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The differences between pre sales engineers and field 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 pre sales engineer, becoming a field sales representative takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a pre sales engineer has an average salary of $116,651, which is higher than the $48,460 average annual salary of a field sales representative.
The top three skills for a pre sales engineer include sales process, pre sales and cloud. The most important skills for a field sales representative are excellent time management, customer service, and powerpoint.
| Pre Sales Engineer | Field Sales Representative | |
| Yearly salary | $116,651 | $48,460 |
| Hourly rate | $56.08 | $23.30 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 68,855 | 228,254 |
| Job satisfaction | 4 | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Average age | 44 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 4 |
A pre-sales engineer's role is to assist clients by offering technology recommendations and advice, aiming to secure sales and client satisfaction. Aside from selling products and services, a pre-sales engineer is also responsible for coordinating with various sales personnel, identifying the needs of clients, discussing how the equipment and devices can help attain business goals, and answering any inquiries about the subject. Furthermore, it is essential to develop positive relationships with clients, all while adhering to the company's policies and regulations.
A field sales representative is an employee who is employed by business-to-business (B2B) and wholesale organizations to visit leads and sell products or services to their customers in person. Field sales representatives must attract new customers and win new accounts so that they can maximize profitability within their territory. They travel around their assigned territory and visit their customers regularly to educate them on how their products can benefit them. Field sales representatives must also maintain records of all sales leads and monitor the organization's competitor, new products, and market conditions.
Pre sales engineers and field sales representatives have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Pre Sales Engineer | Field Sales Representative | |
| Average salary | $116,651 | $48,460 |
| Salary range | Between $84,000 And $160,000 | Between $26,000 And $88,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Seattle, WA |
| Highest paying state | Oregon | Washington |
| Best paying company | Apple | VMware |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between a pre sales engineer and a field sales representative in terms of educational background:
| Pre Sales Engineer | Field Sales Representative | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | SUNY College of Technology at Alfred |
Here are the differences between pre sales engineers' and field sales representatives' demographics:
| Pre Sales Engineer | Field Sales Representative | |
| Average age | 44 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 83.5% Female, 16.5% | Male, 69.5% Female, 30.5% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 1.7% Unknown, 6.2% Hispanic or Latino, 8.0% Asian, 8.4% White, 75.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | Black or African American, 3.9% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.5% Asian, 5.2% White, 72.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 6% |