Sales Engineer

Overview

Who is Sales Engineer?

Sales engineers sell scientifically and technologically advanced products or services to engineering companies. They must have comprehensive knowledge on the parts and functions of the products and must understand the technical processes that make them work. These individuals are trained in the detailed technology language, businesses know-hows, and the client behaviour.

Typical day at work

What does Sales Engineer do?

A technical sales engineer combines technical knowledge with sales abilities to offer advice and help on a variety of items that need a specific degree of competence. From a technical standpoint, they support colleagues with proposals and tenders for new clients. Clients are mostly technical personnel from non-retail businesses such as manufacturers, public utilities, municipal governments, and hospitals. The task is emphasised differently based on the amount of technical expertise required to market a certain product or service. Clients' technical sales engineers are a critical point of contact for both pre-and post-sales help. They communicate with other members of the sales team as well as colleagues from various departments such as design, development, manufacturing, buying, quality, research, and senior business management frequently.

• Understand and suggest customer needs to endorse company sales, offer sales support, and industry-specific solutions needs
• Sell, provide installation, and use of technical products
• Propose product configuration changes based on customer requirements
• Examine equipment and system requirements with collaboration of engineers and clients
• Offer technical presentations explaining products or services to buyers
• Organise demonstrations and equipment installation trial
• Draft product sales or service contracts
• Visit potential customers to show samples or catalogues, and provide information product pricing, availability, and benefits
• Provide technical and non-technical support about equipment use, operation, and maintenance to employees and customers
• Suggest customers better equipment or machinery to document lower costs or increased production changes
• Make sales plans for announcement of products in different markets
• Identify issues in installed products
• Give required information in the production of custom-made machinery
• Keep records and write reports on account activities and commercial transactions with clients and contractors
• Market research on new trends, products, services, contenders, up and coming technologies, and the newest product-line developments
• Keep reports on sales forecasting
• Recognize opportunities of resale and back them to accomplish sales plans
• Gain new and renew orders as well as organise delivery of the products
• Interest the customer in product purchase by impressing them with the product features, negotiate a price, and complete the sale.

Abilities & aptitude needed

What are the skills, abilities & aptitude needed to become Sales Engineer?

Sales Engineer tends to be enterprising individuals, assertive, dynamic, extroverted, enthusiastic, confident, persuasive, and optimistic. A professional demeanour at all times is very necessary for a Sales Engineer.

They must communicate clearly, both verbally and in written, in order to have healthy interaction with employees, colleagues, and customers. Along with   communication, one must also listen carefully to understand customers’ questions and grievances in order to be able to help them. This also calls for possessing strong levels of patience, people management and convincing skills to interact with angry or stressed customers. Thus, having a friendly and engaging personality with great interpersonal skills can be beneficial. Along with this, negotiation skill is a powerful tool for a sales engineer to have.

They must also possess strong organizational, operational, and planning skills. Ability multitask, be pro-active, and goal-oriented is an added benefit.

Management, customer service, eye for detail, problem-solving, analytical, decision-making, technological and computer skills are important to identify issues and resolve problems in a timely manner for a Sales Engineer.

Courses

Which course I can pursue?