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Sales support engineer vs inside sales engineer

The differences between sales support engineers and inside 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 sales support engineer and an inside sales engineer. Additionally, a sales support engineer has an average salary of $78,335, which is higher than the $50,487 average annual salary of an inside sales engineer.

The top three skills for a sales support engineer include CRM, product line and sales process. The most important skills for an inside sales engineer are customer service, product knowledge, and CRM.

Sales support engineer vs inside sales engineer overview

Sales Support EngineerInside Sales Engineer
Yearly salary$78,335$50,487
Hourly rate$37.66$24.27
Growth rate6%6%
Number of jobs118,608156,700
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 66%Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Average age4444
Years of experience66

What does a sales support engineer do?

A sales support engineer assists customers by dealing with complex issues and concerns, resolving them using their technical expertise. They usually communicate with customers using calls and correspondence, and through this, they also develop and deliver sales proposals, answer inquiries, and provide price quotes. Moreover, a sales support engineer also works to assist sales teams by conducting research and analyses to develop procedures that will optimize operations, producing data and guidelines, and creating sales strategies for profit growth.

What does an inside sales engineer do?

An inside sales engineer is an individual who uses specialized technical knowledge to negotiate between sales units and clients to increase the profits and revenue of a company. Inside sales, engineers must seek clients who will benefit from their products or services and aim to maximize client potential in the different allocated regions. Inside sales engineers must also provide technical help and carry out training, if necessary, once a sale has been made.

Sales support engineer vs inside sales engineer salary

Sales support engineers and inside sales engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Sales Support EngineerInside Sales Engineer
Average salary$78,335$50,487
Salary rangeBetween $52,000 And $116,000Between $33,000 And $76,000
Highest paying CityFort Collins, COAlexandria, VA
Highest paying stateVirginiaNew York
Best paying companyAgilent TechnologiesFluid Components International
Best paying industryEnergyTechnology

Differences between sales support engineer and inside sales engineer education

There are a few differences between a sales support engineer and an inside sales engineer in terms of educational background:

Sales Support EngineerInside Sales Engineer
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 66%Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Most common majorElectrical EngineeringBusiness
Most common collegeStanford UniversityNorthwestern University

Sales support engineer vs inside sales engineer demographics

Here are the differences between sales support engineers' and inside sales engineers' demographics:

Sales Support EngineerInside Sales Engineer
Average age4444
Gender ratioMale, 84.8% Female, 15.2%Male, 65.3% Female, 34.7%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 1.6% Unknown, 6.2% Hispanic or Latino, 8.0% Asian, 8.2% White, 75.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%Black or African American, 1.7% Unknown, 6.2% Hispanic or Latino, 8.3% Asian, 5.7% White, 77.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage7%7%

Differences between sales support engineer and inside sales engineer duties and responsibilities

Sales support engineer example responsibilities.

  • Manage inbound domestic and international logistics and domestic shipping with respect to carrier selection, forwarding, brokering and expediting.
  • Complete RFP responses with technical specs for project hardware.
  • Assist with HVAC design-build for several high profile projects :.
  • Prepare cost estimates and scheduling for plan and spec HVAC projects.
  • Used Microsoft CRM to document activities of customer issues from start, to resolution.
  • Retain existing clients and perform cold calls to potential new clients and keep record in CRM database.
  • Show more

Inside sales engineer example responsibilities.

  • Manage inbound domestic and international logistics and domestic shipping with respect to carrier selection, forwarding, brokering and expediting.
  • Provide technical contribution during the RFP / RFI process.
  • Write custom SQL reports for customers.
  • Utilize SQL to query databases while troubleshooting issues.
  • Design and configure computer systems for clients in the Pre-Sales mode.
  • Generate 3D renderings in AutoCAD and other design software for customer review.
  • Show more

Sales support engineer vs inside sales engineer skills

Common sales support engineer skills
  • CRM, 9%
  • Product Line, 5%
  • Sales Process, 5%
  • Trade Shows, 4%
  • Engineering Support, 4%
  • Customer Support, 4%
Common inside sales engineer skills
  • Customer Service, 24%
  • Product Knowledge, 4%
  • CRM, 4%
  • Customer Satisfaction, 3%
  • Cleanliness, 3%
  • Distributors, 3%