1 min lesson
Your lane: support the motion, don't run it
Describe what "You don't quote a number and you don't sign the deal" changes in practice.
Step 1 of 2
You are the technical truth-teller in a commercial conversation.
You don't quote a number and you don't sign the deal. Knowing exactly where your lane ends is what makes an AE trust you in the room.
The Account Executive owns price, terms and the close. You own proof, and the table below shows where each piece of the deal sits. Blur that line and you create a mess the AE can't clean up. They can't walk back a number you blurted out and Legal can't unsay a compliance commitment you improvised in the room.
The FE makes the business case credible and the buying process frictionless. The AE makes the deal. You translate engineering reality into the buyer's dialect. That dialect is dollars, throughput and ramp time, and it lets the AE negotiate from evidence.
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Advanced table
When in doubt, route price and terms to the AE and follow up
- Owns
- Pricing & discount
- FE
- Never quotes
- AE
- Owns
- Owns
- Contract terms / legal
- FE
- Never improvises
- AE
- Owns w/ Legal
- Owns
- Technical eval, success criteria & POV
- FE
- Owns
- AE
- Sets the goal
- Owns
- Value model / ROIReturn on Investment. The value gained versus what it cost, the language an economic buyer funds deals in. Press Enter for the full definition.
- FE
- Builds the math
- AE
- Carries it to the buyer
- Owns
- Security/procurement friction
- FE
- Removes & routes
- AE
- Quarterbacks
| Owns | FE | AE |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing & discount | Never quotes | Owns |
| Contract terms / legal | Never improvises | Owns w/ Legal |
| Technical eval, success criteria & POV | Owns | Sets the goal |
| Value model / ROIReturn on Investment. The value gained versus what it cost, the language an economic buyer funds deals in. Press Enter for the full definition. | Builds the math | Carries it to the buyer |
| Security/procurement friction | Removes & routes | Quarterbacks |
When in doubt, route price and terms to the AE and follow up.
"I'm not the right person to talk price. My job is to make sure the technical case is airtight so that conversation is easy. Let me get your AE the exact number and bring back the value model."
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Optional practice