How to become a sales engineer: What the role entails + career path guide

Sales jobs look a lot different than they did just a couple of decades ago. Sure, we still make cold calls, pay visits to prospects, and nurture relationships with existing customers. But technology has advanced the sales industry, and depending on a company’s products, region, and size, a business may now require sales experts with different specialties.

The Consumer Technology Association (CTA)® predicted Americans will spend $505 billion on tech products and services in 2022—a 3.5 percent increase from the previous year. With the tech industry rapidly growing, companies are on the hunt for tech-savvy, down-to-earth sales representatives who know what it takes to explain Big Tech. That’s where a sales engineer comes in.

Our guide will detail the role of a sales engineer, what it takes to become one, and the career path to get you there.

• What is a sales engineer?
• What does a sales engineer do?
• Sales engineer skills you need
• How to become a sales engineer: The typical career path
• How to prepare for a sales engineer interview
• Sales engineer FAQs
• Enhance your sales engineer qualifications by becoming a sales tech expert

Some sales engineers work independently, while others work alongside other sales team members. They often assist product development teams, serving as tech consultants for the sale.

Role expectations: What does a sales engineer do?

A sales engineer’s primary job is to use their expertise to translate technical concepts into everyday language so that complicated products are approachable and understandable for potential buyers. But there’s more to the role than what you’ll find in the typical sales engineer job description. Some common activities for sales engineers include:

• Preparing and leading presentations that carefully explain the scientific or technical aspects of products
• Consulting with current and prospective customers (and other engineers) about equipment and system requirements
• Securing orders of relevant products and arranging their delivery
• Working with the sales team to understand customer problems and how relevant products might solve them
• Collaborating with product development to modify products to better address customer pain points
• Assisting established clients with the product or tech installation
• Recommending improvements to the company to lower costs and/or increase production efficiency
• Researching and developing new products with the product development team

Many aspects of a sales engineer’s job overlap with those of a sales rep, which makes it a highly specialized position. Not only do sales engineers need to be excellent sales representatives, but they also need to be science and technology experts. Because they have a hand in everything from sales to marketing to product development, sales engineers are often considered the driving force behind bringing products to market.

Sales engineer skills you need

As you take your first steps toward becoming a sales engineer, there’s a lot of work to do along the way. In addition to ensuring you’re well-studied and fully certified, you’ll need to develop all the necessary technical skills and qualities of a sales engineer. Here are a few hard and soft skills to focus on.

Hard skills

• Sales skills: A sales engineer should have experience working in sales and understand the sales process.
• Project management skills: Sales engineers must be the quarterback of the project, keeping it on track, proactively communicating, collaborating with sales managers, and meeting deadlines during the sales cycle.
• Research and analytical skills: Analyzing data and finding new or creative ways to optimize the customer experience are critical skills. Because sales engineers are involved in sales and product conversations with the customer, they’re uniquely positioned to identify opportunities to improve the sales process, marketing, and product development.
• Technical knowledge: You’re not selling to tech experts—you’re selling to people who want to use tech to fix their problems. The ability to explain complex products and concepts in simple terms is what makes a great sales engineer.
• Q&A skills: Adequately answering the prospect’s questions and asking the right ones to better understand their needs are key to effective sales.
• Writing skills: You will be creating documents that detail your products or services. It’s crucial to tailor the benefits to each prospect’s business.

Soft skills

• Communication skills: Build trust and loyalty with knowledgeable, transparent communication that helps customers make informed decisions about your offerings.
• Public speaking skills: Sales engineers often lead presentations and demos for prospects. You must be able to speak confidently to a room of prospects, answer their questions, and create a compelling pitch to generate sales.
• Organizational skills: Sales engineers often handle several projects at once, so keeping records and customer data organized will help you stay on top of your work.
• Problem-solving skills: You are not only expected to solve client pain points but also to address technical issues when they arise. A cool head and a keen eye are essential.
• People and teamwork skills: You’re going to be working alongside people with different personality traits. You must be able to navigate social situations with ease and create a calm, pleasant environment.
• Networking skills: Creating connections with customers and peers can result in referral opportunities and more insights into different technologies and industries.

How to become a sales engineer: The typical career path

Where do you start? Although everyone experiences unique twists and turns on their journey to becoming a sales engineer, most people share a similar path. Following the steps below will help guide you toward your goal.

Pick an industry

Research sales engineer positions across a variety of industries to determine which field or specialty you’re most interested in. Some industries include:

• Computer science

• Manufacturing

• Telecommunications

• Construction

You can also identify the types of companies you’d like to work for first, then work backward to get the required education and relevant experience. Start building your network so that when you’re ready to go, the industry is ready to have you.

Get a degree

Once you’ve decided on an industry, research the education requirements. The average sales engineer starts with a degree in computer science, engineering (electrical, mechanical, or civil), or a related technical field. While it’s possible to become a sales engineer without one of these degrees, they make it much easier to get a foot in the door.

Earn certifications

Before beginning a sales career, sales engineers should acquire basic sales certifications. There are several certifications you can earn, but a few important ones include:

• Certified Professional Sales Person (CPSP) certification through the National Association of Sales Professionals (NASP)
• Certified Sales Engineer (CSE) certification through the North American Association of Sales Engineering (NAASE)
• SMEI Certified Professional Salesperson (SCPS) certification through Sales and Marketing Executives International (SMEI)

Gain experience

While earning certifications, look for opportunities in your chosen industry to gain experience working with the products you want to sell. Jeff Miller, a sales engineer at McHenry Roofing, emphasized the importance of sales experience when interacting with clients.

