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The differences between technical sales engineers and sales representatives can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a technical sales engineer, becoming a sales representative takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a technical sales engineer has an average salary of $88,623, which is higher than the $56,591 average annual salary of a sales representative.
The top three skills for a technical sales engineer include customer service, sales process and product line. The most important skills for a sales representative are sales process, product knowledge, and customer service.
| Technical Sales Engineer | Sales Representative | |
| Yearly salary | $88,623 | $56,591 |
| Hourly rate | $42.61 | $27.21 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 161,743 | 205,456 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 4.33 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 54% |
| Average age | 44 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 4 |
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.
Sales representatives primarily sell the company's products and services to businesses or organizations. They should be adept at closing out sales, negotiating, and providing customer service. They should be knowledgeable about the products or services of the manufacturer or producer they represent. They must also have strong analytical skills that would help them in coming up with cost-benefit analysis in assessing the current roster of clients and even prospective ones. Sales representatives should also be able to maintain good working relationships with all involved stakeholders, especially clients.
Technical sales engineers and sales representatives have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Technical Sales Engineer | Sales Representative | |
| Average salary | $88,623 | $56,591 |
| Salary range | Between $63,000 And $122,000 | Between $33,000 And $94,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Boston, MA |
| Highest paying state | Oregon | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | ||
| Best paying industry | Telecommunication | Pharmaceutical |
There are a few differences between a technical sales engineer and a sales representative in terms of educational background:
| Technical Sales Engineer | Sales Representative | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 54% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Business |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | SUNY College of Technology at Alfred |
Here are the differences between technical sales engineers' and sales representatives' demographics:
| Technical Sales Engineer | Sales Representative | |
| Average age | 44 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 88.6% Female, 11.4% | Male, 58.1% Female, 41.9% |
| Race ratio | 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% | Black or African American, 3.9% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.5% Asian, 5.2% White, 72.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 6% |