Sales engineer interview prep when AI builds the demo

Discover the need, show the right workflow and prove the value.

What companies say they’re looking for

“Good discovery is about asking the right kinds of questions, not more of them.” (opens the source)

Sathish Murthy, Co-Founder and Chief Presales Architect, presalesforce.ai · NAASE, Sep 29, 2026

Turn the customer’s workflow into a testable problem. A summary of the call is not proof that every delay is addressable.

“Every answer the buyer gives you is a signal about what belongs in the demo and what does not.” (opens the source)

Natasja Bax, Founder, The DemoScene; EMEA leader and certified partner for Great Demo! and Doing Discovery · NAASE, May 31, 2026

Use the audience’s priorities to choose the demo. Leave room for questions and change the plan when the meeting changes.

“I look at every issue with fresh eyes.” (opens the source)

Bella Barbera, Customer Success Sales Engineer, Datadog · Datadog, Jul 17, 2025

Treat a good result as evidence for the test you ran. Check new workflows before extending the claim.

“Faking an answer in front of a technical buyer can destroy your credibility in an instant” (opens the source)

Michael Gutierrez, Senior Director of Solutions Consulting, GoTo · NAASE, Jun 30, 2026

Separate documented capability, a demo observation and an open question. Give the verification a named owner and date.

“I quantified the financial incentive: lower repair costs for tanks and railcars” (opens the source)

Phillip Bureman, Chemical sales engineer; retired in 2024 · NAASE, Nov 10, 2026

Bureman’s retrospective makes the financial incentive concrete. In practice, check which costs the customer can actually avoid.

Sathish Murthy, Co-Founder and Chief Presales Architect, presalesforce.ai, at the time. NAASE, “How to Evaluate an AI Discovery Tool”, Sep 29, 2026. Open the source. Checked against the published text.
Natasja Bax, Founder, The DemoScene; EMEA leader and certified partner for Great Demo! and Doing Discovery, at the time. NAASE, “How to use discovery to build a demo the buyer actually needs to see”, May 31, 2026. Open the source. Checked against the published text.
Bella Barbera, Customer Success Sales Engineer, Datadog, at the time. Datadog, “Datadog Sales Engineering Spotlight: Bella Barbera and Emilio Rodriguez”, Jul 17, 2025. Open the source. Checked against the published text.
Michael Gutierrez, Senior Director of Solutions Consulting, GoTo, at the time. NAASE, “Earned Technical Trust: What Great SEs Do Before, During, and After the Demo”, Jun 30, 2026. Open the source. Checked against the published text.
Phillip Bureman, Chemical sales engineer; retired in 2024, at the time. NAASE, “From Cost to Value: Lessons from an Industrial Sales Engineer”, Nov 10, 2026. Open the source. Checked against the published text.

Last reviewed Nov 10, 2026