People Team AI Ask about a date

How exposed to AI is a Sales Engineer?

Of the 25 tasks O*NET lists for sales engineers, 8 could be done in half the time with a chat window today. 6 cannot be sped up at all. Here is which.

Exposure means published research judged an AI could halve the time a task takes, at the same quality. It does not mean the task stops needing a person. How to read this

Also called
Business Development EngineerInside Sales EngineerProduct Sales EngineerSales Applications EngineerSales EngineerTechnical Marketing EngineerTechnical Sales Engineer
Reachable today Needs software built first Cannot be sped up
25
tasks rated for this occupation
83%
hold a degree, from a survey of only 17
60k
people do this job in the US
8 of 22
least protected in sales

Every task, and what AI can do with it

These are O*NET's task statements for this occupation, exactly as written, sorted into the three bands by the ratings behind this report. Nothing has been reworded.

Reachable with a chat window today

8
  • Develop, present, or respond to proposals for specific customer requirements, including request for proposal responses and industry-specific solutions
  • Create sales or service contracts for products or services
  • Identify resale opportunities and support them to achieve sales plans
  • Recommend improved materials or machinery to customers, documenting how such changes will lower costs or increase production
  • Research and identify potential customers for products or services
  • Develop sales plans to introduce products in new markets
  • Provide technical and non-technical support and services to clients or other staff members regarding the use, operation, and maintenance of equipment
  • Write technical documentation for products

Only with software built on top

11
  • Collaborate with sales teams to understand customer requirements, to promote the sale of company products, and to provide sales support
  • Keep informed on industry news and trends, products, services, competitors, relevant information about legacy, existing, and emerging technologies, and the latest product-line developments
  • 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
  • Maintain sales forecasting reports
  • Document account activities, generate reports, and keep records of business transactions with customers and suppliers
  • Secure and renew orders and arrange delivery
  • Provide information needed for the development of custom-made machinery
  • Diagnose problems with installed equipment
  • Report to supervisors about prospective firms' credit ratings

Cannot be sped up

6
  • Visit prospective buyers at commercial, industrial, or other establishments to show samples or catalogs, and to inform them about product pricing, availability, and advantages
  • Attend trade shows and seminars to promote products or to learn about industry developments
  • Attend company training seminars to become familiar with product lines
  • Arrange for demonstrations or trial installations of equipment
  • Train team members in the customer applications of technologies
  • Sell products requiring extensive technical expertise and support for installation and use, such as material handling equipment, numerical-control machinery, or computer systems
What this does not say

This is not a prediction about your job

Nobody surveyed an employer. Tasks are counted equally, so a percentage here is a share of the list rather than a share of your week. And the ratings were made in 2023, which makes every figure a floor rather than a ceiling.

It must never be used to select anyone for redundancy. The full limits are here.

Where to go next

This is the standard task list for the title. The useful next question is which of the tasks you actually do should go near AI, and which should not.

Sort your own tasks Read the full report

Exposure ratings from Eloundou, Manning, Mishkin and Rock, GPTs are GPTs: Labor market impact potential of LLMs, Science 384, 1306–1308, 2024, used under the MIT licence. This page includes information from the O*NET Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. People Team AI has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. Employment figures from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.