If you’re trying to break into the tech world and have your eye on a pre-sales role like a Solution Engineer (SE) or Solutions Consultant—chances are, you’ve heard this advice: “Start as an SDR and work your way up.”
While the SDR (Sales Development Representative) route is a common entry point into sales, it’s not the only path especially for those interested in the more technical, consultative, and solution-oriented side of the sales cycle.
I’m here to tell you: You don’t have to cold-call your way into a pre-sales career.
In fact, many SEs never dialed for dollars a day in their lives.
Let’s break down what the pre-sales world looks like, why it’s different from quota-carrying sales, and how you can get in—without becoming an SDR first.
What is Pre-Sales, Really?
Pre-sales professionals (often titled Solution Engineers, Solutions Consultants, or Sales Engineers) sit at the intersection of technology, sales, and customer success. Their job isn’t to sell in the traditional sense. Instead, they:
- Conduct discovery calls to understand customer pain points
- Customize and deliver compelling product demos
- Translate business problems into technical solutions
- Support AEs (Account Executives) by answering technical questions
- Build trust with stakeholders from the C-Suite to the sysadmin
Pre-sales is all about consultative problem-solving. You’re not just showing off features; you’re mapping those features to real customer value. That’s why SEs are often seen as the "trusted technical voice" in the sales process.
Why SDR Isn’t the Only Entry Point
The SDR role is focused on outbound prospecting, cold calling, and qualifying leads. It's valuable, but it's primarily a pure sales role with less focus on product knowledge or technical depth.
If you're someone who:
- Loves solving problems
- Enjoys learning how products work
- Is energized by collaboration with customers and internal teams
- But dreads the idea of dialing strangers for 8 hours a day...
Then jumping directly into pre-sales may be a better fit—and it’s absolutely doable.
Four Common (and Proven) Paths into Pre-Sales Without SDR Experience
Let’s dive into the alternate routes people are using to become SEs without first being SDRs.
1. Customer Support or Success → Pre-Sales
Customer-facing roles like support, onboarding, and success already train you to:
- Communicate with customers
- Troubleshoot product issues
- Guide users through onboarding and adoption
- Translate complex features into plain language
These skills map directly to pre-sales.
Example: A Customer Success Manager who works closely with clients and understands their needs often transitions into pre-sales by volunteering to help on renewal conversations or demo calls with Sales.
How to make the leap:
- Ask to shadow SEs or AEs during discovery or demo calls.
- Take the lead on internal product training.
- Build a demo environment to showcase your skills.
2. IT, Engineering, or Technical Roles → Pre-Sales
If you’re coming from a developer, sysadmin, or technical analyst background, you may already understand how to build or implement systems. Pre-sales just shifts that expertise to the buying process.
What you bring:
- Deep technical knowledge
- Problem-solving instincts
- Comfort with APIs, integrations, or cloud infrastructure
What you may need to build:
- Business acumen and storytelling
- Comfort speaking with executive buyers
- Experience presenting and demoing
Tip: Practice explaining a technical concept like OAuth or API rate limits to a non-technical friend. That’s the muscle you’ll flex in pre-sales.
3. Professional Services or Implementation → Pre-Sales
Consultants and implementation specialists are often customer-facing and solutions-focused. They understand how to customize software, manage rollouts, and drive adoption—making them natural fits for pre-sales.
Why it’s a great pivot:
- You already work with customers post-sale
- You understand technical configurations and use cases
- You can “speak business” and “speak tech” fluently
Advice: Position yourself as someone who can bring that expertise earlier into the customer journey to shorten time-to-value and reduce risk.
4. Associate SE Programs or Rotational Roles
If you’re early in your career or coming from a non-traditional background, many companies now offer Associate SE, Solutions Analyst, or Rotational Programs.
These are designed to teach you:
- The product inside and out
- Discovery and demo techniques
- How to work with Sales teams
Companies with entry programs include: Salesforce, Google, Cisco, Oracle, Workday, and many startups.
If you find one of these roles—go for it. They’re often more accessible than full SE roles and are great launchpads into tech.
Key Skills You’ll Need (Regardless of Your Path)
Here are the core competencies to develop if you want to succeed in pre-sales:
SkillWhy It MattersDiscoveryAsking the right questions to understand customer painStorytellingFraming technical solutions in business termsProduct KnowledgeKnowing how your platform solves real problemsDemo BuildingCreating compelling and tailored product walkthroughsCollaborationWorking closely with AEs, product, and support teamsPresentationCommunicating clearly to both technical and non-technical stakeholders
Tools to Learn
Want to stand out even more? Get familiar with the tools SEs use daily:
- CRM: Salesforce, HubSpot, Zoho
- Demo Platforms: Demostack, Reprise, Navattic
- Documentation: Notion, Confluence
- Communication: Slack, Loom, Zoom
- Cloud Platforms: AWS, Azure, GCP basics
- Certifications: Salesforce Admin, AWS Cloud Practitioner, CompTIA, etc.
You don’t need all of these—but picking 1–2 relevant to your target industry shows initiative and technical curiosity.
How to Position Yourself
If you’re applying to pre-sales roles without prior experience, you need to tell a story in your resume and interviews:
- Highlight cross-functional collaboration
- Emphasize your curiosity and technical aptitude
- Share examples of customer-facing problem-solving
- If possible, create a portfolio with a sample demo walkthrough
Bonus: Reach out to SEs on LinkedIn. Ask if they’d be open to a 15-minute chat. Many of us love helping people break into this field.
Final Thoughts
There’s no one-size-fits-all path to becoming a Solution Engineer.
You do not need to start as an SDR. You don’t need to love cold-calling. What you do need is:
- A curious mind
- A desire to help customers
- A willingness to learn both the business and technical side of software
Whether you’re coming from support, IT, consulting, or just starting out, the door to pre-sales is open and getting wider by the day.
So start where you are. Build the skills. Make the connections. And when you’re ready to pitch your value well, that’s the first step of being a great SE anyway.