Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Systems Engineering

Sales Engineering Club gives students field experience and career connections

 

By the time Iowa State engineers graduate, they acquire a great amount of technical knowledge. Many of them apply this knowledge to create and develop a product or solution for their employers. Twenty percent of them, on the other hand, will use this knowledge in a marketing or sales position, serving as the bridge between an organization’s engineers and customers.

Iowa State’s Sales Engineering Club (SEC), a newly established student organization, will help engineering students interested in entering a sales or marketing position learn more about the opportunities available to them. In addition to opening students up to discussions and interactions with professionals in such positions, the club aims to provide students with off-campus field experiences.

Jesse Dodds, president of SEC and senior in industrial engineering, says the club’s networking and professional development opportunities help students prepare for their future careers. “Our goal is to offer events that provide substance to members,” Dodds said. “Whether we host a panel of sales engineers on campus or arrange for SEC members to visit a corporation, we want to give them a solid understanding of this career path.”

During the fall semester, the club invited representatives from Trane, a world leader in air conditioning systems, services, and solutions, to share their perspectives on being a sales engineer.

Dan Wendl, vice president for Trane in the northeast territory, and Greg Grandgeorge, general manager for Des Moines commercial sales, gave insights into the responsibilities and rewards of their positions, as well as answered questions from students.

When asked what traits a successful sales engineer has, Wendl and Grandgeorge agreed that, with the right experience and training, any personality can succeed in sales engineering as long as they have the drive and ambition to do so. “It all comes down to customer preference,” Wendl explained. “When a sales engineer can forge a solid bond with a customer, it doesn’t matter if he or she is an introvert or extrovert—what matters is that both parties are happy with each other.”

Trane played an integral part in launching SEC, providing funding and resources to get the organization up and running and inviting students to tour the company’s facilities in LaCrosse, Wisconsin, and St. Paul, Minnesota. As more students gain interest in the club’s offerings, Iowa State is looking to develop similar partnerships with a variety of organizations.

“Trane’s contributions helped jump-start SEC,” said Katy Rice, corporate alliance program director with Iowa State’s College of Engineering. “Trane and other corporations provide our students with great opportunities. We want to advance SEC and continue to offer engineering students another avenue in their education.”

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