SALES ENGINEERS

Job Definition:

Job Description:

• Sell business goods or services, the selling of which requires a technical background equivalent to a baccalaureate degree in engineering.

Duties and Tasks:

• 1) Arrange for demonstrations or trial installations of equipment.
• 2) Attend company training seminars to become familiar with product lines.
• 3) Collaborate with sales teams to understand customer requirements, to promote the sale of company products, and to provide sales support.
• 4) Confer with customers and engineers to assess equipment needs, and to determine system requirements.
• 5) Create sales or service contracts for products or services.
• 6) Develop sales plans to introduce products in new markets.
• 7) Develop, present, or respond to proposals for specific customer requirements, including request for proposal responses and industry-specific solutions.
• 8) Identify resale opportunities, and support them to achieve sales plans.
• 9) Keep informed on industry news and trends, products, services, competitors, relevant information about legacy, existing, and emerging technologies, and the latest product-line developments.
• 10) Plan and modify product configurations to meet customer needs.
• 11) Prepare and deliver technical presentations that explain products or services to customers and prospective customers.
• 12) Recommend improved materials or machinery to customers, documenting how such changes will lower costs or increase production.
• 13) Research and identify potential customers for products or services.
• 14) Secure and renew orders and arrange delivery.
• 15) Sell products requiring extensive technical expertise and support for installation and use, such as material handling equipment, numerical-control machinery, and computer systems.
• 16) Visit prospective buyers at commercial, industrial, or other establishments to show samples or catalogs, and to inform them about product pricing, availability, and advantages.
• 17) Attend trade shows and seminars to promote products or to learn about industry developments.
• 18) Diagnose problems with installed equipment.
• 19) Document account activities, generate reports, and keep records of business transactions with customers and suppliers.
• 20) Maintain sales forecasting reports.
• 21) Provide information needed for the development of custom-made machinery.
• 22) Provide technical and non-technical support and services to clients or other staff members regarding the use, operation, and maintenance of equipment.
• 23) Report to supervisors about prospective firms’ credit ratings.
• 24) Train team members in the customer applications of technologies.
• 25) Write technical documentation for products.

Activities:

• 1) Selling or Influencing Others — Convincing others to buy merchandise/goods or to otherwise change their minds or actions.
• 2) Drafting, Laying Out, and Specifying Technical Devices, Parts, and Equipment — Providing documentation, detailed instructions, drawings, or specifications to tell others about how devices, parts, equipment, or structures are to be fabricated, constructed, assembled, modified, maintained, or used.
• 3) Communicating with Persons Outside Organization — Communicating with people outside the organization, representing the organization to customers, the public, government, and other external sources. This information can be exchanged in person, in writing, or by telephone or e-mail.
• 4) Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates — Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
• 5) Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge — Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job.
• 6) Provide Consultation and Advice to Others — Providing guidance and expert advice to management or other groups on technical, systems-, or process-related topics.
• 7) Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships — Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time.
• 8) Analyzing Data or Information — Identifying the underlying principles, reasons, or facts of information by breaking down information or data into separate parts.
• 9) Estimating the Quantifiable Characteristics of Products, Events, or Information — Estimating sizes, distances, and quantities; or determining time, costs, resources, or materials needed to perform a work activity.
• 10) Getting Information — Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
• 11) Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others — Translating or explaining what information means and how it can be used.
• 12) Making Decisions and Solving Problems — Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
• 13) Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with Others — Handling complaints, settling disputes, and resolving grievances and conflicts, or otherwise negotiating with others.
• 14) Documenting/Recording Information — Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.
• 15) Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work — Developing specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work.
• 16) Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events — Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.
• 17) Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Material — Inspecting equipment, structures, or materials to identify the cause of errors or other problems or defects.
• 18) Judging the Qualities of Things, Services, or People — Assessing the value, importance, or quality of things or people.
• 19) Processing Information — Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or verifying information or data.
• 20) Thinking Creatively — Developing, designing, or creating new applications, ideas, relationships, systems, or products, including artistic contributions.
• 21) Training and Teaching Others — Identifying the educational needs of others, developing formal educational or training programs or classes, and teaching or instructing others.
• 22) Interacting With Computers — Using computers and computer systems (including hardware and software) to program, write software, set up functions, enter data, or process information.
• 23) Developing Objectives and Strategies — Establishing long-range objectives and specifying the strategies and actions to achieve them.
• 24) Handling and Moving Objects — Using hands and arms in handling, installing, positioning, and moving materials, and manipulating things.
• 25) Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards — Using relevant information and individual judgment to determine whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards.
• 26) Monitor Processes, Materials, or Surroundings — Monitoring and reviewing information from materials, events, or the environment, to detect or assess problems.

Abilities:

• 1) Oral Expression — The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• 2) Oral Comprehension — The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• 3) Speech Clarity — The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
• 4) Written Comprehension — The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• 5) Written Expression — The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
• 6) Near Vision — The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
• 7) Visualization — The ability to imagine how something will look after it is moved around or when its parts are moved or rearranged.
• 8) Fluency of Ideas — The ability to come up with a number of ideas about a topic (the number of ideas is important, not their quality, correctness, or creativity).
• 9) Mathematical Reasoning — The ability to choose the right mathematical methods or formulas to solve a problem.
• 10) Inductive Reasoning — The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
• 11) Originality — The ability to come up with unusual or clever ideas about a given topic or situation, or to develop creative ways to solve a problem.
• 12) Deductive Reasoning — The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
• 13) Speech Recognition — The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
• 14) Number Facility — The ability to add, subtract, multiply, or divide quickly and correctly.
• 15) Memorization — The ability to remember information such as words, numbers, pictures, and procedures.
• 16) Problem Sensitivity — The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
• 17) Information Ordering — The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).

Knowledge

• 1) Sales and Marketing — Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
• 2) Engineering and Technology — Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
• 3) Design — Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
• 4) Customer and Personal Service — Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
• 5) English Language — Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• 6) Production and Processing — Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
• 7) Education and Training — Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
• 8) Mathematics — Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
• 9) Economics and Accounting — Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking and the analysis and reporting of financial data.