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The differences between outside sales engineers and regional 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 an outside sales engineer, becoming a regional sales representative takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, an outside sales engineer has an average salary of $79,145, which is higher than the $57,926 average annual salary of a regional sales representative.
The top three skills for an outside sales engineer include customer relationships, HVAC and product line. The most important skills for a regional sales representative are customer service, healthcare, and regional sales.
| Outside Sales Engineer | Regional Sales Representative | |
| Yearly salary | $79,145 | $57,926 |
| Hourly rate | $38.05 | $27.85 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 113,925 | 230,746 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 74% | Bachelor's Degree, 77% |
| Average age | 44 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 4 |
An outside sales engineer is both a specialist and a salesperson of scientific and technological products or services to businesses. You have an in-depth knowledge of the products and the engineering processes that make these products work so that you can demonstrate their benefits to customers. Outside sales engineers are technical customer service representatives working for businesses that sell engineering products or the makers - they are out in the field interacting, educating, and selling to potential customers.
A regional sales representative is responsible for selling goods and services to their designated areas by interacting with potential customers, demonstrating the product's features and functions, and responding to their inquiries and requests. Regional sales representatives should be highly communicative to negotiate with the customers to increase product sales and boost the company's profitability. They also assist in strategizing sales pitches, including promotional offers and processing of marketing materials. A regional sales representative also asks for feedback from the customers to improve their products and meet the public's demands and current market trends.
Outside sales engineers and regional sales representatives have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Outside Sales Engineer | Regional Sales Representative | |
| Average salary | $79,145 | $57,926 |
| Salary range | Between $55,000 And $113,000 | Between $41,000 And $80,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | - | California |
| Best paying company | - | Varian Medical Systems |
| Best paying industry | - | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between an outside sales engineer and a regional sales representative in terms of educational background:
| Outside Sales Engineer | Regional Sales Representative | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 74% | Bachelor's Degree, 77% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | SUNY College of Technology at Alfred |
Here are the differences between outside sales engineers' and regional sales representatives' demographics:
| Outside Sales Engineer | Regional Sales Representative | |
| Average age | 44 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 91.2% Female, 8.8% | Male, 72.6% Female, 27.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 1.6% Unknown, 6.2% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 5.8% White, 78.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | Black or African American, 3.8% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 13.9% Asian, 5.1% White, 73.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 6% |