Shadowing Practice: How to Become a Sales Engineer | Without Any Experience - Learn English Speaking with Video

How to become a sales engineer with no experience is one of the questions that I get on a regular basis.

I've hired many hundreds of people all over the world

and I know what it takes to make it into the SE community.

In this video I'll tell you what skills you need, what career path options there are and how you can get your first SE role.

So if you want to know how to become an SE then keep watching.

If you like this video then don't forget to hit like

and subscribe to keep updated on the new content that we release.

My name's Andy Waterhouse, I'm the Pre-Sales Coach.

Let's get started.

A question that I get on a regular basis is how do I get into an SE role without any experience?

The answer can be quite complex as for many career changes but I'll break it down into some useful areas to consider.

Unlike many other careers and professions there's no bachelor's degree in pre-sales

that you can take but there are some online courses coming soon on the pre-sales coach website that will help.

Many people get here by accident by coincidence or just

because they know someone in technology sales but there are more structured ways to get into an SE role.

But what exactly is a sales engineer?

An SE is the bridge between a company's sales and technical teams and their prospective and existing clients.

They help customers understand how a product or service works and why it's the perfect solution for them.

For a more in-depth review of the Sales Engineer role, take a look at the Sales Engineering 101 video.

The link's in the description below.

And remember, not all pre-sales roles are called Sales Engineer.

Some could be Solutions Consultant, Solutions Architect or a number of other job titles.

So how do you become one without any experience?

Let's break it down now.

You don't need a degree to get started as an SE but you do need some technical skills.

Many of the SEs that I've hired don't have a degree but they've spent time working in various IT roles, learning about technology and how it's best applied.

You should familiarize yourself with the products or services that you're interested in selling, for example cloud services or cybersecurity solutions.

Learn the basics of the industry and the terminology used.

Take some of the certifications that are available like AWS or Azure Solutions Architect or Google Cloud Engineer.

For cyber security look at Certified Ethical Hacker or CISSP.

All industries have some form of certification.

Online courses, tutorials and even hands-on projects are all your best friends on this journey.

Every company will have demo videos or webinars that you can attend or review the recordings.

These will show you how they talk about the subject as well as show you how their SEs deliver the content.

Dive into the technicalities and soon you'll be speaking the language fluently.

It might sound daunting but trust me it's the first step to success.

And if you want success and want to be notified about this

and any other new content then subscribe to the channel

and why not subscribe to our newsletter the links are in

the description for the video now let's talk about networking it's not just about who you know

but who knows you attend industry events connect on LinkedIn

and don't be afraid to reach out to professionals for advice

when you connect with someone especially on LinkedIn don't just use

the default message of I'd like to connect make it personal

and tell the individual why you want to connect

so it can help build your career it will significantly improve your connection rate go to user groups

and meetups face-to-face sessions are usually the best way to build your network

but also to learn they can also be an amazing source

for job referrals get into the online communities for the technologies that you're interested in

but watch out for the trolls that believe their opinion is the only one that matters.

Building relationships can open doors you never knew existed

and remember networking isn't just about taking it's about giving back to the community as well.

And one final point here, unless you're an extrovert putting yourself out there can be a really difficult thing to do.

One way to overcome this is to imagine yourself as the person

that you want to be just before you start a networking event.

Be confident but not overconfident.

Start a conversation but don't dominate it.

Tell people, hey I'm here to learn and make connections.

That level of honesty will help.

Okay so you've got the skills and now you're expanding your network.

Now it's time to showcase what you've got.

Create a killer resume or CV that highlights your technical know-how and your ability to communicate complex ideas in a simple way.

Make sure that you give concise examples of what you've done.

There are many resume tools out there that can help you with this.

And why not start a blog or create content showcasing your insights?

It's not only a great portfolio to have but also a great way to demonstrate your passion for the industry.

Now we need to address the issue of a lack of experience.

Everyone has to start somewhere and there are various options to look at.

In general companies will look at three areas of experience, sales, technical skills and real-world experience.

You've already started to address the technical skills

but we need to look at which of the other two you can build on.

Many of the SEs

that I know spent the early years of their careers working in different types of companies helping to run IT solutions.

It helped them to understand not just what IT solutions are

but why they're important to a company and the value that they bring.

Being able to relate this as an SE is vitally important.

Other SEs came via sales development or business development programs

so they were training to work in sales but for whatever reason they decided to switch track and become SEs.

These are often some of the best SEs as they have

both the commercial awareness as well as the technical skills for the role.

There are many other options for example from IT support,

from professional services and customer success roles but you need to consider what skills

and experience that you're building and how does that apply to the SE role.

One other potential option is to look at internships.

Look for internships that combine both technical and sales aspects.

It's a chance to get hands-on experience and make meaningful connections in the industry

and remember treat your internship like an extended job interview.

Show them what you're made of and always be learning.

One of the key elements of applying for a role is to make your application stand out.

The HR and recruitment team see hundreds of applications every week, so you need to grab their attention.

We already discussed the killer resume or CV, but you should also have a killer cover page.

You should research the company as well as key people inside the company, especially the hiring manager.

Call out what you bring to the company and why you'd like to join them.

