Careers in Sales Engineering have a very bright future
Jul 23, 2019 | Erin
The average base salary for a Sales Engineer is $82,575 per year in the United States. Salary estimates are based on 2,746 salaries submitted anonymously to Indeed by Sales Engineer employees and users, and collected from past and present job advertisements on Indeed in the past 36 months. The typical tenure for a Sales Engineer is 2 to 4 years. Outside Sales Account Managers’ base salary tends to be in the $65,000 to $85,000 range. While these roles all pay a base salary and benefits, they also pay a hefty commission plan in most cases, raising total compensation from $100,000 up to $175,000 or even higher.
As we move ahead with more technological advances, the demand for sharp, talented sales engineers and account managers will continually increase since there are no automated substitute for the types of solutions and issues which the sales engineer can identify and add the interpersonal human element with the customer.
What do the sales engineers do? Sales engineers specialize in technologically and scientifically advanced products. Depending on the company’s product offering or services offering, a strong background in electrical, mechanical, control systems or manufacturing systems is highly desirable and will help succeed in a consulting sales environment. These positions are not just for order takers—these are for solution providers and knowing the industry and technology are going to be critical.
Many of the duties of sales engineers are similar to those of other salespersons. They must interest the client in buying their products or services, negotiate a price, and complete the sale. To do this, sales engineers give technical presentations during which they explain the technical aspects of the product and how it will solve a specific customer problem.
Some sales engineers, however, team with salespersons who concentrate on marketing and selling the product, which lets the sales engineer concentrate on the technical aspects of the job. By working as part of a sales team, each member is able to focus on his or her strengths and expertise.
In addition to giving technical presentations, sales engineers are increasingly doing other tasks related to sales, such as market research. They also may ask for technical requirements from customers and modify and adjust products to meet customers’ specific needs. Some sales engineers work with research and development (R&D) departments to help identify and develop new products.
Other traits for success in the sales engineering field include possessing a high-level motivation, ability to effectively communicate, likability, attention to details and to learn about your customer and know your competition.
In the last decade many Electrical Distributors, Manufacturing Reps, OEM Industrial Suppliers, and Systems Integrators have looked to Black-Peak Inc for sourcing their talent pool and making the difficult task of attracting and hiring the best Sales Engineers & Account Managers more manageable. Their track record in bringing in specialized and industry specific sales engineering experience has been recognized by many of the country’s leading sales departments leaders as a sure fire way to secure the best talent.