What to Expect From a Career as a Sales Engineer?

Answer 1

Sales engineers are the direct link between the manufacturers of highly technical equipment and the client. They are trained in the usage of new technology and equipment. They will then demonstrate and sell these items to buyers such as large companies and organizations. Sales engineers form a vital support link between buyers and sellers. They are essential to the implementation of many large scale computer software and technical upgrades and installations.

Duties and Responsibilities

Sales engineers will need to be able to demonstrate how to apply new equipment and technology to clients. They will be required to carry out site visits and also perform follow up after sales support. This could be via various multimedia routes such as telephone and video conferencing. Sales engineers are also very much involved in the marketing and advertising of new products. They can work with the main engineering team to help research and develop new ways of putting company products to use in the real world.

The majority of sales engineers do not get involved in standard sales marketing duties. They are more involved in providing a support service that will see the client through the purchase and implementation of a product, whether this is a new software package or new equipment for industry. Sale engineers are highly specialized and are able to demonstrate and explain the product in detail.

Skills and Qualifications

Sales engineers need to have good technical skills and a thorough understanding of the industry they are working in. They will need to be able to communicate well in order to explain products and how they would benefit the client. Sale engineers will be involved in supervising the installation of new equipment and technology. They may be required to provide onsite training to clients. This means that effective teaching skills will be beneficial. Most sales engineer positions will require an undergraduate degree in engineering (electrical, chemical or mechanical). Sales experience is also beneficial but in most cases new employees will be trained up “in house’ by the employer.

Salary Outlook

Salaries for sales engineers can be quite good as this is an important and highly skilled position. Individual salary will depend on the employer and the position. In general though new sales engineers can expect to start on around $57,000 rising up to $70,500 with experience.