Sales engineersMany products and services, especially those purchased by large companies and institutions, are highly complex. Sales engineers, using their engineering skills, help customers determine which products or services provided by the sales engineer�s employer best suit their needs. Sales engineers—who also may be called manufacturers� agents, sales representatives, or technical sales support workers—often work with both the customer and the production, engineering, or research and development departments of their company, or of independent firms, to determine how products and services could be designed or modified to best suit the customer�s needs. They also may advise the customer on how to best utilize the products or services being provided. Selling, of course, is an important part of the job. Sales engineers use their technical skills to demonstrate to potential customers how and why the products or services they are selling would suit the customer better than competitors� products. Often, there may not be a directly competitive product. In these cases, the job of the sales engineer is to demonstrate to the customer the usefulness of the product or service—for example, how much money new production machinery would save. Most sales engineers have a bachelor�s degree in engineering and some have previous work experience in an engineering specialty. Engineers apply the theories and principles of science and mathematics to technical problems. Their work is the link between scientific discoveries and commercial applications. Many sales engineers specialize in an area related to an engineering specialty. For example, sales engineers selling chemical products may have chemical engineering backgrounds, while those selling electrical products may have degrees in electrical engineering. (Information on engineers and 14 engineering specialties appears elsewhere in the Handbook.) Many of the job duties of sales engineers are similar to those of other salespersons. They must interest the client in purchasing their products, many of which are durable manufactured products such as turbines. Sales engineers are often teamed with other salespersons who concentrate on the marketing and sales, enabling the sales engineer to concentrate on the technical aspects of the job. By working as a sales team, each member is able to utilize his or her strengths and knowledge. (Information on other sales occupations, including sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, appears elsewhere in the Handbook.) Sales engineers tend to employ selling techniques that are different from those used by most other sales workers. They may use a �consultative� style; that is, they focus on the client�s problem and show how it could be solved or mitigated with their product or service. This selling style differs from the �benefits and features� method, whereby the product is described and the customer is left to decide how the product would be useful. In addition to maintaining current clients and attracting new ones, sales engineers help clients solve any problems that arise when the product is installed, and may continue to serve as a liaison between the client and their company. In addition, using their familiarity with client needs, sales engineers may help identify and develop new products. Sales engineers may work directly for manufacturers or service providers, or in small independent firms. In an independent firm, they may sell complimentary products from several different suppliers and be paid on a commission basis. Related news articles Kowal moves into a bigger office at CSC - 16 Oct 2006 Australian IT,...security division of EMC, has strengthened its Melbourne team with the appointment of Sonya Walker as regional manager and E-Yang Tang as senior sales engineer ... Sales engineers - 16 Oct 2006 NorthJersey.com,In these cases, the job of the sales engineer is to demonstrate to the customer the usefulness of the product or service -- for example, how much money new ... Seminars on power quality to be held by Fluke Australia - 16 Oct 2006 Ferret,The power quality seminar will feature guest speaker Wade Thompson, the senior sales engineer for Fluke power quality, who will be coming from San Francisco, US ... CAPLINQ Nederland signs definitive agreement to represent Profound - 16 Oct 2006 WebWire (press release),...was founded in 2006 by Christopher Perabo, a semiconductor industry specialist that had worked as a field applications and later a sales engineer in the ... Network Instruments(R) Launches Dedicated Federal Government ... - 16 Oct 2006 PR Newswire (press release),The new office, supporting government clients and customer growth, will be led by Steven Bowen, a sales engineer and manager with over 20 years experience in ... Firms Deal With Stricter Environmental Controls - 16 Oct 2006 PCB007 (press release),Lindy Li, overseas sales engineer of Shenzhen-based Success Electronic Co Ltd, thought it was the fast response from her company that saved it from the ... Jet Edge names international sales engineer - Oct 10, 2006 The Fabricator,Antoine Deproost has been named international sales engineer by Jet Edge Inc., St. Michael, Minn. Deproost is in charge of sales ... Sales Engineer - Oct 6, 2006 RenewableEnergyAccess.com,Morningstar Corporation, the world's leading supplier of solar charge controllers has a new position open for an Sales Engineer. ... Sales Engineer - Oct 4, 2006 ElectronicsWeekly.com,Our company, based in South of England, working in the ion implantation industry (semi conductor industry) is looking for a sales engineer. ... Technical Sales Engineer - Milton Keynes , UK - Sep 22, 2006 Optics.org,Pro-Lite Technology is looking to recruit a technical sales engineer to join our existing team based at the Cranfield Innovation Centre, near Milton Keynes in ... Engineer was salesman in automotive glass industry - Oct 14, 2006 Toledo Blade,A member of the Society of Automotive Engineers, he had been a sales engineer with Permaglass, which in the late 1960s merged with Guardian. ... Senior Sales Engineer - Sep 13, 2006 iTWire,...of the most advanced policy management software for IP-based services for mobile and fixed line networks is currently looking for a Sales Engineer to provide ... Society of Women Engineers Honors Alka Patel, JD with 2006 ... - Oct 11, 2006 Business Wire (press release),Prior to that, Patel worked as a sales engineer assistant for GE Industrial Systems where she provided technical and sales support to distributors in the ... Door company akin to large family - Oct 10, 2006 Chicago Daily Southtown,Sales engineer, Jeff Miller has been with J&L for 3½ years. ... Matt Domzal is also a sales engineer for 2 years, and loves working with his father. ... Glass Bonding - In house training and on site engineers - Oct 9, 2006 Glass on Web,...concepts. Richard Hoare, Sales Engineer at Inseto said “ We have been working on all sorts of projects over the last few months. ... Working with consultants and vendors - Oct 11, 2006 Carwash Online,After all, calling an employee an instructor, sales consultant, sales engineer or trainer does not change the individual’s relationship with the profit motive ... Institutional Install: AV System Improves Sightlines - Oct 2, 2006 Pro AV Magazine,And those stripes were indeed earned for Santoro, a sales engineer for Tampa, FL-based Audio Visual Innovations (AVI), who works out of the company’s ... Atten-hut! Franchisors want veterans - Oct 9, 2006 OCRegister,He sold his 220th car at 4 pm on Dec. 31. He didn't merely sell software; he won the worldwide sales engineer of the year award. ... Netherlands. AMELS Repair & Refit at METS Super Yacht Pavilion - Oct 11, 2006 BYM News (press release),...their next top-quality refit or repair project with experts in the field—AMELS Refit & Repair Sales Manager Egbert Oldenboom and Sales Engineer Wim Martens ... More information on Sales engineers from The U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook Overview of Sales engineers occupation Number of Sales engineers in the U.S. Salary and earnings for Sales engineers Working conditions for Sales engineers Significant points for Sales engineers Training requirements for Sales engineers Labor Information Home | Occupational data by city | Search Rainforests | Madagascar | What's new |