A Sales Engineering Job May Be the Right Option for You
By Surajit Sen Sharma
Sales engineers merge technical knowledge with sales skills. The tasks involved in and pay for sales engineering jobs depend on one's level of sales skill and the technical product knowledge needed to competently market the product or service of one's employer. A resume that will be submitted for a position as a sales engineer needs to feature qualifications or work experience that demonstrate the candidate has a combination of technical knowledge and sales skills relevant to the job at hand.
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A resume for a position as a sales engineer needs to feature qualifications or work experience that demonstrate the candidate’s technical knowledge and sales skills.
The Basic Attributes of a Sales Engineer
Successful sales engineers have the following core attributes:
a concrete technological background
strong judgment and business sense
ability to work as a team player
ability to build relationships quickly
analytical ability and problem-solving skills
resilience and tenacity
independence
The Basic Requirements to Enter the Industry
Entry-level requirements differ according to the product or service. For example, a sales engineer selling complex electronic systems for submarines will usually be an electronic engineering graduate, while a sales engineer selling burglar-alarm systems will usually be someone with in-depth technical knowledge of the product who does not necessarily hold a degree.
Sales engineering jobs are usually filled by people with industry-relevant engineering degrees; for example, employers offering sales engineering jobs in the construction industry would give preference to civil engineers, and production engineers would likely be preferred for sales engineer jobs in the manufacturing industry.
The Typical Tasks of a Sales Engineer
Regardless of the type of product or service being promoted, the position of a sales engineer is that of a marketer of technological products. The basic tasks involved in sales engineering jobs are similar to those of marketing executives and may include:
searching for new clients and maximizing customer potential in target markets
establishing and maintaining client relationships
managing and interpreting client requirements
making technical presentations
persuading clients to choose products or services
preparing estimates for clients
negotiating contract terms
offering client and product support services
providing technical assistance and product education
analyzing costs and sales
coordinating sales projects
meeting regular sales targets
preparing reports
supporting marketing activities by representing the company at trade shows, seminars, and other marketing events
liaising with other members of the sales team and other technical experts
helping to design custom-made products
providing training and creating support materials for the sales team
Work Prospects
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, sales engineering jobs are expected to continue to increase through 2014 at a 9-17% growth rate. In the U.S., there were about 74,000 sales engineering jobs in 2004. Median annual earnings were about $70,620 in 2004. However, statistics show that compared to members of other sales occupations, very few sales engineers are self-employed.
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