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Who is a Sales Engineer?
It does not matter how good a presenter you are, if you can't address the fundamental features of the product you are demonstrating you cannot increase your sales ~ Jay Kiros
If you wish to make a career in the field of engineering but do not want to be a part of a mainstream engineering field or do you wish to be someone who is connected to both sales as well as the engineering sector? If the answer to these questions is ‘Yes’ then you can opt for a career as a Sales Engineer. A Sales Engineer is an individual who is responsible for selling complex scientific and technological products as well as services to different businesses. A Sales Engineer should have in-depth knowledge of the product's parts, functions and applications. He or she must understand the scientific processes that make these products work.
Sales Engineer in a Nutshell
A career as a Sales Engineer involves understanding the usage of complex technological products. He or she works for the companies which sell such products or services to potential customers. A Sales Engineer is given targets that are required to be achieved on a monthly basis.
The career of a Sales Engineer involves a lot of travelling as well. Therefore if you are an individual who is looking for a technical job but does not want to sit in an office and lead a monotonous life then being a sales engineer is the right career choice for you. If you want to know more about how to become a Sales Engineer and is Sales Engineer a good job then continue reading this article.
Quick Facts for Sales Engineer
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Industry
Technology
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Average Salary in India
₹27500
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Suitable for
Male, Female, Others
In order to become a sales engineer, an individual from any section or gender can do so. It does not matter which gender he or she belongs to when it comes to taking up a career as a sales engineer. Being in the field of sales engineering in India is one of the most booming sectors where an individual’s gender is insignificant. Although gender is insignificant in sales engineer jobs it is heavily dominated by men according to the current statistics.
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Any special needs
Yes
When it comes to doing sales engineer jobs, it demands physical fitness for discharging duties efficiently. Differently-abled people can be a part of this job as long as it does not affect work efficiency.
Table of Contents for Sales Engineer
What is the role of Sales Engineer?
A Sales Engineer job responsibilities may vary depending on the workplace. A Sales Engineer job demands specialising in technologically and scientifically advanced products. He or she uses technical skills to explain the benefits of the products or services to potential customers and to show how different products or services are better than the ones of the competitors.
Several Sales Engineers work for companies that design and build technical products. Others work for independent sales firms. In addition to giving technical presentations, sales engineers are increasingly doing other tasks related to sales, such as market research. They may also ask for technical requirements from customers and modify and adjust products to meet customer's specific needs. Some sales engineers work with research and development (R&D) departments to help identify and develop new products.
Team Formation
In order to achieve the monthly sales target, it is essential for a sales engineer to team up with other individuals working in sales. This helps him or her to identify the needs of the customers and one can approach the potential customers with a convincing pitch.
Presentation
One of the major requirements for a sales engineer is to give a presentation to his or her potential customers. In the presentation, a sales engineer demonstrates the application of a technical commodity and once that is done he or she presents the quotes for the same.
Resolving Issues
There are many occasions where once a product is sold to the customer, he or she may contact the sales engineer with some usage-based issues. It is the job of a sales engineer to resolve all such related issues as well as make sure that the customer has completely understood the application of the product to avoid such issues to arise in the future.
Customer Inputs
These days several sales engineers are getting into the field of marketing as they are the ones who are aware of customer’s needs. Therefore, a sales engineer must speak with his or her customers in order to take suggestions on the products so that the company can work towards achieving 100 per cent customer satisfaction.
Types of a Sales Engineer
Now you know what is and want to know How to become a Sales Engineer? What are the education requirements of a Sales Engineer? Do you have all such questions in your mind? No need to worry, we have answers to all your questions. Keep scrolling down and read the entire article. There are numerous types of a Sales Engineer or Sales Engineer career options. We have mentioned below a few alternative career options in case you wish to make a similar career choice for a career as a Sales Engineer.
Telecommunications Engineer: A Sales Engineer who specifically works in the field of telecommunication or has a specialisation in those kinds of products is called a Telecommunication Engineer. A Telecommunications Engineer is one who assists companies which require products in this field. He or she demonstrates the usage and makes the sales accordingly.
Computer Sales Engineer: A Sales Engineer who sells computers or similar kinds of products to companies, schools or colleges is referred to as a computer Sales Engineer. These days every organisation’s staff works on computer systems therefore it is a huge market to be tapped. Therefore, a computer sales engineer works on behalf of computer companies like Dell, HP, Lenovo and several similar companies in order to pitch to their potential customers.
