Sales Engineer

Position Title

Sales Engineer

Alternate Titles

Technical sales engineer and sales representative

Job Description

Sales engineers sell complex technological products or services to businesses. They must have extensive knowledge of the products’ specifications, weights, parts, and functions and must understand the processes that make these products work. They combine their technical knowledge of the products or services they are selling with strong interpersonal skills.  

Education and Training Description

Sales engineers often have a bachelor’s degree in engineering or a related field, but candidates with business degrees, sales experience, or other relevant technical experience or training can also qualify. New graduates with engineering degrees typically require on-the-job sales experience and training to work independently. Sales engineers must continue to further their technical and sales knowledge throughout their time of employment because their sales success relies on their ability to understand the operation of technologies, which are constantly changing and advancing.

Job Profile

Sales engineers have an in-depth technical knowledge of hydropower equipment, such as turbines, components, and systems. They understand the needs of potential or existing customers, prepare presentations and technical materials for customers, lead technical discussions, and participate in responses (e.g., bid packages, requests for information, requests for proposals, funding opportunity announcements, etc.) to ensure the technical information is correctly identified. A sales engineer creates and tracks their pipeline informing management of new developments and opportunities.

Sales engineers specialize in technologically and scientifically advanced products. They use their technical skills to explain the benefits of their products or services to potential customers and to show the unique advantages of their products or services. Some sales engineers work for companies that design and build technical products. Others work for independent sales firms.

Many of the duties of sales engineers are similar to those of other salespeople. Sales engineers are the image of a company; therefore, they must have both an in-depth technical knowledge of the products they are selling and have strong communication and interpersonal skills to communicate the value of their products to clients in a convincing way. They must interest the client in buying their products or services, negotiate a price, and complete the sale. To do this, sales engineers must have enough knowledge of the products or technologies to give presentations during which they explain the technical aspects of the product and how it will solve a specific customer problem or provide additional value/benefits. Some sales engineers may team up with sales staff who concentrate on marketing and selling the product, which lets the sales engineer concentrate on the technical aspects of the job. Sales engineers may also partner with technical staff to bring the necessary expertise. By working as part of a sales team, each member is able to focus on their 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. Occasionally, sales engineers work with research and development departments to help identify and develop new products.

Sales engineers typically:

• Work with technical staff to understand and be able to explain how products or technologies work and could benefit a customer
• Prepare and deliver technical presentations that explain hydropower equipment and systems, such as turbines, generators, component parts, and services, to customers and prospective customers
• Confer with customers and engineers to assess equipment needs and to determine system requirements
• Collaborate with sales teams to understand customer requirements and provide sales support
• Plan and modify products to meet customer needs
• Recommend improved materials or machinery to customers, showing how changes will lower costs or increase production
• Help researching and developing new products.

Job Skills

Sales engineers typically need:

• Complex problem-solving skills. Sales engineers must be aware of market, technology and environmental issues, and be able to recommend solutions, which could include customizing a product or informing customers of financial incentives that might encourage their use of a product.
• Interpersonal skills. Strong interpersonal skills are a valuable characteristic for sales engineers, both for building relationships with clients and effectively communicating with other members of the sales team and other departments across the company.
• Self-confidence. Sales engineers should be confident and persuasive when making sales presentations.
• Technological skills. Sales engineers must have knowledge of the technologically sophisticated products they sell in order to explain their advantages and answer questions.
• Communication skills. Sales engineers must be able to communicate effectively about their products for customer presentations and industry trade shows, which often involve in-person interaction.
• Sales and strategy skills. Sales engineers have the ability to recognize an opportunity and the drive to seek it out to put their company at an advantage over competitors.
• Evaluative skills. Sales engineers need to understand the interplay between technologies, site needs, and policy and be able to evaluate opportunities to stay ahead of the competition. They need to streamline their sales and development cycles.

More Information

For more information on environmental science jobs, see: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook: Sales Engineers.

Resources

• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook: Sales Engineers
• U.S. Department of Energy Wind Career Map: Sales Engineer