Contemplating consulting, but unsure how to get the business? Consider a stint in sales as a bridge to consulting. That is what I did as a Sales Engineer, and am I ever glad I did.

Since sales & marketing are central to starting and building a consulting firm, the experience was invaluable. Without the sales experience, I doubt I would have made my own JumpToConsulting.

• Prior to the jump, I spent seven years as a Sales Engineer, and three years as a Technical Marketer.
• This after ten years in Design & Systems Engineering, where I learned the technical craft of EMI/EMC (electromagnetic interference/compatibility) – the focus of my consulting expertise.

Technical experience is often not enough- you need business experience as well. My combination of design, systems, marketing, and sales all contributed to my later success as an independent Consulting Engineer. 

For me, Sales Engineering was my bridge to consulting. Works for non-technical consulting too.

Read more in my recent magazine article “Sales Engineering — Is it for you?”

P.S. As an aside, I moonlighted during my sales/marketing time to keep my technical skills sharp. The key was to avoid conflicts of interest. 

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