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The differences between pre sales engineers and outside 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 an outside 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 $60,443 average annual salary of an outside sales representative.
The top three skills for a pre sales engineer include sales process, pre sales and cloud. The most important skills for an outside sales representative are customer service, work ethic, and sales process.
| Pre Sales Engineer | Outside Sales Representative | |
| Yearly salary | $116,651 | $60,443 |
| Hourly rate | $56.08 | $29.06 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 68,855 | 218,034 |
| Job satisfaction | 4 | 4.5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| 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.
An Outside Sales Representative specializes in customer service and relations, focusing on reaching sales targets through selling and networking with clients. Among the duties revolve around reaching out to customers through calls, email, or even arranging appointments, monitoring and keeping an organized record of sales, communicating with managers or supervisors, adhering to the company's policies and regulations, and keeping extensive knowledge about the brand and the trends. Besides building rapport with customers, it is also essential for an Outside Sales Representative to be proactive and create strategies to help meet the sales target.
Pre sales engineers and outside sales representatives have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Pre Sales Engineer | Outside Sales Representative | |
| Average salary | $116,651 | $60,443 |
| Salary range | Between $84,000 And $160,000 | Between $41,000 And $87,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Minneapolis, MN |
| Highest paying state | Oregon | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Apple | Microsoft |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a pre sales engineer and an outside sales representative in terms of educational background:
| Pre Sales Engineer | Outside Sales Representative | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| 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 outside sales representatives' demographics:
| Pre Sales Engineer | Outside Sales Representative | |
| Average age | 44 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 83.5% Female, 16.5% | Male, 71.5% Female, 28.5% |
| 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, 14.4% Asian, 5.2% White, 72.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 6% |