Hiring Sales Engineer

Are you an aspiring sales engineer looking for your next placement? We know the job search can be a daunting process. Let the NCW team help you through it.

Unlock our free Interview Packet

DOWNLOAD NOW
NCW Interview Packet Preview

Get the edge you need to ace your next interview directly from the source.

Download Our Free Interview Packet!

First name
Last name

What’s Inside?

Discover our comprehensive interview guide packed with valuable tips and insights to help you navigate every stage of the interview process with confidence. From dressing for success to mastering phone and video interviews, negotiating job offers/salary, and handling resignations, our guide covers it all. Download our interview guide and unlock the secrets to interview success in one convenient package.

SNEAK PEEK

Learn the art of post-interview etiquette and how to craft a compelling follow-up message.

Arm yourself with the skills to negotiate job offers, benefits, and other terms to secure the best possible outcome.

Use our free templates for crafting professional resignation letters.

Get a head start with valuable insights and quick strategies to boost your interview performance.

Hiring Sales Engineer

Sales engineers, who are also known as technical sales support workers, are vitally important for the long-term success of many B2B companies that offer technologically and scientifically advanced products and services. For example, B2B SaaS companies must sell high-tech, advanced solutions to other businesses to help them solve complex problems such as payroll, HR management, tax filing, or innovation. These customers expect thorough education and guidance throughout their decision-making process and continuous assistance and value after they purchase a software solution. So B2B SaaS salespeople must have intimate technical knowledge, advanced problem-solving skills, and strong interpersonal skills.

This is where sales engineers come in, which is why you may see many tech companies uploading “hiring sales engineer” posts online. The Bureau of Labor and Statistics reports that employment of sales engineers is projected to grow 6% from 2021 to 2031, with about 6,900 openings projected each year on average over the decade, demonstrating the positive job outlook for the sales engineering field.

There are several types of sales engineer jobs:

  • Subject Matter Expert (SME) – An SME has a large body of experience in a narrow field – narrower than the full set of a service or industry. This SE will be brought in for specific deals requiring domain knowledge or a specialist’s touch.
  • Generalist – A generalist is the opposite of an SME. Their job is to be able to go to any meeting and be able to add value across a large variety of different product offerings. In some cases, they will be able to suggest a solution directly, and in other cases, they will bring in an SME.
  • Solution Architect – A Solution architect is an SE who is much closer to the customer in understanding a particular industry or enterprise’s business problems and can suggest solutions that would help solve them. They tend to be much more customer-focused and may run the risk of going native. Solution architects know how to combine different products and services to solve particular business problems and how they fit into the customer’s environment.
  • Systems Engineers (SE) – Field systems engineers design and develop applications for different manufacturing control processes. They may be responsible for providing system configurations and safety protocols to meet business requirements. A Systems engineer has a strong understanding of all of the elements of a solution, both the parts belonging to their company and other vendors involved.
  • Product Evangelist – A product evangelist is the marketing boundary of Sales engineering. They work with marketing at attending conferences, public demonstrations or webinars and may assist on the direct sales side at times.
  • Technical Sales Reps – A Technical Sales Rep is practically no longer an SE but rather a sales rep who is technical enough to own any technical evaluation or sale. It is normally used when the product for sale is already well understood by the customer and doesn’t require additional demonstration or demoing.

Employers often require a minimum of a bachelor’s degree, but you can become an engineer in industrial automation without one if you have relevant years of work experience.

There are many other types of sales engineers, including technical account managers, field sales engineers, technical channel managers, and more.

Once you pick a specialty and begin your journey to get hired as a sales engineer, your resume is one of the most important tools you can use to make you stand out. It’s especially important to pay attention to your profile summary. Also known as a career profile or a resume summary, a profile summary gives a brief description of your experience, qualifications, skills, and accomplishments relevant to the position you’re applying for.

An example of a strong, eye-catching sales engineer profile summary can be: Highly knowledgeable and proficient sales engineer with mechanical engineering education and a 5-year track record of sales success. Self-motivated professional who excels at delivering quality customer service while exceeding revenue benchmarks on a consistent basis.

If you need more qualifications to put on your resume, you can take sales engineering courses. Since most positions require a bachelor’s degree, preferably in a high-technology field, you’ll want to make sure you have that basic education completed. There are also different independent courses you can complete depending on your level of education. Some courses may teach you the basics, while others may help you boost your skills and keep up with new technology to be a more effective sales engineer. These independent courses also help you appear more desirable to prospective employers.

Hiring Sales Engineer Salary

There are two very different pictures of the role of a recruiter in an organization: one who is acquiring talent as a part of a recruitment firm or staffing agency on behalf of another company, or one who focuses on internal talent acquisition—bringing talent into its own organization. An internal recruiter job description can be quite different than the role of a recruiter at a staffing/recruiting agency; however, the levels of responsibility may be similar. Let’s compare the different roles.

