Me: sysadmin => sales engineer => sysadmin => infrastructure everything => manager of infrastructure and security people Pre-sales engineering is primarily a t

Me: sysadmin => sales engineer => sysadmin => infrastructure everything => manager of infrastructure and security people Pre-sales engineering is primarily a technical diplomacy role, in which you are trying to match the customers' sometimes-unexpressed needs with your company's products and services. You need to establish credibility and trustworthiness, and then not lose that reputation. Never lie. If you don't know the answer, say so and get back to them with the right answer by the next day. Stay current on all of the products and services you are helping to sell, and learn how to navigate the customer support organization. It's great experience for a number of other roles: user experience, product management, documentation, management.