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The differences between technical sales specialists and technical sales engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a technical sales specialist, becoming a technical sales engineer takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a technical sales engineer has an average salary of $88,623, which is higher than the $86,598 average annual salary of a technical sales specialist.
The top three skills for a technical sales specialist include customer service, technical knowledge and cloud. The most important skills for a technical sales engineer are customer service, sales process, and product line.
| Technical Sales Specialist | Technical Sales Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $86,598 | $88,623 |
| Hourly rate | $41.63 | $42.61 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 212,987 | 161,743 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Average age | 47 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 6 |
A technical sales specialist is in charge of devising strategies to develop technical solutions for optimizing sales procedures. Their responsibilities revolve around identifying market and client needs, assessing existing programs and projects to determine its strengths and weaknesses, and recommending improvements as needed. A technical sales specialist may also interact with walk-in clients, or reach out to them through calls and correspondence, to demonstrate and offer products and services. Furthermore, as a technical sales specialist, it is essential to produce progress reports and maintain records of transactions, all while prioritizing to meet sales targets.
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.
Technical sales specialists and technical sales engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Technical Sales Specialist | Technical Sales Engineer | |
| Average salary | $86,598 | $88,623 |
| Salary range | Between $57,000 And $129,000 | Between $63,000 And $122,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Oregon |
| Best paying company | ||
| Best paying industry | - | Telecommunication |
There are a few differences between a technical sales specialist and a technical sales engineer in terms of educational background:
| Technical Sales Specialist | Technical Sales Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Most common major | Business | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between technical sales specialists' and technical sales engineers' demographics:
| Technical Sales Specialist | Technical Sales Engineer | |
| Average age | 47 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 75.3% Female, 24.7% | Male, 88.6% Female, 11.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.9% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.4% Asian, 5.2% White, 72.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | 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% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 7% |