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The differences between sales engineer, account managers and key account managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a sales engineer, account manager, becoming a key account manager takes usually requires 6-8 years. Additionally, a key account manager has an average salary of $102,315, which is higher than the $95,490 average annual salary of a sales engineer, account manager.
The top three skills for a sales engineer, account manager include technical support, product development and CRM. The most important skills for a key account manager are account management, customer service, and patients.
| Sales Engineer, Account Manager | Key Account Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $95,490 | $102,315 |
| Hourly rate | $45.91 | $49.19 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 152,078 | 160,992 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 76% | Bachelor's Degree, 78% |
| Average age | 44 | 46 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 8 |
Sales Engineers, account managers take note of the available sales opportunities to boost and cross-sell the organizations' products. They seek out and create new potential customers to maximize the organization's sales. Besides meeting and exceeding sales activities and sales targets, sales engineers, account managers also provide daily support and account management services to the allocated customers. They also prepare product quotations, cost savings analyses, customer demonstrations, and written presentations.
A key account manager is primarily in charge of handling key clients that produce the most profit for a company or business, ensuring that they remain with them. They are mainly responsible for understanding their clients' needs and long-term goals, ensuring that the key clients get to receive all the necessary services and products in time, and promptly address and resolve any issues and concerns. Furthermore, a key account manager may prepare reports and proposals to team members, all while adhering to the company's policies and standards.
Sales engineer, account managers and key account managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Sales Engineer, Account Manager | Key Account Manager | |
| Average salary | $95,490 | $102,315 |
| Salary range | Between $68,000 And $133,000 | Between $75,000 And $138,000 |
| Highest paying City | Pleasanton, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Virginia | Maine |
| Best paying company | Teradyne | Quidel |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Pharmaceutical |
There are a few differences between a sales engineer, account manager and a key account manager in terms of educational background:
| Sales Engineer, Account Manager | Key Account Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 76% | Bachelor's Degree, 78% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | University of Southern California |
Here are the differences between sales engineer, account managers' and key account managers' demographics:
| Sales Engineer, Account Manager | Key Account Manager | |
| Average age | 44 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 87.1% Female, 12.9% | Male, 68.1% Female, 31.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 1.7% Unknown, 6.2% Hispanic or Latino, 8.4% Asian, 6.1% White, 77.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | Black or African American, 3.2% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 9.8% Asian, 4.1% White, 78.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 7% |