Sales Representative: A Sales Engineer who works in the sales department as a representative on a full-time basis is the one who is referred to as a sales representative. It is an ideal job for people who like the sales field and want to work in order to acquire more and more customers in order to help the company reach its sales target.
What is the workplace/work environment of Sales Engineer like?
A career as a Sales Engineer involves spending most of their time in the field itself. As a result, working hours are often not fixed due to frequent demonstrations for potential customers. A Sales Engineer has to travel quite often. This is a definite benefit for those who do not like the typical and monotonous work environment.
Does Sales Engineer require travelling?
Likely
A Sales Engineer job does require travelling. He or she has to visit the customer’s place in order to give a demo as well as one may have to go to different cities for the same.
Employment Shifts
Full Time
Are you searching for Sales Engineer job description and sales engineer salary? Then, keep scrolling and read the entire article about a career as a Sales Engineer.
The employment shift of a Sales Engineer is full-time in nature. The duration cannot be fixed as a lot depends on the sales target as well as the travel plans. The job of a Sales Engineer can stretch for several hours as it all depends on the number of sales pitches and duration in one day. Many times due to customer interaction the duration of a sales pitch exceeds the expected time.
Employment Nature
Permanent
The nature of employment of a Sales Engineer is permanent in nature. A company or organisation hires a Sales Engineer on a permanent basis and he or she has to achieve the monthly target for the company.
Work Place
Offices
Sales engineers jobs require working in an office set-up environment.
Presence in Geographical Area
Semi-urban, Urban
A Sales Engineer works in urban or semi-urban locations as technology-based equipment which are complex to use have a scope of being sold in such areas only.
Time Pressure
Likely
Time Pressure is quite active for Sales Engineers. Apart from performing their own research and work, they are also required to supervise and verify the work done by their team members. Hence, sales engineers work under a lot of time pressure.
Overtime Details
The allotted working hours for sales engineers is nine hours per day typically. But because of the responsibilities assigned to Sales Engineers, they work overtime for half the time in a month.
Weekly Hours of Work
Min 45 Hours
Individuals who opt for a career as Sales Engineers work in office settings. They work from early mornings to late evenings. Sales Engineers typically work from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm. Individuals who opt for a career as Sales Engineers work for 45 hours a week. Sometimes work hours may get extended due to work pressure and deadlines.
How to become a Sales Engineer?
Steps to become a Sales Engineer
Do you also have an interest in or have in-depth knowledge of the products, parts, applications, and their functioning, then a career as Sales Engineer is the best option for you. If you are looking for how to become a Sales Engineer then you are required to follow specific steps. We have mentioned below the steps for how to become a Sales Engineer.
What are the skills and qualities required to become a/an Sales Engineer?
If you are looking how to become a Sales Engineer, then you must know what skills will enhance the sales engineer's CV. We have mentioned below several sales engineer skills that are required in the career to perform efficiently.
Leadership: A Sales Engineer should have the ability to work with a group of people as a team. Not only that he or she should be able to lead the team as well. A Sales Engineer may have a technician or a junior sales engineer under him or her. It is important that he or she is able to communicate well and work towards attaining a similar goal.
Decision-making skills: It is essential that a Sales Engineer is decisive in nature. There are several instances where a sales engineer is supposed to make decisions with a potential customer in terms of pricing. He or she needs to be calculative as well as decisive about the decisions made. A Sales Engineer needs to calculate the risks in taking those decisions. It is a field where no risks can be taken otherwise the company can incur losses therefore everything needs to be done with precision.
Attention to Detail: A Sales Engineer is expected to have extremely high attention to detail. It is important in his or her job position that he or she does not miss out on anything while demonstrating a product. Each and every part of each and every piece of machinery is supposed to be demonstrated well so that the customer understands the benefits of the product.
Communication Skills: A Sales Engineer must have a good command of his or her language. It is important for his or her job position to be able to explain the message to the recipient clearly and precisely. Being able to communicate well eliminates the probability of errors being caused due to any sort of miscommunication. It is essential to be a good listener in order to communicate well.
Popular Online Engineering Courses and Certifications
Which certifications and internships can be helpful in becoming Sales Engineer?
We have mentioned below several certification courses offered in the field of sales and marketing. Individuals can opt for any of these courses to upgrade their skills.
