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Product sales engineer vs technical sales engineer

The differences between product sales engineers and technical 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 technical sales engineer. Additionally, a product sales engineer has an average salary of $92,735, which is higher than the $88,623 average annual salary of a technical sales engineer.

The top three skills for a product sales engineer include product sales, UL and product development. The most important skills for a technical sales engineer are customer service, sales process, and product line.

Product sales engineer vs technical sales engineer overview

Product Sales EngineerTechnical Sales Engineer
Yearly salary$92,735$88,623
Hourly rate$44.58$42.61
Growth rate6%6%
Number of jobs139,762161,743
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 63%Bachelor's Degree, 73%
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 technical sales engineer do?

A technical sales engineer is a sales professional who provides technical sales support and advice about the products and services. Your duties typically include consulting and selling on scientifically and technologically advanced products, organizing sales visits, and liaising contracts and terms and conditions. Additionally, you are expected to collaborate with the design, engineering, production, and research and development departments on how to modify products and services that meet customers' needs. You are also responsible for attending meetings, conferences, and trade shows.

Product sales engineer vs technical sales engineer salary

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

Product Sales EngineerTechnical Sales Engineer
Average salary$92,735$88,623
Salary rangeBetween $67,000 And $126,000Between $63,000 And $122,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CASan Francisco, CA
Highest paying stateCaliforniaOregon
Best paying companyGoogleGoogle
Best paying industryTechnologyTelecommunication

Differences between product sales engineer and technical sales engineer education

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

Product Sales EngineerTechnical Sales Engineer
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 63%Bachelor's Degree, 73%
Most common majorBusinessElectrical Engineering
Most common collegeNorthwestern UniversityNorthwestern University

Product sales engineer vs technical sales engineer demographics

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

Product Sales EngineerTechnical Sales Engineer
Average age4444
Gender ratioMale, 74.8% Female, 25.2%Male, 88.6% Female, 11.4%
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, 1.6% Unknown, 6.2% Hispanic or Latino, 7.7% Asian, 8.7% White, 75.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage7%7%

Differences between product sales engineer and technical 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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Technical sales engineer example responsibilities.

  • Manage and maintain CRM database, including entering new opportunities into system and periodically updating existing customer profiles.
  • Steer RFP, RFQ, and bid management activities for new and existing customer engagements together with sales operations.
  • Establish back-office systems from scratch, including implementing order fulfillment system, CRM, and QuickBooks.
  • Educate the internal teams on the competitive landscape of cloud solutions as well as new partners.
  • Prepare request for proposal (RFP) responses in conjunction with the appropriate sales team as necessary.
  • Configure computer, server, and IP telephony system quotes per given requirements for current and potential customers.
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Product sales engineer vs technical 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 technical sales engineer skills
  • Customer Service, 10%
  • Sales Process, 8%
  • Product Line, 7%
  • Pre Sales, 7%
  • Technical Knowledge, 4%
  • Technical Expertise, 4%