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Product sales engineer vs pre sales engineer

The differences between product sales engineers and pre sales engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a product sales engineer and a pre sales engineer. Additionally, a pre sales engineer has an average salary of $116,651, which is higher than the $92,735 average annual salary of a product sales engineer.

The top three skills for a product sales engineer include product sales, UL and product development. The most important skills for a pre sales engineer are sales process, pre sales, and cloud.

Product sales engineer vs pre sales engineer overview

Product Sales EngineerPre Sales Engineer
Yearly salary$92,735$116,651
Hourly rate$44.58$56.08
Growth rate6%6%
Number of jobs139,76268,855
Job satisfaction-4
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 63%Bachelor's Degree, 66%
Average age4444
Years of experience66

What does a product sales engineer do?

Production sales engineer positions will require good judgment and business sense, resilience, and even, in an increasing capacity, foreign language skills, as well as teamwork and problem-solving skills. Those who choose this career path will be called upon to provide pre-sales technical assistance and product education, as well as make technical presentations and demonstrations. They will also be required to form liaisons with the sales team and other technical experts and solve any issues clients may have.

What does a pre sales engineer do?

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.

Product sales engineer vs pre sales engineer salary

Product sales engineers and pre sales engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Product Sales EngineerPre Sales Engineer
Average salary$92,735$116,651
Salary rangeBetween $67,000 And $126,000Between $84,000 And $160,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CASan Francisco, CA
Highest paying stateCaliforniaOregon
Best paying companyGoogleApple
Best paying industryTechnologyTechnology

Differences between product sales engineer and pre sales engineer education

There are a few differences between a product sales engineer and a pre sales engineer in terms of educational background:

Product Sales EngineerPre Sales Engineer
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 63%Bachelor's Degree, 66%
Most common majorBusinessComputer Science
Most common collegeNorthwestern UniversityStanford University

Product sales engineer vs pre sales engineer demographics

Here are the differences between product sales engineers' and pre sales engineers' demographics:

Product Sales EngineerPre Sales Engineer
Average age4444
Gender ratioMale, 74.8% Female, 25.2%Male, 83.5% Female, 16.5%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 1.7% Unknown, 6.2% Hispanic or Latino, 8.0% Asian, 6.5% White, 77.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%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%
LGBT Percentage7%7%

Differences between product sales engineer and pre sales engineer duties and responsibilities

Product sales engineer example responsibilities.

  • Manage inbound domestic and international logistics and domestic shipping with respect to carrier selection, forwarding, brokering and expediting.
  • Maintain opportunity pipeline and sales forecast in CRM.
  • Stimulate customer satisfaction score (CSAT) from 55 to 85 out of 100 by CRM.
  • Close a key sale to a large OEM account that are pending for more than twelve months prior to employment.
  • Review project specifications and blueprints, determine best HVAC equipment, system design, and pricing for the RFP proposal response.
  • Maintain strong understanding of competitive HVAC equipment and gather pricing feedback from contractors and engineers.
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Pre sales engineer example 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.
  • WAN network consist of mix of ATM, ISDN and T1 solutions.
  • Support all aspects of Unix program delivery.
  • Show more

Product sales engineer vs pre sales engineer skills

Common product sales engineer skills
  • Product Sales, 19%
  • UL, 15%
  • Product Development, 6%
  • Sales Process, 6%
  • Trade Shows, 5%
  • CRM, 5%
Common pre sales engineer skills
  • Sales Process, 8%
  • Pre Sales, 8%
  • Cloud, 7%
  • POC, 5%
  • Azure, 4%
  • Linux, 4%