Don't just use a standard cover letter.

However, the real step up is to get someone

that you know at the company or someone that knows someone at the company to make a recommendation on your behalf.

That doesn't guarantee the interview but it helps massively as we all want to work with people that others recommend.

This is where the networking discussed earlier will really pay off.

Okay, you've made it to the interview stage.

100

Congratulations!

101

Now it's time to shine showcase your technical knowledge highlight your sales experience and most importantly

102

demonstrate your passion for the role

103

and how you can contribute continue to research the company

104

and the people make sure you know who'll be interviewing you at each stage

105

and check them out on linkedin it'll show

106

that you looked at their profile if i was interviewing someone

107

and they didn't check me out on linkedin then

108

that would be a specific question that i'd ask them in the interview as to why they're not doing their research.

109

Also look at blog posts or YouTube videos that they've posted, refer back to them in the interview if possible

110

and always check out the latest company news just before the interview and discuss any important announcements.

111

This demonstrates that you're engaged in the process.

112

Finally be ready with examples of what you've done in the past

113

that can showcase how you can help them in the future.

114

And there you have it, how to become a sales engineer without any experience.

115

It's all about dedication, continuous learning and making meaningful connections.

116

If you like this video then hit like and subscribe to keep updated on the new content that we release.

117

And why not subscribe to our newsletter for updates on what's happening and hints and tips about pre-sales.

118

Links are in the video description.

119

Until the next time, I'm Andy Waterhouse, I'm the Pre-Sales coach.

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406 sentences

Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

This B2 speaking lesson is built on the video “How to Become a Sales Engineer”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: sales, role, experience, technical, skills. This video has 119 sentences and 1571 words to shadow. The speech runs for 9:32. The speaker talks at a natural 165 words per minute, close to everyday conversation. 87% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is easy to follow.

Key vocabulary in this video

The 15 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:

Word	Pronunciation	Meaning
subscribe verb	/səbˈskɹaɪb/	To write (one’s name) at the bottom of a document; to sign (one's name).
showcase noun	/ˈʃoʊˌkeɪs/	A case for displaying merchandise or valuable items.
internship noun	/ˈɪntɜːnʃɪp/	A job taken by a student in order to learn a profession or trade.
resume verb	/ˈɹɛz.ə.meɪ/	To start (something) again that has been stopped or paused from the point at which it was stopped or paused; continue, carry on.
demonstrate verb	/ˈdɛm.ənˌstɹeɪt/	To show how to use (something).
newsletter noun	/ˈn(j)uzˌlɛtɚ/	A periodically sent publication containing current events or the like, generally on a particular topic or geared toward a limited audience.
certification noun	/ˌsɜː.tɪ.fɪˈkeɪ.ʃən/	The act of certifying.
meaningful adjective	/ˈmiː.nɪŋ.fl̩/	Having meaning, significant.
concise adjective	/kənˈsaɪs/	Brief, yet including all important information.
cybersecurity noun	/saɪbəsɪˈkjʊəɹɪtɪ/	Security against electronic attacks such as cyberwarfare or cyberterrorism.
daunting adjective	/ˈdɔntɪŋ/	Discouraging; inspiring fear.
extroverted adjective	/ˈɛkstɹəˌvəɹtɪd/	Turned or thrust outwards, especially
familiarize verb	/fəˈmɪliəɹaɪ̯z/	To make or become familiar with something or someone.
fluently adverb		In a fluent manner, as expressing oneself easily, especially in a foreign language.
meetup noun	/ˈmitˌʌp/	An arranged informal meeting.

Phrasal verbs you will hear

Word	Meaning
call out verb	To specify, especially in detail.
check out verb	To record the departure or withdrawal of someone or something (such as guests, employees, books, etc.).
pay off verb	To bribe, especially to deter oversight.
stand out verb	To jut out, protrude (from a surface etc.).
step up verb	To increase, augment, or advance, especially by one or more steps.

Grammar in this video

The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:

Structure	In the video
Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now	I've hired · you've done · You've already started
Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it	are called · be notified

Pronunciation to watch

The speaker uses 41 contractions and reduced forms, such as don't, you're, you've. Say them the short way, as you hear them.

The “sh” and “zh” sounds: showcase /ˈʃoʊˌkeɪs/, internship /ˈɪntɜːnʃɪp/, certification /ˌsɜː.tɪ.fɪˈkeɪ.ʃən/, dedication /ˌdɛdɪˈkeɪʃən/, recommendation /ˌɹɛkəmɛnˈdeɪʃən/
Long words — get the stress right: certification /ˌsɜː.tɪ.fɪˈkeɪ.ʃən/, cybersecurity /saɪbəsɪˈkjʊəɹɪtɪ/, extroverted /ˈɛkstɹəˌvəɹtɪd/, familiarize /fəˈmɪliəɹaɪ̯z/, overconfident /ˌəʊvə(ɹ)ˈkɒnfɪdənt/

How to practise with this video

Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
Start at 0.75× speed, shadow it sentence by sentence, then go back to normal speed once it feels easy.
Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like subscribe, showcase, internship.

What is the Shadowing Technique?

Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.

Shadowing technique: read the full step-by-step guide →

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