What does a sales engineering manager do?
A sales engineering manager specializes in developing systems and procedures to optimize a company's sales operations, aiming for client satisfaction and profit growth. It is their duty to set goals and timelines, establish guidelines, manage different teams, research new business and client opportunities, gather and analyze data to identify the strengths and weaknesses of existing operations, develop sales strategies, and implement solutions against problem areas. Moreover, as a manager, it is essential to lead and encourage staff to reach goals while enforcing and promoting the company's policies and regulations.
Sales engineering manager responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real sales engineering manager resumes:
- Develop and implement OEM SaaS hosting model with ISP/ASP partners which lead to new revenue and partnership opportunities.
- Coordinate and manage installation of VoIP & networking solutions.
- Manage RFP technical responses for large computer and/or telecommunication projects.
- Lead team of sales engineers to provide B2B host solutions and SaaS.
- Architect solution for either a cloud or hybrid hosting model depending on customer needs.
- Provide technical support/consultation for sales staff and channel partners with regards to deploying various IP services.
- Support sales representatives in pre-sales support and design of LAN/WAN solutions along with post sale installation and project support.
- Create network diagrams and act as subject matter expert for sales team on complex data and IP technology solutions.
- Acquire technical knowledge to design and conceptualize the systems need for remote back-ups and virtualization on tape and disk solutions.
- Automate pre-sales and post-sales request from internal and external customers.
- Introduce engineered electronic product benefits to potential OEM target accounts.
- Design and implement commodity management for OEM, utilizing baseline analysis.
- Develop and communicate sales promotions, customer pipeline cultivation, CRM platforms, and develop monthly revenue expectations.
- Travel domestically and internationally to meet with customers, representatives and distributors as well as run customer evaluations at their facility.
- Coordinate the timely production, shipment, and distribution for the POS materials throughout Mexico.
Sales engineering manager skills and personality traits
We calculated that 11% of Sales Engineering Managers are proficient in Cloud, Pre Sales, and Customer Satisfaction. They’re also known for soft skills such as Problem-solving skills, Self-confidence, and Technological skills.
We break down the percentage of Sales Engineering Managers that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Cloud, 11%
Acquired by TrendMicro 2008-2010 A start-up SAAS company focused on securing mobile endpoint devices via the Cloud.
- Pre Sales, 10%
Participated in various pre sales activities like preparation of RFP response, client demonstration, co-ordination with developers etc.
- Customer Satisfaction, 10%
Spearheaded account development programs by developing customer needs assessment to improve customer satisfaction and retention.
- Post Sales, 6%
Work closely with inside sales team to generate quotations and provide post sales support.
- Business Development, 5%
Delivered individualized sales consultations and consistently achieved aggressive sales and new business development goals and targets.
- Sales Process, 5%
Managed and drove the technology evaluation stage of the sales process for the Americas Market.
Common skills that a sales engineering manager uses to do their job include "cloud," "pre sales," and "customer satisfaction." You can find details on the most important sales engineering manager responsibilities below.
Problem-solving skills. One of the key soft skills for a sales engineering manager to have is problem-solving skills. You can see how this relates to what sales engineering managers do because "sales engineers must be able to listen to the customer’s desires and concerns, and then recommend solutions, such as customizing a product for the customer." Additionally, a sales engineering manager resume shows how sales engineering managers use problem-solving skills: "lead team of sales engineers to provide b2b hosted solutions and saas. "
Self-confidence. Many sales engineering manager duties rely on self-confidence. "sales engineers should be confident and persuasive when making sales presentations.," so a sales engineering manager will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways sales engineering manager responsibilities rely on self-confidence: "experience and outstanding customer service skills allow for customer confidence in managing the technical support aspects of the products. "
Technological skills. This is an important skill for sales engineering managers to perform their duties. For an example of how sales engineering manager responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "sales engineers must have extensive knowledge of the technologically sophisticated products they sell in order to explain their advantages and answer questions." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of a sales engineering manager: "focus: cross-functional supervision contract negotiation product development vendor management provided competitive bids on government k12 technological equipment to targeted accounts. ".
