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The differences between solutions consultants and sales engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a solutions consultant, becoming a sales engineer takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a solutions consultant has an average salary of $94,839, which is higher than the $93,727 average annual salary of a sales engineer.
The top three skills for a solutions consultant include pre sales, sales process and cloud. The most important skills for a sales engineer are pre sales, customer service, and sales process.
| Solutions Consultant | Sales Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $94,839 | $93,727 |
| Hourly rate | $45.60 | $45.06 |
| Growth rate | 11% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 103,093 | 132,324 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 6 |
A solutions consultant is an individual who has an in-depth knowledge of technology that can help a company to overcome issues, increase sales, and have a better connection with their customers. Solutions consultants are responsible for heading the installment of customized software solutions and train dealers and customer sales engineers to administer the customized solution. They represent the company by attending tradeshows and events to demonstrate their company's technology. Solutions consultants must also ensure to demonstrate technical feasibility through beta tests plus trial programs.
A sales engineer is responsible for assisting customers with their technical equipment and advanced scientific product needs. Sales engineers must have excellent knowledge of the scientific processes and component functions of the products they're selling to deliver presentations and orient the customers. Sales engineers' duties also include troubleshooting, identifying product defects, and upgrading systems for better optimization. They are also responsible for analyzing cost estimates documents, performing adjustments as needed, process payments, arranging deliveries, and settling customers' complaints by replacing damaged items or doing refunds.
Solutions consultants and sales engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Solutions Consultant | Sales Engineer | |
| Average salary | $94,839 | $93,727 |
| Salary range | Between $68,000 And $131,000 | Between $66,000 And $132,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Bruno, CA | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | California | Virginia |
| Best paying company | Apple | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between a solutions consultant and a sales engineer in terms of educational background:
| Solutions Consultant | Sales Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between solutions consultants' and sales engineers' demographics:
| Solutions Consultant | Sales Engineer | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 69.1% Female, 30.9% | Male, 90.1% Female, 9.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 7.8% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 8.7% Asian, 13.6% White, 65.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 1.7% Unknown, 6.2% Hispanic or Latino, 8.0% Asian, 7.1% White, 76.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 12% | 7% |