself to be more ADHD so I work best in short bursts of 45-90minutes. As soon as I finish a task or meeting I will take a short break to grab a snack, do something around the house or catch up on personal calls / texts. These breaks keep my energy level high throughout the day. If you are the type who works more continuously a few hours at a time its critical to block your calendar in advanced to have a break time that fit your schedule This also applies to my working style if I’m fully booked. I start preemptively blocking my calendar.

In my calendar, I intentionally allocate time for personal breaks and syncing with co-workers. It’s entirely acceptable to reserve moments for yourself each day. Sticking to schedules significantly contributes to keeping Sales Engineers motivated, calm, and focused

I admit that I failed at this during Covid. My lunch was only 10 or 15 minutes, and I took very little breaks. In retrospect, I should have taken some short walks in between.

Virtual meetings were critical during the Covid period when I was forced to work from home. It allowed my team to discuss projects, concepts, costing, proposals, etc. It also allowed us to engage with customers and present our solutions. I made a point of making sure that my home office looked professional (no open closets, no pets, no clutter, etc.). We were very successful during Covid.

To stay relevant continuous learning is important. As a Sales Engineer my approach is to allocate the time I save from not traveling to acquire new knowledge while working remotely. Stay updated on industry trends, competitor offerings, and market dynamics. Attend webinars, read relevant articles, and participate in training sessions. Learning should be an ongoing process. Collaborating with peers accelerates learning and fosters a supportive environment. Regularly review your sales interactions (even listen and review to your recordings of your demonstration to customers) -Analyze what worked well and what didn’t. Use this feedback to refine your approach and iterate on your strategies

Success is a series of small wins - work hard and celebrate each win... Acknowledge your progress, whether it’s closing a deal, mastering a new skill, or overcoming a challenge. These celebrations boost motivation and reinforce positive habits.

As a Manager, it is critical that you acknowledge when one of your remote Sales employees does a good job. As a remote Sales employee, it is important that you celebrate when you accomplish one of your goals, even if your Supervisor does not recognize you. Create small goals, work hard to accomplish them, and then celebrate when you meet your goal.