I realize that the term large is debatable; however, for the sake of discussion, typical vendors that would fall into this category are Apple, Google, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Palo Alto, IBM, Cisco, Microsoft, and Salesforce. Yes, there are others, and depending on where we draw the line would determine how many fit in this group. But for our purposes, we will focus more on what working for this type of vendor looks like versus who actually qualifies as one.

If you are looking to get hired by a large vendor, there are some significant benefits and also, of course, some negatives to consider as well. To start with, customers know who you are and you are always invited to the table when they are considering purchasing a technology solution. One of the best parts about being on a sales team for a large vendor is that your customer base truly knows what you are about. Even if they don’t use your products, when they invite you in to...

On the other end of the spectrum is the Start-up. The term itself conjures up both dread for some SEs and the allure of striking gold for others! These are companies typically with a single product that gains investment funding from third-party investors gambling that this product will take off and the start-up will be acquired by a larger vendor or in other cases go public.

Start-ups may or may not offer a higher salary than a large vendor to attract top talent. However, the biggest allure for certain is the stock options. This is career gambling at its finest! And I do not mean that in a derogatory manner. I have known good SEs who have worked at start-up companies, and fundamentally there is nothing wrong with this option, as long as you understand all the risks and possible rewards.

In the best-case scenario, you work for a start-up, and over a year or so, the company does so well that another vendor acquires you and they have...

The channel is an interesting concept that seems tightly interwoven into the vendor space and has been for decades. If you were to speak to different professionals in the industry, you would get wildly different views on the effectiveness of the channel, which makes it worth unwrapping the onion in this book. For the SE, it is important to understand why the channel exists so that when you hear negative stories from vendor SEs who have been in the business for a while, you will be able to place it in the perspective of a larger picture.

What is the channel anyway? In sales, you often have the option to buy directly from the vendor itself or buy through the channel, referred to as a value-added reseller (VAR). These companies typically offer a variety of different products and services. A customer can leverage a reseller such as this as a single point of contact for all business needs. As the business needs storage solutions, as well as firewalls, an...

Many organizations build businesses on services alone. In the high-technology realm, they’re often referred to as managed security service providers (MSSPs). Think of it in this manner: car washing. Could you wash your own car? Sure, you could. You may even enjoy it. However, perhaps the time spent soaping, scrubbing, and waxing is better spent doing something else. So, instead of doing it yourself, you go to a car wash, pay a fee, and the car is washed for you. You didn’t buy a product; you bought a service. You might even pay a monthly subscription so that you can get your car washed as many times as you want! In this case, you’re buying a subscription service.

The term services is very broad and subjective. Typically, it refers to consultation that is not tied directly to a product. Selling services will be much more process-oriented. You may not get questions about what your product does or the features that it has. Instead, you will need...

Organizations such as GuidePoint Security or Trace3, for example, offer both services unique to them as well as the ability to resell other vendor product solutions. This is a very dynamic career opportunity for SEs and one that anybody in the industry should strongly consider, if you have the skill set. Hybrid organizations such as this will refer to their SEs as solutions architects or consultants, but in the end, they still at the core of their function are SEs.

So, what really is the distinction here? SEs working for a hybrid organization should have some level of practitioner skill set. For example, if they spent time working on the customer side for a number of years, or if they were a post-sales implementation engineer, this experience is valuable for hybrid organizations such as this.

Another significant distinction is that although you are in a pre-sales capacity, you are acting as a vendor-neutral technical asset to the customer. This is an important...

Whether you are currently an SE today or considering breaking into the field at some point in the future, you will use this information coupled with being honest about yourself, your attributes, and your career goals to pursue the right role with the right type of company. In real life, there are no silver bullets and no perfect jobs out there, but armed with this knowledge, you will, in fact, make better career choices.

In the following chapter, we will build upon this by introducing you to the different types of people who will be on your broader team. Your ability to understand their role and how to best interact with them on a regular basis will be a crucial component of your success.