“You can be an encyclopedia about the product, but you’ll never understand the rebuttals to the product until you get in front of real potential clients,” Miller says. “You need to understand the problems of your clients before you can properly introduce your product as a solution.”

Though many aim to land a sales rep role, getting a trainee position or serving as a technological consultant alongside a non-tech-trained sales representative can help you develop sales strategies.

Henry Foster, a seasoned systems engineer and technical head at Skilled Golf, took advantage of different avenues to gain valuable experience after graduation. In addition to completing courses to improve his technical skills, he says he joined “several internship programs to take part in extensive on-the-job training programs to develop a thorough understanding of products.”

Apply for sales engineer jobs

Once you have the education, certifications, and sales experience, start looking for sales engineer jobs in your industry. Pick positions that interest you, and don’t be afraid to apply—even if you don’t meet every qualification listed. Just be sure to draft a winning resume and cover letter that demonstrate your skills, passion, and experience that sets you apart from the competition.

How to prepare for a sales engineer interview

So, your resume landed you an interview. Now what? Here are a few tips on how to prepare and impress during the interview process.

Preparation tips

When preparing for the interview, you must be able to answer questions about different sides of the sales process. A sales engineer should possess deep knowledge of a product’s technical specifications and be able to explain them in a way that’s easily understandable. You also need the ability to understand a customer’s needs and pain points and sell them on how your product or service can help.

Here are a few topics that you should be prepared to discuss during your sales engineer interview:

• Questions detailing your experience and background in a sales or technical role

• Behavioral and situational questions

• Questions about your technical and soft skills

Common interview questions

You’ll likely get the basic questions during your interview (“Can you tell us about yourself?” and “Why are you interested in this role?”), but you also need to prepare for more complex sales interview questions.

Here are 10 in-depth questions you may face during your sales engineer interview and how to answer them.

1. Tell us about your previous experience related to sales engineer roles.
   Why they’re asking: to better understand how your previous experience aligns with the position for which you’re applying.
   
   How to answer: Consider how your previous roles tie into the role you’re interviewing for. Describe each relevant role, your duties and responsibilities, and examples of how you performed them.
2. Walk us through how you typically handle a sales call.
   Why they’re asking: to learn how you speak to potential customers and what information you choose to discuss.
   
   How to answer: Mention the importance of asking the customer questions about their pain points and their needs, and then explain how you would describe the value of your products or services.
3. Describe a successful sales project you’re proud of, and what was your role?
   Why they’re asking: to further understand the depth of your experience and how you measure success.
   
   How to answer: Include the details of your role, the challenges you faced, and the metrics used to measure your success.
4. Describe a challenging sales project and how you overcame the challenges.
   Why they’re asking: to evaluate your problem-solving skills and communication methods in difficult situations.
   
   How to answer: Specify the goal of the project, the challenge you faced, and the critical-thinking skills you used to find a solution to satisfy the customer.
5. How do you approach providing demonstrations to customers?
   Why they’re asking: to assess your public speaking skills, how you think on your feet, and your strategy for what information to include during demos.
   
   How to answer: Detail how you pinpoint the customer’s needs, answer their questions, and describe the value of your products or services.
6. How would you handle a situation where you don’t have a solution for a customer’s pain points?
   Why they’re asking: to gauge your problem-solving skills, communication skills, and how you work with others to find possible solutions.
   
   How to answer: Describe a situation where you had to reach out to teammates for help finding a solution to a customer’s problem. Explain how you communicated with the customer, whom you reached out to for help, and the outcome.
7. Explain how a sales cycle works.
   Why they’re asking: to see if you understand the basics of a sales cycle.
   
   How to answer: Describe the sales cycle stages and an example of how you used them in successful projects.
8. How do you measure sales success?
   Why they’re asking: to determine whether it aligns with how their company measures success.
   
   How to answer: Include metrics like sales profits, number of leads, and deals won.
9. Do you thrive in independent or collaborative work environments?
   Why they’re asking: to evaluate your ability to work well with others and your problem-solving skills.
   
   How to answer: Provide examples of projects when you excelled both independently and as a member of a team.
10. How would you present our product to a potential customer?
    Why they’re asking: to see if you researched their product, to gauge your presentation skills, and to discover what information you think is relevant.
    
    How to answer: Highlight the product benefits, explain the technical aspects in nontechnical terms, and detail how it serves as a solution to the customer’s pain points.

Sales engineer FAQs

These frequently asked questions can help you learn more about becoming a sales engineer.

Enhance your sales engineer qualifications by becoming a sales tech expert

No matter your technical specialty, every sales engineer needs to have a handle on sales technology. This includes:

• CRM software
• SFA systems
• Lead generation software
• Contact management platforms

Sales technology makes modern sales happen efficiently, accurately, and effortlessly. Sales engineers and reps use these tools daily for sales tracking and sales funnel management as well as for client and co-worker communication.

If you’re looking to combine your passions for sales and technology, you should be comfortable with the tech needed to make sales happen. The easiest way to get your hands on a simple CRM is to request a demo of Zendesk Sell. Reach out today, and take the first steps on your sales engineer career path with the powerful combination of sales and technical expertise.