Switching from Engineering to Sales | The Struggle Is Real with Doug Cavaliere
Episode Details
Doug Cavaliere, President of QSR Systems, shares a pivotal turning point in his career—leaving engineering behind to dive headfirst into sales. In this candid conversation, Doug walks through the challenges of transitioning roles, building trust in a new industry, and ultimately learning how his engineering background gave him a unique edge in sales. From landing his first six-figure client to reinventing his sales strategy from scratch, Doug’s story is a masterclass in adaptability, value-driven leadership, and listening to your customers.
Key Topics
(00:00) The struggle: Moving from engineering to sales
(01:00) Passion vs. business: Fighting for the value of your work
(02:15) Walking away to prove a point—and starting over
(03:00) Landing a first client with $500K+ orders
(04:00) Why being technical made Doug a better salesperson
(05:00) Doing installs himself to stay sharp (and serve better)
(06:30) From box sales to rentals: Totally different game
(07:45) Learning how production clients actually switch providers
(09:00) Understanding your product = instant trust
(10:30) Listening to the client vs. selling what you want
(11:30) Why educated sales earns long-term business
Quotes
• “I caught our sales guys giving it away—and I wasn’t having any of that.”
• “You can teach me how to sell, but you’ll never understand how it works like I do.”
• “They laughed at my salary request. That’s when I wondered: did I just mess up?”
• “My first client? Half a million a month in orders.”
• “I didn’t change how I talked when I got into sales—because I knew the product.”
• “Engineers make great salespeople. We don’t want to sell you something we’ll have to fix later.”
• “Being educated about your tools is how you walk into a room of professionals and lead.”
• “Clients don’t always want options—they want a recommendation.”
• “I built trust because I had opinions, gave reasons, and stood behind them.”
