Chapter 9: Sales Engineering

Customer asks for a 24-inch butterfly valve. What do you ask first?

• AWWA rubber seated, high-performance, or triple-offset? • Pressure class/CWP and end connection. • Manual or actuated? • Buried or above ground? • Isolation or throttling? • BABA/AIS/NSF requirements. Category: 09 Sales Engineering Tags: #SalesEngineering #ButterflyValve

Customer asks for a check valve on pump discharge. What do you ask first?

• Pump flow and shutdown behavior. • Clean water or wastewater. • Slam/surge concerns. • Horizontal/vertical orientation. • End connection and pressure class. • Need lever, spring, cushion, or dashpot? Category: 09 Sales Engineering Tags: #SalesEngineering #CheckValve

Customer asks for an air valve. What do you ask first?

• Application location: high point, pump discharge, long run, flow meter, or vacuum protection. • Need air release, air/vacuum, or combination function. • Clean water or wastewater. • Pressure, pipe size, and transient/surge concern. Category: 09 Sales Engineering Tags: #SalesEngineering #AirValve

Customer asks for a gate valve. What do you ask first?

• Resilient or metal seated. • NRS or OS&Y. • Buried, vault, or above-ground. • End connection: MJ, flanged, push-on, etc. • AWWA C509/C515 and BABA/AIS/NSF requirements. Category: 09 Sales Engineering Tags: #SalesEngineering #GateValve

Customer asks for a control valve. What do you ask first?

• What function: pressure reducing, sustaining, relief, flow, level, pump control, or surge. • Upstream/downstream pressures. • Minimum/normal/maximum flow. • Cavitation/noise concerns. • Available power/control signals. Category: 09 Sales Engineering Tags: #SalesEngineering #ControlValve

How do you respond when the customer only gives pipe size?

• Do not quote blindly. • Pipe size does not define service, pressure, end connection, materials, actuation, or standard. • Ask enough questions to avoid wrong valve family or rejected submittal. Category: 09 Sales Engineering Tags: #SalesEngineering #Quoting

What is a red flag in a valve specification?

• Vague valve type. • Mixed or conflicting standards. • Missing pressure class/CWP. • Control service with an isolation valve. • Material requirements not matching service. Category: 09 Sales Engineering Tags: #Specifications #RedFlag

How do you add value as an engineering-focused rep?

• Clarify service conditions. • Catch misapplications before submittal. • Connect valve type, material, pressure class, standard, and manufacturer. • Explain tradeoffs instead of only quoting price. Category: 09 Sales Engineering Tags: #SalesEngineering #ApplicationsEngineer

What should you do when unsure about chemical compatibility?

• Do not guess. • Check manufacturer chemical resistance data. • Confirm elastomer/coating/trim exposure. • Escalate to manufacturer engineering if needed. Category: 09 Sales Engineering Tags: #ChemicalCompatibility #SalesEngineering

What should you do when a spec seems technically wrong?

• Verify the requirement and context. • Identify the conflict clearly. • Suggest an equivalent/appropriate alternative with reasoning. • Escalate to manufacturer or engineer when necessary. Category: 09 Sales Engineering Tags: #Specifications #EngineeringJudgment