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What is a pre sales engineer and how to become one
As their name suggests, pre-sales engineers work in companies that sell technology products. They work closely with the sales team and may maintain and test products before they are sold. Pre-sales engineers may also relate directly with customers to identify the right products to meet their needs.
As a pre-sales engineer, your job is to move the sales process forward by providing tech support. As a result, you may assist the sales team with requests for proposals and develop cost-effective solutions for the problems that arise.
Pre-sales engineers may also work after a sale is complete. Here, they help customers to install systems, provide training, and technical support as needed. Pre-sales engineers need to be familiar with the company's portfolio and range of products. They also need interpersonal skills like relationship building, communication, and listening.
To become a pre-sales engineer, you need a bachelor's degree in computer science, network engineering, or other related fields.
What general advice would you give to a pre sales engineer?
Edoardo Sarda Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Robotics Engineering, Lake Superior State University
Avg. Salary $116,651
Avg. Salary $59,228
Growth rate 6%
Growth rate 0.3%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.33%
Asian 8.38%
Black or African American 1.67%
Hispanic or Latino 8.05%
Unknown 6.20%
White 75.38%
Genderfemale 16.47%
male 83.53%
Age - 44American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%
Asian 7.00%
Black or African American 14.00%
Hispanic or Latino 19.00%
White 57.00%
Genderfemale 47.00%
male 53.00%
Age - 44Stress level is high
7.1 - high
Complexity level is advanced
7 - challenging
Work life balance is poor
6.4 - fair
Pre sales engineer career paths
Key steps to become a pre sales engineer
Explore pre sales engineer education requirements
Start to develop specific pre sales engineer skills
Skills Percentages Sales Process 8.40% Pre Sales 7.87% Cloud 7.30% POC 5.38% Azure 4.13% Complete relevant pre sales engineer training and internships
Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New pre sales engineers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a pre sales engineer based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real pre sales engineer resumes.Research pre sales engineer duties and responsibilities
- Manage OEM accounts on organizing their sales initiatives as well as any technical issues that they encounter during the product lifecycle.
- Configure and maintain Cisco routers, [] switches and VPN concentrators for client installations.
- Collaborate in closing a major contract with Morgan Stanley for one of the world's largest UNIX to Linux migrations.
- Provide OEM customers new product training and pre-sales systems analysis and configuration support.
Prepare your pre sales engineer resume
When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your pre sales engineer resume.
You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a pre sales engineer resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.
Choose from 10+ customizable pre sales engineer resume templates
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Apply for pre sales engineer jobs
Now it's time to start searching for a pre sales engineer job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:
- Browse job boards for relevant postings
- Consult your professional network
- Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
- Watch out for job scams
How did you land your first pre sales engineer job
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Average pre sales engineer salary
The average pre sales engineer salary in the United States is $116,651 per year or $56 per hour. Pre sales engineer salaries range between $84,000 and $160,000 per year.
What am I worth?
How do pre sales engineers rate their job?
Pre sales engineer reviews
very little
IF you have enough experience you get to walk around different manufacturing plants and tell them how you solution will impact their bottom line. every day is different.
Cold Call is pretty bad because your success rate is 1-2%. Surprises when a competitor sells to a company you did not know about and your marketing folks cant help find them.
Requires many aspect to be combine in order to fulfill the job. business and technical knowledge are required in order to be successful pre sales engineer.
no general certification like PMP exists for pre sales engineer, they are all specified for one product. requires an absurd amount of concentration required for proposals writing if you don't have the adequate tools to help.
Updated January 8, 2025
