Occupation · SOC 41-9031
Sales Engineers
Sell business goods or services, the selling of which requires a technical background equivalent to a baccalaureate degree in engineering.
Median wage
$121,520
$70,580–$202,670
Projected growth
—
—
Annual openings
—
per year
Employed (US)
56,690
Job Zone 4
Typical preparation
Considerable preparation
Stackable credential programs
0 mapped
Core skills
PersuasionSpeakingCritical ThinkingReading ComprehensionActive ListeningSocial PerceptivenessJudgment and Decision MakingNegotiation
Knowledge areas
Customer and Personal ServiceSales and MarketingEngineering and TechnologyEnglish LanguageMathematics
Technology & tools
Enterprise resource planning ERP softwareData base user interface and query softwareExpert system softwareData base management system softwareWeb platform development software
Representative tasks
Develop, present, or respond to proposals for specific customer requirements, including request for proposal responses and industry-specific solutions.Collaborate with sales teams to understand customer requirements, to promote the sale of company products, and to provide sales support.Create sales or service contracts for products or services.Visit prospective buyers at commercial, industrial, or other establishments to show samples or catalogs, and to inform them about product pricing, availability, and advantages.Keep informed on industry news and trends, products, services, competitors, relevant information about legacy, existing, and emerging technologies, and the latest product-line developments.Identify resale opportunities and support them to achieve sales plans.Confer with customers and engineers to assess equipment needs and to determine system requirements.Plan and modify product configurations to meet customer needs.Prepare and deliver technical presentations that explain products or services to customers and prospective customers.Recommend improved materials or machinery to customers, documenting how such changes will lower costs or increase production.Maintain sales forecasting reports.Document account activities, generate reports, and keep records of business transactions with customers and suppliers.Research and identify potential customers for products or services.Secure and renew orders and arrange delivery.Develop sales plans to introduce products in new markets.Attend trade shows and seminars to promote products or to learn about industry developments.Attend company training seminars to become familiar with product lines.Arrange for demonstrations or trial installations of equipment.Train team members in the customer applications of technologies.Sell products requiring extensive technical expertise and support for installation and use, such as material handling equipment, numerical-control machinery, or computer systems.Provide information needed for the development of custom-made machinery.Provide technical and non-technical support and services to clients or other staff members regarding the use, operation, and maintenance of equipment.Diagnose problems with installed equipment.Write technical documentation for products.Report to supervisors about prospective firms' credit ratings.
Competency framework
Skill expectations by proficiency level.
emerging
Customer requirements documentation — collect and organize under direct supervision to support proposal development for assigned accounts.Company product catalogs and samples — present basic features and pricing to prospective buyers at commercial or industrial establishments with guidance from senior engineers.Sales support materials — assist in preparing standardized responses to requests for proposal under the direction of an experienced sales engineer.Customer and engineer interactions — participate in structured meetings to record equipment needs and system requirement inputs for review by senior team members.Industry news and competitor information — monitor assigned sources and summarize emerging technology trends for internal briefings under supervision.ERP and database software — enter customer and contract data accurately into enterprise systems following established protocols on a daily basis.Product configuration options — review standard specifications and identify basic modifications needed to align offerings with documented customer needs.Sales contracts and service agreements — draft routine sections using approved templates under the review and approval of a senior sales engineer.Resale opportunities — identify and flag potential leads within existing accounts by analyzing purchase histories with guidance from the sales team.Active listening and note-taking — capture detailed customer feedback during client visits and relay findings accurately to the broader sales engineering team.
developing
Customer requirement proposals — develop and present tailored responses to moderately complex RFPs with reduced oversight in familiar industry segments.Sales team collaboration — coordinate regularly with account managers to align technical product positioning with customer goals across an assigned territory.Product configurations — modify standard system designs to meet specific customer specifications, validating feasibility with internal engineering resources.Prospective buyer visits — conduct independent site calls at commercial and industrial facilities to demonstrate product capabilities and negotiate preliminary pricing.Industry trend analysis — synthesize information on legacy, existing, and emerging technologies to inform sales strategy recommendations for a defined product line.Service and sales contracts — draft complete agreements for products and services, ensuring terms reflect negotiated scope and comply with company policy.Equipment needs assessment — confer with customer engineers to evaluate system requirements and propose appropriate technical solutions within standard parameters.Resale pipeline support — identify and actively develop resale opportunities within the assigned channel, tracking progress against quarterly sales plans.CAD and expert system software — apply engineering and configuration tools to produce accurate product layout documentation for customer deliverables.Competitive positioning — compare company offerings against competitor products using technical knowledge and customer feedback to strengthen sales arguments.
proficient
Complex RFP responses — lead the full development and delivery of industry-specific technical proposals autonomously, addressing non-standard customer requirements across multiple verticals.Customer and engineering consultation — independently assess advanced equipment needs and architect system configurations that meet unique operational and regulatory constraints.Contract negotiation — finalize sales and service agreements for high-value accounts by balancing technical, commercial, and legal considerations without supervisory review.Product configuration strategy — design and validate customized solutions for complex client environments, drawing on deep knowledge of the full product portfolio.Technology intelligence — synthesize broad market intelligence on emerging technologies, competitor roadmaps, and industry trends to shape proactive account strategies.Cross-functional sales support — serve as the primary technical resource for the sales team on high-priority pursuits, guiding solution design from qualification through close.Resale opportunity leadership — identify, structure, and drive resale channels to meet or exceed annual revenue targets with full ownership of the opportunity pipeline.Systems analysis and evaluation — apply structured methods to assess customer infrastructure gaps and recommend integrated solutions that align with long-term business objectives.Executive-level presentations — deliver technically credible and persuasive proposals to C-suite and engineering decision-makers at major commercial or industrial accounts.ERP and advanced analytics tools — leverage enterprise platforms and database query software to generate insights that guide territory planning and forecasting decisions.
advanced
Sales engineering strategy — define the vision, methodology, and standards for technical sales practice across a product line, business unit, or regional organization.Organizational capability development — design training programs and mentoring structures that build proposal, negotiation, and systems analysis skills across the sales engineering team.Enterprise-level proposal leadership — oversee and govern the response to the most strategically critical RFPs, ensuring technical accuracy, competitive differentiation, and executive alignment.Go-to-market innovation — lead cross-functional initiatives to introduce new product configurations and industry-specific solutions that expand addressable market and revenue potential.Senior customer relationship stewardship — cultivate executive-level partnerships with key accounts and prospects, positioning the organization as a trusted long-term technology advisor.Competitive and technology roadmap influence — translate deep intelligence on emerging technologies and competitor trajectories into product development and market positioning recommendations at the leadership level.Contract and commercial policy governance — establish standards and approval frameworks for high-complexity sales and service contracts, managing risk at an organizational scale.Channel and resale ecosystem leadership — architect and manage partner and resale strategies that systematically expand market reach and contribute to enterprise sales plan attainment.Systems evaluation at scale — direct cross-organizational assessments of customer infrastructure and technology fit, producing strategic recommendations that influence multi-year account plans.Sales engineering performance accountability — set key performance indicators, analyze pipeline and win-rate data using ERP and analytics platforms, and drive continuous improvement across the function.
Also known as
53 alternate job titles map to this occupation.
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