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The differences between pre sales engineers and specialty 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 specialty representative takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a pre sales engineer has an average salary of $116,651, which is higher than the $49,201 average annual salary of a specialty representative.
The top three skills for a pre sales engineer include sales process, pre sales and cloud. The most important skills for a specialty representative are patients, oncology, and dermatology.
| Pre Sales Engineer | Specialty Representative | |
| Yearly salary | $116,651 | $49,201 |
| Hourly rate | $56.08 | $23.65 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 68,855 | 50,435 |
| Job satisfaction | 4 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 85% |
| Average age | 44 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 2 |
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 specialty representative is responsible for selling specific goods and services to target customers through remote communication or site visits, depending on business requirements and client needs. Specialty representatives assist the marketing and sales team in delivering high-quality sales strategies and promotional techniques to attract customers, identifying their needs by researching industry trends to drive more revenue resources and achieve sales goals and objectives. A specialty representative should have excellent communication and organizational skills, especially in responding to the customers' inquiries and concerns, resolving complaints, and updating their accounts within the database.
Pre sales engineers and specialty representatives have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Pre Sales Engineer | Specialty Representative | |
| Average salary | $116,651 | $49,201 |
| Salary range | Between $84,000 And $160,000 | Between $26,000 And $92,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | - |
| Highest paying state | Oregon | - |
| Best paying company | Apple | - |
| Best paying industry | Technology | - |
There are a few differences between a pre sales engineer and a specialty representative in terms of educational background:
| Pre Sales Engineer | Specialty Representative | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 85% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between pre sales engineers' and specialty representatives' demographics:
| Pre Sales Engineer | Specialty Representative | |
| Average age | 44 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 83.5% Female, 16.5% | Male, 47.7% Female, 52.3% |
| 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, 3.8% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.2% Asian, 5.1% White, 72.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 6% |