Sales engineers sell a variety of complex scientific and technological products or services to businesses— including the latest information technology systems… manufacturing equipment… and scientific instruments, among others. Like most salespeople, sales engineers try to interest clients in their products or services, negotiate prices, and complete sales. But as trained engineers or scientists, they also have extensive technical knowledge of the products’ parts and functions and understand the scientific processes behind their products. Sales engineers give technical presentations where they describe the benefits and competitive edge of their products, and explain how their product will solve a customer’s problem. They may also work with clients to modify or customize a product to their needs. Some work for the manufacturer of a product… while others work for independent sales firms. Most sales engineers travel… whether locally within a small region… for weeks at a time across several states… or even internationally. The job can be stressful since income and job security often depend directly on successful deals. Engineers typically work full time and many work over 40 hours a week to meet client needs and achieve sales goals. Sales engineers typically need a bachelor’s degree in engineering, though a science or business degree and technical knowledge may suffice. For some positions, sales experience along with technical experience or training may be sufficient.
What they do:
Sell business goods or services, the selling of which requires a technical background equivalent to a baccalaureate degree in engineering.
On the job, you would:
Develop, present, or respond to proposals for specific customer requirements, including request for proposal responses and industry-specific solutions.
Collaborate with sales teams to understand customer requirements, to promote the sale of company products, and to provide sales support.
Create sales or service contracts for products or services.
Business
customer service
sales and marketing
Engineering and Technology
product and service development
design
Arts and Humanities
English language
Math and Science
arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, or statistics
Basic Skills
talking to others
listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions
Problem Solving
noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it
Social
talking people into changing their minds or their behavior
understanding people's reactions
Verbal
communicate by speaking
listen and understand what people say
Ideas and Logic
make general rules or come up with answers from lots of detailed information
use rules to solve problems
Math
add, subtract, multiply, or divide
choose the right type of math to solve a problem
Memory
remember words, numbers, pictures, or steps
People interested in this work like activities that include leading, making decisions, and business.
They do well at jobs that need:
Attention to Detail
Integrity
Dependability
Independence
Cooperation
Initiative
You might use software like this on the job:
Enterprise resource planning ERP software
Oracle PeopleSoft
SAP software
Presentation software
Microsoft PowerPoint
WebEx Sales Center
Data base user interface and query software
Amazon Web Services AWS software
IBM DB2
bachelor's degree or master's degree usually needed