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The differences between field sales engineers and executive sales representatives can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a field sales engineer, becoming an executive sales representative takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a field sales engineer has an average salary of $90,950, which is higher than the $78,858 average annual salary of an executive sales representative.
The top three skills for a field sales engineer include HVAC, customer satisfaction and technical support. The most important skills for an executive sales representative are patients, product knowledge, and oncology.
| Field Sales Engineer | Executive Sales Representative | |
| Yearly salary | $90,950 | $78,858 |
| Hourly rate | $43.73 | $37.91 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 85,486 | 226,902 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 79% | Bachelor's Degree, 79% |
| Average age | 44 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 2 |
Usually, a field sales engineer prepares and delivers technical representations explaining a company's products or services to clients. Field sales engineers confer with engineers and customers for the assessment of the necessary equipment and in the identification of the required system. They conduct research and report the status of engineering projects. It is the duty of the field engineers to ensure everything in the field works efficiently and smoothly and that the engineering designs are followed.
An executive sales representative researches and recommends business opportunities. They analyze sales alternatives and help build business relations with clients and prospects. They must keep updated on business trends and potential competitors to best recommend new product ideas. They must be open-minded, risk-takers, adaptive, and innovative to be able to develop successful marketing strategies. It is also necessary for them to be highly skilled at business analysis to distinguish selling opportunities and create an immediate action plan.
Field sales engineers and executive sales representatives have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Field Sales Engineer | Executive Sales Representative | |
| Average salary | $90,950 | $78,858 |
| Salary range | Between $65,000 And $125,000 | Between $48,000 And $128,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | - |
| Highest paying state | New York | - |
| Best paying company | Vuzix | - |
| Best paying industry | Technology | - |
There are a few differences between a field sales engineer and an executive sales representative in terms of educational background:
| Field Sales Engineer | Executive Sales Representative | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 79% | Bachelor's Degree, 79% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between field sales engineers' and executive sales representatives' demographics:
| Field Sales Engineer | Executive Sales Representative | |
| Average age | 44 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 90.1% Female, 9.9% | Male, 53.7% Female, 46.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 1.7% Unknown, 6.2% Hispanic or Latino, 8.3% Asian, 5.7% White, 77.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | Black or African American, 3.8% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.3% Asian, 5.2% White, 72.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 6% |