Sales Engineers
Also called: Aeronautical Products Sales Engineer, Aerospace Products Sales Engineer, Agricultural Equipment Sales Engineer, Business Development Engineer, Ceramic Products Sales Engineer, Channel Sales Engineer (CSE), Chemical Equipment Sales Engineer, Customer Engineer
Sell business goods or services, the selling of which requires a technical background equivalent to a baccalaureate degree in engineering.
What sales engineers do
Typical tasks
- Develop, present, or respond to proposals for specific customer requirements, including request for proposal responses and industry-specific solutions.
- Collaborate with sales teams to understand customer requirements, to promote the sale of company products, and to provide sales support.
- Create sales or service contracts for products or services.
- Visit prospective buyers at commercial, industrial, or other establishments to show samples or catalogs, and to inform them about product pricing, availability, and advantages.
- Keep informed on industry news and trends, products, services, competitors, relevant information about legacy, existing, and emerging technologies, and the latest product-line developments.
- Identify resale opportunities and support them to achieve sales plans.
- Confer with customers and engineers to assess equipment needs and to determine system requirements.
- Plan and modify product configurations to meet customer needs.
- Prepare and deliver technical presentations that explain products or services to customers and prospective customers.
- Recommend improved materials or machinery to customers, documenting how such changes will lower costs or increase production.
- Maintain sales forecasting reports.
- Document account activities, generate reports, and keep records of business transactions with customers and suppliers.
Typical path into the job (BLS)
Sales Engineers salary
The median annual wage for sales engineers is $124,900 (BLS OEWS May 2025; BLS Employment Projections 2025–35, national). The lowest 10 percent earn less than $73,870 and the highest 10 percent earn more than $195,270. The mean annual wage is $130,140.
The mean hourly wage of $62.00 is 8.6× the federal minimum wage of $7.25. State minimums are higher in most large states. Minimum wage by state →
How does your pay compare with people your age?
Your numbers are not sent or stored. The comparison uses this occupation's BLS wage percentiles, adjusted for age with BLS median weekly earnings by age group (Q3 2026).
Pay by percentile
Annual wage percentiles from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS). Percentiles are a good proxy for pay by experience.
Projected pay for Sales Engineers (3, 5 and 10 years)est.
Today $124,900 → in 3 years $134,600 → in 5 years $141,500 → in 10 years $160,200 (10-year range $137,800–$186,000). The model assumes pay growth of +2.5% per year.
What drives the annual growth rate
Projected pay = current pay × (1 + annual growth)^years. The annual growth rate starts from a base wage-growth rate and adds or subtracts labor demand (BLS projected employment growth), wage momentum and AI replacement risk for each occupation. Projections are not guarantees. How it is calculated →
Outlook score for Sales Engineers
Each component is a percentile rank among all occupations in the same country (0–100). Weights: labor demand 25, wage momentum / openings 15, pay level 15, AI resistance 25, aging workforce 10 (Japan only), entry barrier 10.
Will AI replace Sales Engineers? AI replacement risk
How AI is changing this job
A written analysis for this occupation is being prepared.
AI replacement risk compares the parts of a job that are easy to hand to AI or software (processing information, documentation, repetitive computer work) with the parts that are hard to automate (physical work, working closely with people, judgment in unpredictable settings), using O*NET work activities, work context, skills and knowledge. The result is a relative position among all occupations in the country, scaled to 0–100%. Methodology →
Labor demand for Sales Engineers
Employment projections are from the BLS Employment Projections program (2025–35). Annual openings include both new jobs and replacement of workers who leave the occupation.
The same job in Japan
| Sales Engineers United States | コンサルティング営業（IT） Japan | |
|---|---|---|
| Median / average pay | $124,900 | ¥6.59M ≈ $41,933 |
| Pay in 10 years (est.) | $160,200 | ¥8.25M |
| Outlook score | 53 | 54 |
| AI replacement risk | 64% High | 63% High |
| Workers | 52K | — |
Matched by occupation (SOC code). Yen converted at 157.25 JPY/USD for reference; Japanese figures are averages, U.S. figures are medians, and the surveys define occupations differently.
Skills, education and requirements for Sales Engineers
Key skills
O*NET skill level ratings (0–7).
Key knowledge areas
What the work involves
Important abilities
Education of workers
Training before entry
Related work experience
Job Zone 4 — considerable preparation needed (O*NET)
Difficulty of entry: ★★★★☆ Demanding (from education, training, experience and Job Zone)
How to become sales engineers
A step-by-step guide for this occupation is being prepared. The education, training and experience data above show the typical path.
Career path and how to earn more as sales engineers
Career-path guidance is being prepared. Pay by percentile is shown in the Pay section.