Some of the most important work I do as a solutions engineer happens before the customer ever joins the meeting.
The pre-call with the salesperson is where we align on the situation, pressure test the plan, and make sure we are walking into the conversation with purpose. When that step gets skipped or rushed, it almost always shows up during the customer call.
I have worked with a lot of excellent salespeople over the years, and the best ones treat the pre-call as a strategy session, not a calendar obligation. They know that a little preparation upfront can completely change the quality of the conversation.
At the same time, I do not expect salespeople to show up with everything figured out. Part of my role is to ask the right questions so we are both clear on what we are walking into.
Here are a few habits that make those pre-call conversations productive.
1. I Always Start With the Goal of the Call
The first thing I ask is simple.
“What does a successful call look like to you?”
Not the agenda. Not the product we plan to show. The outcome.
Do we want agreement on the problem? Do we want to secure a deeper technical session? Are we trying to validate whether the deal is even real?
If we cannot clearly articulate the goal of the call, the conversation will drift. When both the salesperson and I are aligned on the outcome, it becomes much easier to decide what we show, what we skip, and how we manage time.
The best salespeople usually answer this question quickly and confidently.
2. I Ask What We Already Know About the Problem
Experienced sellers usually come in with a good understanding of the customer’s situation. My job is to make sure I fully understand it too.
I will ask things like:
- What is the problem they are trying to solve?
- How is it affecting the business today?
- What have they already tried?
This helps me shape how I frame the demo or technical conversation. If I understand the pain clearly, I can connect what I show directly to their reality.
Good salespeople usually have a story here. They are not just saying the customer is “interested.” They can explain why the conversation started in the first place.
3. I Ask Who Will Be in the Room
This question changes how I approach almost everything.
If the audience is mostly operators, I may go deeper into workflow. If there is a technical evaluator, I may spend more time on architecture. If a senior leader is attending, I may simplify and focus on business impact.
The best salespeople come into the pre-call already knowing who will attend and what role they play in the decision.
If that information is unclear, we talk about how to handle it gracefully once the call begins.
4. I Clarify What I Should Not Do
This one is underrated.
Sometimes there are landmines in a deal. Maybe the customer had a bad experience with a competitor. Maybe pricing conversations are sensitive right now. Maybe there is internal politics we need to be aware of.
I always ask if there is anything I should avoid or handle carefully.
Experienced salespeople are usually very helpful here. They will say something like, “Let’s avoid going deep into X today” or “This person is skeptical, so we should address Y early.”
Those insights can completely change how I structure the conversation.
5. I Ask How We Want to Divide the Conversation
The last thing we align on is who will lead different parts of the call.
Some salespeople prefer to run the meeting and pull me in for specific sections. Others like me to lead the product discussion while they manage the broader conversation.
Neither approach is right or wrong. What matters is that we agree ahead of time.
The worst situation is when both of us assume the other person is going to take the lead.
After doing this for a while, you start to develop rhythm with the salespeople you work with. The best partnerships feel almost effortless during the call because the preparation work already happened.
A strong pre-call is not about perfection. It is about alignment.
When the salesperson and the solutions engineer walk into the conversation with the same understanding of the situation, the call feels focused, confident, and purposeful. And from the customer’s perspective, that coordination builds trust quickly.