Sales Skills for Today: An Introduction to Entrepreneurial Sales | |
| Consumer Buying Behavior Course By Swayam |
Internship Availability
Internships are considered the best possible way for gaining experience in an individual's career choice. They provide the candidate with real-world experience. Internships provide aspiring candidates with the opportunity to apply the theoretical knowledge he or she gained during their time in college, to bring them to practical use.
Not only that, but internships also enable the candidate to make connections in the field for future use. If he or she performs well during the internship several companies or organisations could also hire the candidate on a full-time basis. A Sales Engineer needs to have an idea about the sales field in order to take it up as a full-time career. The candidate can get an internship either through an online medium or he or she could also contact the sales company of choice directly.
Career Path Progression for Sales Engineer
Junior Sales Engineer: A Junior Sales Engineer is a professional who is responsible for selling complex scientific and technological products as well as services to different businesses. He or she uses technical skills to present the products and services.
Senior Sales Engineer: A Senior Sales Engineer is one who has previously worked as Sales Engineer. He or she will get a chance to climb up the ladder and move to a higher rank which will involve taking up greater responsibilities. A sales engineer reaches the position of Senior Sales Engineer after gaining an experience of two-three years. As a senior sales engineer, one also has a team of juniors working under him or her.
Sales Engineer Jobs and Salaries
Senior Sales Engineer
Contractual/Permanent
- Average Salary 33000
Job Description
The Sales Engineer job description includes managing the team of sales engineers who work under him or her. They all work as a team aiming at achieving the same goal or target. A senior Sales Engineer presents the products to the customers and resolves the issues. He or she takes feedback from the customers to improve their services.
Salary Description
The estimated Senior Sales Engineer salary in India ranges from Rs 2.2 Lakhs to Rs 7.2 Lakhs with an average annual salary of Rs 4.2 Lakhs. Sales Engineer salary may vary depending on the various job factors.
Junior Sales Engineer
- Average Salary 22000
Job Description
The Junior Sales Engineer job description includes providing technical sales support and developing technical presentations. He or she explains the products or services to the clients. A Junior Sales Engineer identifies the needs and resolves them.
Salary Description
An entry-level Sales Engineer salary in India ranges between Rs 1.2 Lakhs to Rs 5.0 Lakhs with an average annual salary of Rs 2.6 Lakhs per annum. Junior Sales Engineer salary in India may vary depending on the various job factors like skills and experience of the candidates, job location, and others.
What is the job outlook for Sales Engineer?
Candidates who wish to become Sales Engineers experience quite a significant job growth. Job growth in the telecommunication sector is quite slow but there is a lot more job security than in any other sector. During this time of Covid-19, a lot of sales engineers have gone down in other sectors, and the ones working in the telecommunication sector have managed to secure their jobs. On the other hand, sectors other than the telecommunication sector provide comparatively faster job growth to sales engineers.
Several new sales engineer jobs have been introduced in the past decade. Technology keeps on evolving with every passing day. In order to increase sales of complex technology, it is essential for potential buyers to know about the applications of such products as well. Therefore, the companies involved in the manufacturing and sales of these products hire sales engineers. The job vacancies for sales engineers have grown by 8.5 per cent which is much higher than the average for any other engineering-based jobs.
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Frequently Asked Questions for Sales Engineer
Que. Is Sales Engineering a good career?
Ans.Sales engineers make tons of money. Successful sales engineer has some great career options if they are willing to change their role. Some of the sales engineers can be great product managers. They can also get good-paying jobs in big consulting organisations.
Que. Are sales engineers real engineers?
Ans.A sales engineer is generally an individual who has an engineering degree. Therefore yes, a sales engineer is a real engineer.
Que. Why are sales engineers paid so much?
Ans.The sales engineers are paid a large commission because they bring in the business and the revenue for the company. The commission is their main incentive. One may experience a salary cut if he or she does not achieve the target therefore, a sales engineer has the drive to gather more and more sales.
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Did you know?
Fact 1
The word “engineer” is derived from the Latin word “ingenium”, which means “cleverness”
Fact 2
48 per cent of sales engineers are hired by an electronics-based company
Fact 3
A sales engineer plays a very significant role in the construction of an amusement park
Fact 4
According to experts a successful sales engineer learns about the target audience before preparing a pitch
