What does a Sales Engineer do?
Sales engineers are in the business of selling advanced scientific and technical products to businesses and organizations. As a sales engineer, you have training in both engineering (or an industry-related science field) and sales. You envision, design and sell new products or programs you help develop in order to increase your clients' output and profit. Your job, as a knowledgeable sales engineer, is to negotiate product or service sales that would benefit your clients. Sales engineers work in many fields of production, including the technology, manufacturing and service industries.
Most sales engineers must hold at least an Associate or bachelor's Degree in Engineering or another industry-related field. Two to four years of education are required to earn these degrees. You must be an expert in your industry in order to provide productive sales and happy customers. Sales engineers must also have strong organizational, critical and analytical thinking skills.
- Present products or services in your industry that would be beneficial to your client business
- Plan detailed presentations that show clients your product info, pricing, and benefits
- Develop products or program suggestions for clients and successfully sell them
- Manage billing and delivery of solid products
- Meet with clients at appointments for sales presentations
- Follow up on solid products to ensure the customer is happy
- Stay knowledgeable your field's updates in science and research by continuing to read and study new data
- Acquire new customers by winning them over from competitors and discovering new opportunities
- Willingness and ability to travel 10% to 70% of the time, depending on the position and sales role
- Creativity to approach sales and build customer relationships in groundbreaking new ways
- Excellent written and oral communication skills
- Previous experience in business-to-business (B2B) sales
- Solid experience in your products' industry
- Excellent organizational skills and a keen eye for detail
- Computer proficiency and the ability to accurately enter data and generate reports
- Negotiation and social problem-solving skills
- Ability to work in a high-stress sales environment and multitask
How much does a Sales Engineer make?
Base Pay
Additional Pay
$119,326
/ yrSales Engineer Career Path
Learn how to become a Sales Engineer, what skills and education you need to succeed, and what level of pay to expect at each step on your career path.
Years of Experience Distribution
Sales Engineer Insights
Instabase“So many opportunities to grow and learn from some of the most experienced leaders in the industry.”
CDW“It's a great place to grow and be truly nurtured in your career no matter what stage.”
Windstream“I love the products and the team I work with and the best thing is I don't dread work.”
Semos Cloud“Opportunities to learn and connect with the 'best of the best' in the industry.”
Kaseya“Kaseya is growing rapidly which means there are many opportunities for career and personal growth.”
EXCEDEO“The pay wasn't the best but I understood the sacrifice and was more than happy to contribute.”
IBM“Great balance work / private life : we have all the tools to manage it the way we want”
Reed Elsevier Shared Services“Work Life Balance is pretty bad or maybe it was me how couldn't say no.”
Frequently asked questions about the role and responsibilities of sales engineers
During their workday, sales engineers communicate with customers or potential customers. They use their expertise in the technical side of a product to help customers understand how the product they sell works for the customer's business. They answer questions and provide technical feedback inside their own company to help improve the product for sale and improve communication to customers.
Yes, a great part about being a sales engineer is that they are very valuable to companies that sell a technical product. A sales engineer can help a customer understand specifically how the product can be helpful to the customer's business needs. Sales engineers are often a vital part of a sales team because they help close sales with technical expertise. Becoming a sales engineer requires developing a dual skill set that's highly valued.
Yes, sales engineers are paid very well for their sales and technical knowledge. In the United States, a sales engineer gets paid $119,326 per year on average. Those with experience may get paid up to $201,512 for their knowledge and skills.
Because every prospective customer has different needs and questions, there can be some challenges to working as a sales engineer. As most of the day is spent talking, listening, and resolving concerns, sales engineers should have great listening skills and the ability to think quickly to answer how the product for sale can help.