Sales Engineers

Sales & Account Management

Level 4457 of 1200 points

Job description

Sales Engineers

Job purpose

To sell business goods and services whose sale requires an engineering background, assessing customer equipment needs, configuring and proposing technical solutions and securing the resulting contracts, so that customers adopt products suited to their requirements and sales plans are met.

Skills

Engineering and technology knowledge at degree level combined with sales and marketing method — product demonstration, selling technique and sales control — and customer needs assessment. Requires current command of legacy, existing and emerging technologies, competitors and product-line developments, kept up through trade shows, seminars and product training, plus the mathematics to estimate costs and quantities. A bachelor's degree is the norm and a quarter of incumbents hold a master's, with several years of related experience and on-the-job training.
Deals principally with external customers: visits prospective buyers at commercial and industrial establishments to show samples and catalogues and explain pricing, availability and advantages, and delivers technical presentations to prospects. Technical argument has to be pitched to buyers who are not engineers, and objections met without conceding the commercial position. Also trains sales colleagues in the customer applications of the technologies sold.
Determines system requirements by conferring with the customer and their engineers, then plans or modifies product configurations to meet them, recommending improved materials or machinery and documenting how the change lowers cost or raises output. Each answer must be both sound engineering and viable business; decisions are frequent, and their consequences fall on the customer and on company results.
Researches and identifies potential customers, develops sales plans to introduce products into new markets, pursues resale opportunities and maintains sales forecasts. Runs a diary of customer visits, demonstrations, proposal deadlines and trade events. Priorities are largely self-set, but the timetable is imposed by customer availability and tender closing dates.
Desk and computer work on proposals and records, interspersed with travel to customer premises to present and demonstrate equipment. No manual handling or lifting demands recorded.

Responsibilities

No line management. Trains team members in the customer applications of technologies and coordinates colleagues delivering demonstrations and support; sales teams' results depend in part on the technical case made here.
Creates sales and service contracts, informs customers of product pricing and availability, secures and renews orders and arranges delivery, and develops and responds to proposals and formal tenders. Reports to supervisors on the credit standing of prospective firms. Commits the organisation to price, specification and delivery terms.
Custody of demonstration samples, catalogues and equipment taken to customer sites, and arranges trial installations. Diagnoses faults in installed equipment, advises on its use, operation and maintenance, and provides information for the development of custom-made machinery.
Documents account activity and keeps records of transactions with customers and suppliers, and writes technical documentation for products. Customer pricing, configuration and commercial information is confidential, and an error in a quoted specification or price binds the organisation and is costly to unwind.

Effort required

Holds a large and shifting body of product knowledge current while judging commercial fit, switching continually between customer meetings, configuration work, proposal writing and forecasting. Telephone and e-mail contact is near-constant; decisions are frequent and taken under the time pressure of tender and delivery dates.
Represents the organisation to external customers, sustaining relationships through disagreement over price, specification or the performance of equipment sold. Persuasion, negotiation and the absorption of objection are constant, in a competitive market and against sales plans for which the postholder answers.
Substantial seated work at a desk and in meetings, with visits to customer establishments and trade events. No lifting or exertion recorded.

Working conditions

Indoor, environmentally controlled offices and customer premises, with no hazardous conditions, contaminants, noise or weather recorded. Psychosocial exposure is that of continuous external contact and competitive selling; no dealing with aggressive or discourteous people is recorded.
Almost all incumbents work a regular established schedule, but the majority work more than a standard forty-hour week, the pattern shaped by customer availability, travel and tender deadlines. Time pressure is high and autonomy extensive: freedom to make decisions and to set own tasks, priorities and goals is marked, and those decisions carry direct consequences for company results.

Skills

40% · 231 points▾

KnowledgeLevel 4 of 8
72 of 144 points
Factual and theoretical knowledge in broad contexts within a field of work. The job requires a range of thinking and practical knowledge to find solutions to specific problems in the job or study area.
Interpersonal and communication skillsLevel 3 of 5
58 of 96 points
Effective communication and interpersonal relationships. The job holder is required to adapt communication to different audiences and foster trust, cooperation and positive working relationships.
Problem-solving skillsLevel 3 of 5
58 of 96 points
Variable problems. The job involves dealing with different kinds of problems that require careful thinking, research into different options or adjusting existing ways of doing things. Guidance and resources may be limited.
Planning and organisational skillsLevel 3 of 5
43 of 72 points
Moderate organisational skills required. The job requires the organising and prioritising of multiple tasks, with some level of adjustment to plans on the basis of changing circumstances or deadlines.
Physical skillsLevel 0 of 5
0 of 72 points
Not applicable. The job does not require any particular physical skills (although there is likely to be some physical activity).

Responsibility

35% · 123 points▾

PeopleLevel 1 of 5
29 of 144 points
Very limited. Not required to supervise or perform a caregiving role. The job may involve providing basic guidance to or orientation for others, such as helping new colleagues settle in.
Goods and equipmentLevel 1 of 5
17 of 84 points
Limited responsibility for goods or equipment. The job involves the care and proper use of low-value tools or materials, with minimal responsibility for their maintenance or security.
InformationLevel 3 of 5
58 of 96 points
Moderate responsibility for information. The job involves managing information to ensure it is accurate, of high quality and secure. The job holder may make decisions about the handling of sensitive data.
Financial resourcesLevel 1 of 5
19 of 96 points
Very limited responsibility for financial resources. The job involves handling small amounts of cash or processing simple transactions, such as recording expenses or maintaining basic financial records.

Effort

15% · 79 points▾

Mental effortLevel 3 of 5
36 of 60 points
High level of mental effort. The job involves frequent concentration on complex tasks that require considerable mental effort, such as interpreting complex data.
Psychosocial and emotional effortLevel 3 of 5
43 of 72 points
Moderate psychosocial and emotional effort. The job requires the regular management of emotional responses, such as dealing with sensitive or challenging individuals or situations.
Physical effortLevel 0 of 5
0 of 48 points
Not applicable. The job does not require any physical effort.

Working Conditions

10% · 24 points▾

Environment (physical, psychological or emotional)Level 1 of 5
17 of 84 points
Minimal exposure to hazards or stress. The job involves little or no exposure to physical hazards (e.g. chemicals, moving equipment, noise) and minimal emotional or psychological risks (e.g. occasional routine tasks with no emotional burden). There is minor exposure to dust, dirt, fumes, noise, waste, poor lighting, etc.
Organisational environmentLevel 1 of 5
7 of 36 points
Minimal organisational demands. The job requires standard working hours with no night shifts or irregular schedules. There is little or no need for travel or digital connectivity beyond typical working hours.