What is a Sales Engineer?
A Sales Engineer is a commercial technical position, literally “sales engineer” with knowledge of Mechanical Engineering or Electrical Engineering. A Sales Engineer is mainly concerned with advising on and selling complex technical products with a Mechanical or Electrical engineering basis.
To be able to do this, the Sales Engineer must have very extensive knowledge of Mechanical or Electrical products and strong commercial skills. A Sales Engineer can therefore also be seen as a technical account manager and is somewhere between the engineer and the salesperson.
The activities of a Sales Engineer often consist of providing expert and commercial technical advice, visiting (potential) customers, and giving presentations about technical solutions.
The Sales Engineers also usually make initial planning and budget for the total package of activities. Because a Sales Engineer has a lot of technical knowledge and can convert this into commercial advice, the Sales Engineer often has a key position between the sales department, the development department, and the customer.
In practice, the focus in the work of a Sales Engineer depends on the organization and the person’s specialization. There are therefore differences in how technical and/or how commercial the position is. For example, a Mechanical Sales Engineer and an Electrical Sales Engineer will have a different functions in practice.
For example, you can have a lot of experience in specific Electrical Engineering or Mechanical Engineering, or in a sector such as Machine Construction, Apparatus Construction, Industry or Infrastructure Engineering.
Sales EngineerWhat kind of companies does a Sales Engineer work for?
As a Sales Engineer, you can work for a wide variety of companies. These can be companies in all branches in which Connetix is active but mainly focused on Mechanical Engineering or Electrical Engineering.
How do you become a Sales Engineer?
Sales Engineers usually have an HBO or WO education such as Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or Technical Business Administration.
In addition, it is important that as a Sales Engineer you have knowledge of specific machines and/or equipment, depending on which industry you would like to work in. It is also essential that you have communication, social and commercial skills, whereby customer-friendliness and being solution-oriented are very important.
What are the career opportunities as a Sales Engineer?
From the position of Sales Engineer in both Mechanical Engineering and Electrical Engineering, you have various career opportunities. For example, you can progress to Project Manager or Sales Manager.
Points to know about sales engineer training
Following sales engineer training is relevant to become a business expert. A trained sales engineer is able to ensure the quality of their work. Being an experienced professional is not enough, the job of a sales engineer is demanding. You need precise knowledge to carry out your missions!
The job of a sales engineer
Trained professionals can take on a variety of assignments. Their versatility gives them access to a variety of opportunities and attractive remuneration. A commercial engineer training includes a comprehensive program aimed at helping learners throughout their careers. Missions The role of the sales engineer is to ensure the sale of the products and services of the company for which he works. He also performs several
missions:
that of negotiator with suppliers, prospector, designer of commercial projects, and responsible for customer loyalty. To carry out his tasks, he relies on the knowledge he acquired during his training and works closely with the sales manager.
Opportunities
Many industries recruit different types of sales engineers. These professionals are of interest to companies in view of their commercial and technical capacities. Real estate agencies, for example, are interested in engineers who have received training related to their chosen field. The same is true for SS2i, agricultural enterprises, and health centers.
Compensation
In general, the remuneration of the technical sales engineer is subdivided into two parts: fixed and variable. The second part (the variable part) is defined according to the objectives set. The annual gain of this professional is around 30,000 euros. If he is trained in an establishment like L’École Française and if he puts his knowledge into practice, this figure can reach 120,000 euros.
The evolution of the profession
An experienced professional can apply for the position of key account engineer or sales manager after a few years of practice. The experiences he acquires over the years allow him to develop his technical capacities. His training increases his knowledge.
The profile required to become a sales engineer
To be able to apply for a commercial engineer position in a company, you must have a higher education qualification. It is also important to have several qualities. These are essential to carry out the missions entrusted by the Sales Director. For example, a person trained for this purpose has the necessary skills to carry out a negotiation or to convince clients.
Qualifications required
A commercial engineer is a professional holding a bac +5 diploma in commerce. In some cases, he holds a higher qualification (3rd cycle diploma in commerce). Once recruited by companies, he follows professional training which contributes to his development.
The qualities required to become an experienced professional
To properly accomplish his missions, the sales engineer mobilizes his skills in leadership and human relations. Thus, he must be able to approach various categories of interlocutors, such as suppliers, customers, employees, partners. As a negotiator, he must have a strong persuasive force as well as a sense of analysis and synthesis.
Language skills
Mastering a foreign language is a significant asset for this professional, whether beginner or experienced. He must, for example, understand and speak English, Spanish, or Mandarin according to the requirements of the company. To this end, training in commercial engineering enables the acquisition of new language skills.
Sales engineer training
To be trained in order to occupy the position of commercial engineer, it is necessary to obtain the baccalaureate ES, S, or STI2D. Then you have to study in a school of commerce or an engineering school.
Types of existing training
The School offers several relevant training modules for sales engineers. Among them are management, community management, the creation of sites, or the creation of companies. The courses can be done online or outside working hours, as CPF points out. They can also be of short duration, i.e. 4 weeks.
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