How AI Sales Engineers Are Transforming Presales

The state of solutions engineers: overwhelmed, overworked, and ready for change

Solutions engineers and presales teams are at the heart of complex sales cycles, bridging the gap between customer needs and technical solutions. It’s only natural for sales folks to lean on their solutions teams during the deal cycle. However, there’s a fine line between reliance and over-reliance and today’s teams are straddling it. 

Solutions engineers are often pulled in several directions at once. Between juggling detailed RFPs, technical demos, client queries, and internal planning – they’re constantly overwhelmed and overworked.

On top of this, the rise of AI in solutions engineering is causing a stir. While AI is often touted as a game-changer, many solutions consultants are wary. Can an AI assistant or AI sales engineer really help, or is it a threat to their roles? And if AI becomes part of their workflow, will it require intensive training to use effectively?

These questions underscore a broader skepticism: Can tools like AI RFP software or AI personalization assistants truly alleviate their workload without compromising quality or creativity?

The answer lies in understanding AI’s role not as a replacement but as a teammate – a powerful ally designed to enhance efficiency and free up solutions engineers to focus on the impactful work they excel at. In this blog, we’ll explore how embracing AI sales engineer and AI sales copilot tools can not only improve productivity but also transform the day-to-day lives of solutions engineers for the better.

It’s time to see why AI isn’t just the future of presales – it’s the key to thriving in a high-pressure, high-stakes environment.

Understanding the current sentiment around AI - are sales engineering jobs at risk?

The rise of AI has sparked mixed emotions within the solutions engineering community. Many sales engineers worry that adopting AI assistants or AI in presales workflows could diminish the value they bring to the sales cycle. But these fears often stem from a misunderstanding of AI’s role and limitations.

At its core, sales – especially in enterprise environments – is deeply human. It’s built on relationships, emotional intelligence, and the ability to understand and address nuanced business and technical needs. The fundamental truth is that people buy from people – even B2B deals have humans on either end – and this underscores why AI will never replace the persuasive and empathetic touch that sales engineers (SEs) and account executives (AEs) bring to the table. While AI can assist with RFP responses, personalization, or streamline workflows, it cannot replicate the trust and rapport required to close complex deals.

Tech often sees new waves of change: the shift from on prem to cloud, the proliferation of smartphones, tablets and IoT devices driving demand for real-time processing, and now the age of artificial intelligence. With each wave there’s always been an underlying fear of job security, but instead, we saw roles evolve. To take the move to cloud as an example, those who adapted and embraced the cloud became indispensable in the new landscape. Similarly, AI isn’t here to replace solutions engineers – it’s here to change how they work. Solutions engineers who learn to leverage AI personalization, AI RFP software, and other tools will find themselves ahead of the curve, with enhanced productivity and more time to focus on high-impact activities.

Ultimately, AI is not a competitor – it’s a teammate. The solutions engineers who embrace its potential will not only secure their place in the future but also thrive in a rapidly changing sales environment. Those who harness AI’s capabilities will unlock opportunities to elevate their roles, proving once again that technology enhances human expertise rather than replacing it.

So, what is an AI sales engineer? 

An AI sales engineer is an advanced digital assistant or AI copilot designed to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of sales and solutions teams. By automating time-consuming tasks and providing instant access to critical information, it enables subject matter experts (SMEs) like presales and solutions engineers to focus on strategic activities that drive business growth. In addition to this, it provides sales teams with easy and direct access to technical product information allowing them to respond to ad-hoc client queries faster.

Key benefits of an AI sales engineer:

• Accelerating response generation: AI sales engineers can swiftly generate accurate responses to complex questionnaires, such as RFPs and security inquiries, significantly reducing the time SMEs spend on these tasks. This efficiency allows teams to handle more opportunities and improve win rates.
• Personalizing communications: Leveraging AI-driven personalization, these tools customize responses to align with the specific industry, tone, and length requirements of each prospect. This tailored approach enhances engagement and increases the likelihood of successful outcomes.
• Crafting unique narratives: Typically, solutions engineers spend several hours per deal sifting through call transcripts, client details, CRM notes and more to try and put together the right proposal and solution story for each client. AI sales engineers will do all the legwork – fetching a summary of customer pain points, competitors they’re considering, what tool they used before, what their priority is when selecting a new tool – to help put together the best narrative for each client.
• Unlocking seamless integrations: AI sales engineers integrate with existing workplace applications, providing SMEs with immediate access to company knowledge without the need to switch between multiple platforms. This seamless integration streamlines workflows and enhances productivity.
• Ensuring streamlined collaboration: By providing a unified space to manage end-to-end RFP projects, AI sales engineers can help streamline your RFP process to make reviews and approvals easy. This results in less back-and-forth between teams and more time to focus on moving the deal forward. 

Incorporating an AI sales engineer into the sales process empowers subject matter experts to operate more efficiently, respond to client needs promptly, and dedicate more time to strategic initiatives that drive success.

Embracing AI as your Teammate, not your replacement

AI isn’t here to replace solutions engineers, it’s here to empower them. Think of an AI sales engineer as the ultimate teammate, one that works tirelessly in the background, handling the time-consuming and repetitive tasks that often pull you away from what matters most.

From crafting personalized RFP responses in minutes to seamlessly managing complex technical inquiries, AI transforms how solutions engineers work by enabling them to shine where they’re most impactful. 

By embracing AI as a trusted copilot, you’ll see boosted productivity and have more bandwidth to focus on building relationships, solving customer challenges, and driving revenue growth. Far from being something to fear, AI is a game-changing ally in the evolving landscape of solutions engineering. It’s time to see AI not as a competitor but as a catalyst for your success.