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The differences between pre sales engineers and 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 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 $56,591 average annual salary of a sales representative.
The top three skills for a pre sales engineer include sales process, pre sales and cloud. The most important skills for a sales representative are sales process, product knowledge, and customer service.
| Pre Sales Engineer | Sales Representative | |
| Yearly salary | $116,651 | $56,591 |
| Hourly rate | $56.08 | $27.21 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 68,855 | 205,456 |
| Job satisfaction | 4 | 4.33 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 54% |
| 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.
Sales representatives primarily sell the company's products and services to businesses or organizations. They should be adept at closing out sales, negotiating, and providing customer service. They should be knowledgeable about the products or services of the manufacturer or producer they represent. They must also have strong analytical skills that would help them in coming up with cost-benefit analysis in assessing the current roster of clients and even prospective ones. Sales representatives should also be able to maintain good working relationships with all involved stakeholders, especially clients.
Pre sales engineers and sales representatives have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Pre Sales Engineer | Sales Representative | |
| Average salary | $116,651 | $56,591 |
| Salary range | Between $84,000 And $160,000 | Between $33,000 And $94,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Boston, MA |
| Highest paying state | Oregon | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | Apple | |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Pharmaceutical |
There are a few differences between a pre sales engineer and a sales representative in terms of educational background:
| Pre Sales Engineer | Sales Representative | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 54% |
| 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 sales representatives' demographics:
| Pre Sales Engineer | Sales Representative | |
| Average age | 44 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 83.5% Female, 16.5% | Male, 58.1% Female, 41.9% |
| 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% |