Tech-Knowlogy, The Sales Engineer

It’s Dilbert time. The product floats in the RAM of your brain. You could map all it’s highly complex concepts, intellectually.

Everybody in the company knows how smart you are. You own the room in every meeting. You are an amazing combination of tech and sales. Nobody else in the company is remotely as equipped as you.

On some level, the managers actually fear you. You have engineering knowledge of the product to a depth far beyond their imagining.

You have to explain things to them like third-graders. To you it’s baby-talk. To them it’s techno-babble. But you try hard not to patronize.

Because, here’s what everybody knows about you. You’re a brain. You’re sharp. Your knowledge is mysterious. It scares them, actually.

They always know that you could leave the company, write a full competitive analysis from your internal product knowledge. They know that you know every bug in the product. You know and could hire all the good people here. But you haven’t, not yet anyway. Because life is good. So far.

Potential partners approach you often, and you report their offers. Because you are loyal. And it gives you internal clout, big-time.

You’re an ethical person. You’re proud of the product. You just want to be brilliant, and prosper, and grow with the company.

And, to be honest, the company treats you very very well indeed. They know you’re in demand. They respect you and need you, and the raises and perks just keep coming.

The reality is nothing really like Dilbert. In the real world, they just cannot do without you.

You’re a Sales Engineer.

You work with the production, engineering, or research and development departments of their companies, or with independent sales firms, to determine how products and services could be designed or modified to suit customers’ needs. You also may advise customers on how best to use the products or services provided.

Sales engineers—who also may be called manufacturers’ agents, sales representatives, or technical sales support workers—sell and consult on technologically and scientifically advanced products. They should possess extensive knowledge of these products, including their components and processes. Sales engineers then 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.

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 products that are related to their engineering specialty. For example, sales engineers selling chemical products may have chemical engineering backgrounds, while those selling business software or information systems may have degrees in computer engineering.

Many of the 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 often are 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 on a sales team, each member is able to focus on his or her strengths and expertise.

Sales engineers tend to employ selling techniques that are different from those used by most other sales workers. They generally 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 salesperson describes the product and leaves the customer to decide how it 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. Afterward, they may continue to serve as a liaison between the client and their company. Increasingly, sales engineers are asked to undertake tasks related to sales, such as market research, because of their familiarity with clients’ purchasing needs. Drawing on this same familiarity, sales engineers may help identify and develop new products.

Sales engineers may work directly for manufacturers or service providers, or they may work in small independent sales firms. In an independent firm, they may sell complementary products from several different suppliers.

Some sales engineers have large territories and travel extensively. Because sales regions may cover several States, sales engineers may be away from home for several days or even weeks at a time. Others work near their home base and travel mostly by car. International travel to secure contracts with foreign clients is becoming more common.

Most sales engineers have a bachelor’s degree in engineering, and many have previous work experience in an engineering specialty. New sales engineers may need some on-the-job training in sales or may work closely with a sales mentor familiar with company policies and practices before they can work on their own.

A bachelor’s degree in engineering usually is required to become a sales engineer. However, some workers with previous experience in sales combined with technical experience or training sometimes hold the title of sales engineer.

Also, workers who have a degree in a science, such as chemistry, or even a degree in business with little or no previous sales experience, may be termed sales engineers.

Admissions requirements for undergraduate engineering schools include a solid background in mathematics (algebra, geometry, trigonometry, and calculus) and the physical sciences (biology, chemistry, and physics), as well as basic courses in English, social studies, humanities, and computer science. University programs vary in content, though all require the development of computer skills.

Once a university has been selected, a student must choose an area of engineering in which to specialize. Some programs offer a general engineering curriculum; students then specialize on the job or in graduate school. Most engineering degrees are granted in electrical, mechanical, or civil engineering. However, engineers trained in one branch may work in related branches.

New graduates with engineering degrees may need sales experience and training before they can work independently as sales engineers. Training may involve teaming with a sales mentor who is familiar with the employer’s business practices, customers, procedures, and company culture. After the training period has been completed, sales engineers may continue to partner with someone who lacks technical skills, yet excels in the art of sales.

It is important for sales engineers to continue their engineering and sales education throughout their careers. Much of their value to their employers depends on their knowledge of and ability to sell the latest technologies. Sales engineers in high-technology fields, such as information technology or advanced electronics, may find that technical knowledge rapidly becomes obsolete.

Sales engineers held about 76,000 jobs in 2006.

About 37 percent were employed in wholesale trade and another 26 percent were employed in the manufacturing industries. Smaller numbers of sales engineers worked in information industries, such as software publishing and telecommunications; professional, scientific, and technical services, such as computer systems design and related services; architectural, engineering, and related services; and other industries.

Employment of sales engineers is expected to grow by 9 percent between 2006 and 2016.

Competitive pressures and advancing technology will force companies to improve and update product designs more frequently and to optimize their manufacturing and sales processes, and thus require the services of a sales engineer.

Median annual earnings, including commissions, of wage and salary sales engineers were $77,720 in May 2006.

The middle 50 percent earned between $59,490 and $100,280 a year.

The lowest 10 percent earned less than $47,010, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $127,680 a year.

Median annual earnings of those employed by firms in the computer systems design and related services industry were $90,950.

If you are the type of unique individual who loves technology and also enjoys sales, this combination of challenges might be a perfect fit for you. Many sales engineers have previous work experience in an engineering specialty. That’s also a big plus, if you have the background.

Job security is good. Increasing numbers of technical products, and services for sale, mean more and more need for Sales Engineers.

Opening your own company with all your knowledge, also means that a techno jackpot could be yours.

Go get the bachelor’s degree in engineering required, possibly with a business minor. And fasten your seat belt.

With the ever-expanding techno-world we live in, your career should be a fast-track roller-coaster ride!

Information on careers for manufacturers’ representatives and agents is available from:

• Manufacturers’ Agents National Association, P.O. Box 3467, Laguna Hills, CA 92654. http://www.manaonline.org
• Manufacturers’ Representatives Educational Research Foundation, 8329 Cole St., Arvada, CO 80005. http://www.mrerf.org

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