Sales / Business Development, Construction / Engineering / Architects

Sales Engineer

Overview

A sales engineer combines technical knowledge with sales skills to sell complex products and services. They demonstrate product features, develop sales strategies, and answer technical questions from customers. They work closely with the sales team to provide technical expertise and support throughout the sales process.

The responsibilities of a Sales Engineer include analyzing customer requirements, preparing technical proposals and presentations, demonstrating the features and benefits of products or services, providing technical support to sales teams, and identifying opportunities for product or service enhancements.

Common tasks 

    TaskRelated trait(s)
    Collaborating with sales and marketing teams to understand customer needs and develop technical sales strategies Communication skills – Understanding others  Understanding customers and others Teamplayer Helping Others 
    Having a deep technical knowledge of the products and services offered Making plans paying attention to details Curiosity
    Conducting product training sessions for customers, sales teams, and other stakeholders Communication skills – Understanding others   Extroversion
    Providing technical support to customers Communication skills – Understanding others  Creativity and problem solving
    Collaborating with product development and engineering teams to provide customer feedback and inform product development Communication skills – Understanding others  Teamplayer Helping Others 
    Respecting company guidelines Teamplayer Respect for rules Integrity

    Soft skills measured by TraitForward

    TraitNo of QuestionsCronbach’s  alpha (α)
    Communication skills – Understanding others80.71
    Do they understand others?
    Communication Expressiveness110.84
    Do they express themselves effectively?
    Making plans paying attention to details80.77
    Do they have a desirable work ethic?
    Understanding customers and others60.70
    Do they understand the emotions of others?
    Teamplayer Respect for rules90.74
    Do they follow rules?
    Teamplayer Helping Others60.75
    Do they like helping others?
    Teamplayer Positive group practices90.72
    Do they like being included in a group?
    Creativity and problem solving80.77
    Are they creative problem solvers?
    Social confidence40.72
    Are they able to express themselves social situations?
    Extroversion60.75
    Are they skilled in handling social situations?
    Integrity80.71
    Are they moral, honest, do they follow the rules?
    Curiosity80.74
    Are they curious about how things work?
    *Cronbach’s alpha coefficient (α) determines the extent to which the questions consistently measure each trait and it is expressed as a number ranging between 0 and 1 . Higher values indicate higher agreement between questions.  A value of α equal to greater than .7 indicates acceptable reliability or internal consistency.  For more information on the psychometric properties of the solution, please click here.

    Did you Know?

    Source: US Department of Labor – Bureau of Labor Statistics

    Median wage: 

    $103,710 / per year

    $50 / hour

    The median annual wage for this profession is $103,710. Nonetheless several professionals may not be paid in that rate. A relatively low salary the 10th percentile of the annual wage is $62,300 whilst a relatively high salary, the 90th percentile of the annual wage is $182,850.

    Expected employment growth:

    Number (in thousands in 2021): 60.7

    Number (in thousands in 2031): 64.1

    Employment percent change: 5.7

    Entry Education level:

    To become a Sales Engineer, one typically needs to have a degree in engineering or a related field, although some employers may accept candidates with a combination of technical knowledge and sales experience. Sales Engineers must have strong technical skills and the ability to communicate complex technical information to non-technical stakeholders. They must also have excellent communication and interpersonal skills to build relationships with customers and understand their needs. Finally, Sales Engineers must be highly motivated, self-directed, and able to work independently as well as part of a team.

    Find out the psychometric properties for the Sales Engineer Traitforward questionnaire

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