  • Preparing, developing, and presenting technical presentations and demonstrations to explain products and services to customers
  • Collaborating with customer care and sales teams to  understand customer needs and provide sales support throughout the entire purchase cycle
  • Generating high-quality sales leads and following up with them after initial contact
  • Negotiating prices
  • Securing and renewing orders
  • Arranging deliveries
  • Researching, creating, and modifying products to meet customer needs
  • Setting and achieving company sales quotas and benchmarks
  • Creating new sales and marketing strategies based on customer feedback
  • Training other team members
  • Helping customers who have problems with purchased products

This combination of technical knowledge, customer service skills, and problem-solving can make a sales engineer’s job extremely stressful, which is why sales engineers are well-compensated for their work. Sales engineers typically have a base pay of $85,000 a year. However, the salary can vary quite a bit depending on your specialty, experience, education, and level of skill.

When companies advertise that they are hiring, sales engineer salary can vary depending on the type of sales engineer. For example, [Salary.com|http://Salary.com] states software sales engineer salary can range anywhere from $105,446 to $130,622, and the median salary in the United States is $118,141 in 2022. On the other hand, an IT Subject Matter Expert’s salary range falls between $90,912 and $107,874 with a median of $99,198.

Your sales engineer salary may also differ depending on experience level. The more experience you acquire and sales you close as a sales engineer, the more you will be paid. When it comes to sales engineer salary, entry-level candidates can be paid anywhere from $48,230 to $79,896, while the average senior sales engineer salary ranges between $96,210 and $122,940. Some senior sales engineers can even make over $500,000 depending on the company and the number of leads closed.

Employers often offer a hybrid pay model, with a mix of commission-based pay and a set monthly salary along with other bonuses. Some may only pay based on commission, which can be based either on the overall performance of the team or company, or on the volume of sales per engineer. The job also often involves a lot of travel if you’re not an inside sales engineer, so many sales engineers also get compensated for on-the-road costs like accommodation, transportation, meals, and entertainment.

Check Out Our Job Opportunities!

Sales Engineer Jobs Entry Level

It takes time to build up to senior level jobs, so the most important part of getting started is getting your foot in the door. You may look up terms such as “sales engineer jobs entry level” to find jobs near you in your area.

You don’t always have to go into a physical office to be a successful sales engineer. You may also become a remote sales engineer. If you want to work from home as a sales engineer, entry level remote positions may be the best option for you.

You’ll often start by learning about the company’s product or service and keeping up with all its bug fixes and updates. You’ll also attend conferences, trade shows, and similar events to promote the company’s product or service and network, increasing lead gen and driving increased sales. You may join sales support to help other sales teams, and also do data analytics and prepare sales reports for upper management.

Many entry-level positions often begin with sales training under a general sales professional, an experienced sales engineer, or a sales team to equip you with the necessary sales skills. 

How To Become A Sales Engineer

So now you may be wondering how to become a sales engineer. Whether you’re seeking to become a software sales engineer, technical sales engineer, or another type of sales engineer, the first step is to get a sales engineer education. Once you graduate, you’ll obtain your sales engineer degree, which is most often a four-year bachelor’s degree in a high-technology field. The most common majors include:

  • Civil engineering
  • Electrical engineering
  • Computer science
  • Mechanical engineering
  • Business

After you graduate and receive your sales engineer certification, you will need to undergo a period of sales education to bridge the gap between technical education and sales knowledge and skills. You may also choose to take some sales courses while in college if you already know that sales engineering is your desired career. You can complete your sales training independently before getting hired, or through an internship.

You also need to develop other skills, such as customer service, computer skills, project management, and technical presentation skills. You may get some general sales certifications, such as the Certified Professional Sales Person (CPSP) certification. You can also take additional sales engineer training programs or attend a sales engineer bootcamp to learn these skills and increase your technical knowledge for a higher sales engineer salary.

NCW Electrician on the job

We’re Hiring!

We Think You Have What It Takes To Be A Sales Engineer… Do You?

As an integral piece of the construction industry,  superintendents are needed by top general contractors nationwide. NCW partners with top ENR contractors to help fill their open roles. Thinking about making the next jump in your career? Talk to the NCW team today!

Software Sales Engineer Jobs

You may look up software sales engineer jobs if you’re looking for a position selling B2B SaaS products or technological products. Since many sales engineer jobs are in the SaaS and tech industry, you may find good results just by looking up the phrase “entry level engineering jobs”. It’s best to pay attention to each company’s unique sales engineer job description before applying so you’ll know exactly what the job requires and entails and what keywords to include on your resume.

If you’re seeking a sales engineer position and are not sure where to look or having difficulty finding the perfect position, NCW can help you find your next ideal opportunity. This job placement agency helps you put your best foot forward by investing time in preparing you for the interview and acting as a support system throughout the entire interview and acceptance process.

Find Your Dream Job

About NCW

Jumpstart Your Career With NCW

Are you on the hunt for your next career move? Look no further than NCW, the staffing and professional recruitment specialists who do things differently. Since our founding in 2000, our primary focus has been on you – the talented individuals behind each role.

At NCW, we believe in forming meaningful, long-term partnerships with top companies and organizations. We go beyond just matching job requirements and resumes; we want to understand your “whys” and motivations. We’re committed to unraveling the unique qualities and aspirations that drive you, to ensure we find the perfect fit for your skills and ambitions.

Discover the difference of working with NCW. Partner with us and unlock a world of career possibilities. Your next exciting opportunity awaits.

Build Your Team Today

Are you in need of recruiting services? Our team has 20+ years of recruiting experience working to match your company with top notch candidates. Reach out to our team for more information.