Interpersonal skills. For certain sales engineering manager responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "interpersonal skills." The day-to-day duties of a sales engineering manager rely on this skill, as "strong interpersonal skills are a valuable characteristic for sales engineers, both for building relationships with clients and effectively communicating with other members of the sales team." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what sales engineering managers do: "applied interpersonal relation skills toward delivering quality customer service in addressing and resolving conflict situations in a fast-paced, time-sensitive environment. "
The three companies that hire the most sales engineering managers are:
- Deloitte75 sales engineering managers jobs
- Arrow Electronics58 sales engineering managers jobs
- Rubrik51 sales engineering managers jobs
Choose from 10+ customizable sales engineering manager resume templates
Build a professional sales engineering manager resume in minutes. Our AI resume writing assistant will guide you through every step of the process, and you can choose from 10+ resume templates to create your sales engineering manager resume.
Compare different sales engineering managers
Sales engineering manager vs. Product manager/sales
A sales product manager is responsible for monitoring the sales performance of a specific product and ensuring that the marketing strategies adhere to market standards and client requirements. Sales product managers work closely with the marketing and public relations team to enhance the product's brand image on various market platforms to reach the target audience. They also conduct data and statistical analysis to identify business opportunities that would generate more revenue resources and increase the company's profitability.
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a sales engineering manager are more likely to require skills like "cloud," "post sales," "technical expertise," and "pre-sales." On the other hand, a job as a product manager/sales requires skills like "customer service," "product sales," "pos," and "product management." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.
Product managers/sales tend to make the most money working in the education industry, where they earn an average salary of $108,541. In contrast, sales engineering managers make the biggest average salary, $122,411, in the technology industry.On average, product managers/sales reach similar levels of education than sales engineering managers. Product managers/sales are 1.3% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.1% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Sales engineering manager vs. Business development sales manager
A business development sales manager is in charge of securing sales by reaching out to clients through calls, correspondence, or appointments. Their responsibilities often revolve around performing research and analysis to identify new leads and sales opportunities, offering different products and services, and creating proposals and price quotes for potential clients. A business development sales manager may also tailor payment plans, process billing, participate in various marketing initiatives, and produce progress reports. Furthermore, it is essential to ensure customer satisfaction and build positive relationships to strengthen the company's client base.
While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that sales engineering manager responsibilities requires skills like "customer satisfaction," "post sales," "technical expertise," and "product demonstrations." But a business development sales manager might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "customer service," "healthcare," "business relationships," and "salesforce."
Business development sales managers earn a lower average salary than sales engineering managers. But business development sales managers earn the highest pay in the professional industry, with an average salary of $130,807. Additionally, sales engineering managers earn the highest salaries in the technology with average pay of $122,411 annually.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Business development sales managers tend to reach similar levels of education than sales engineering managers. In fact, they're 0.7% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.1% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for sales engineering managers in the next 3-5 years?
Bill Thorne
Executive Director of the NRF Foundation and Senior Vice President of Communication and Public Affairs of NRF, National Retail Federation
Sales engineering manager vs. International sales manager
An International Sales Manager is responsible for coordinating the sales department's global operations through sales volume monitoring and establishing goals. International Sales Managers maintain the company's global sales for services and commodities, and create methodical procedures and ideas to attract and persuade international clients to buy. In addition, it is their duty to plan, inspire, and motivate the sales workforce, and prepare and create daily, monthly, and annual sales reports. They also design and enforce a variety of assessment programs and plans.
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a sales engineering manager is likely to be skilled in "cloud," "pre sales," "customer satisfaction," and "post sales," while a typical international sales manager is skilled in "sales growth," "distribution channels," "international business," and "international travel."
International sales managers earn the highest salary when working in the transportation industry, where they receive an average salary of $81,240. Comparatively, sales engineering managers have the highest earning potential in the technology industry, with an average salary of $122,411.When it comes to education, international sales managers tend to earn higher degree levels compared to sales engineering managers. In fact, they're 5.3% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.2% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Sales engineering manager vs. Distribution sales manager
A distribution sales manager is tasked to find whole and retail sellers to distribute goods and services. Alongside distribution, the manager's tasks include monitoring all sales, orders, product performance, and retailer feedback to further improve the product. The distribution manager must also have skills in email marketing, B2B correspondence, engage with potential clients and customers, and ensuring all orders are fulfilled on time and without delays.
Types of sales engineering manager
Updated January 8, 2025
