Sales Engineers

Create sales or service contracts for products or services.

AI: Fully automatable - AI systems plus contract templates and CLM workflows can generate, customize, and produce executable sales/service contracts end-to-end for most standard transactions.

Research and identify potential customers for products or services.

AI: Fully automatable - AI can scrape data, enrich profiles, segment markets, and produce prioritized prospect lists at scale, effectively automating lead research and identification.

Document account activities, generate reports, and keep records of business transactions with customers and suppliers.

AI: Fully automatable - Documenting account activities, generating reports, and maintaining transaction records are routine, data-driven tasks that can be fully automated via CRM/ERP integrations and AI workflows.

Keep informed on industry news and trends, products, services, competitors, relevant information about legacy, existing, and emerging technologies, and the latest product-line developments.

AI: Fully automatable - Automated monitoring, aggregation, and summarization of industry news, competitor activity, and technology trends is a mature AI capability and can be run continuously.

Maintain sales forecasting reports.

AI: Fully automatable - AI models can ingest sales and market data to generate, update, and maintain sales forecasting reports reliably, with human oversight for strategic adjustments.

Write technical documentation for products.

AI: Fully automatable - Given product specifications and access to subject-matter input, AI can generate complete technical documentation at scale, though expert validation remains advisable.

Report to supervisors about prospective firms' credit ratings.

AI: Fully automatable - AI can automatically retrieve credit data, assess ratings, and prepare supervisor-ready reports using public and paid data sources and scoring models.

Collaborate with sales teams to understand customer requirements, to promote the sale of company products, and to provide sales support.

AI: Partial - AI can synthesize customer needs, prepare sales materials, and support promotion, but cannot wholly replace the human collaboration, relationship-building, and complex negotiation in sales teams.

Sell products requiring extensive technical expertise and support for installation and use, such as material handling equipment, numerical-control machinery, or computer systems.

AI: Partial - AI can support technical selling with proposals, simulations, and Q&A, but actual sales of complex, installation-heavy products still require human expertise, demos, and on-site support.

Plan and modify product configurations to meet customer needs.

AI: Partial - AI can propose and iterate product configurations and run virtual checks, but final configuration planning and modifications typically require human engineering oversight for safety, compliance, and custom integration.

Confer with customers and engineers to assess equipment needs and to determine system requirements.

AI: Partial - AI can facilitate and synthesize conversations between customers and engineers and draft requirement specifications, but cannot fully replicate the nuanced, iterative interpersonal assessment and accountability of human conferring.

Prepare and deliver technical presentations that explain products or services to customers and prospective customers.

AI: Partial - AI can prepare high-quality technical presentations and deliver virtual/prescripted talks, but cannot fully replicate in-person adaptive interaction, trust-building, and on-the-fly technical Q&A in all sales contexts.

Arrange for demonstrations or trial installations of equipment.

AI: Partial - AI can automate scheduling, coordination, and documentation for demos or trials, but the physical setup and onsite coordination of equipment installations still require human technicians.

Secure and renew orders and arrange delivery.

AI: Partial - Routine renewals and logistical arrangements can be automated, but securing new or complex orders and negotiating bespoke terms still require human intervention.

Develop, present, or respond to proposals for specific customer requirements, including request for proposal responses and industry-specific solutions.

AI: Partial - AI can draft, tailor, and format RFP responses and proposals rapidly, but complex, highly bespoke technical solutions and final validation typically need human engineering and commercial judgment.

Visit prospective buyers at commercial, industrial, or other establishments to show samples or catalogs, and to inform them about product pricing, availability, and advantages.

AI: Partial - AI can perform virtual demos and produce materials or schedules, but it cannot physically visit and perform in-person sample/product showings and relationship-building on-site.

Provide technical and non-technical support and services to clients or other staff members regarding the use, operation, and maintenance of equipment.

AI: Partial - AI can provide extensive remote technical support, diagnostics, and instructions from documentation and sensor data, but cannot perform hands-on maintenance or complex field repairs autonomously.

Recommend improved materials or machinery to customers, documenting how such changes will lower costs or increase production.

AI: Partial - AI can analyze data and suggest material or machinery changes with cost/throughput estimations, but final engineering validation and real-world testing remain necessary.

Develop sales plans to introduce products in new markets.

AI: Partial - AI can generate data-driven sales plans, market segmentation, and go-to-market tactics, yet strategic decisions, stakeholder alignment, and execution planning need human oversight.

Diagnose problems with installed equipment.

AI: Partial - AI can diagnose many faults remotely using telemetry, logs, and models, but complex, novel, or hands-on fault resolution still requires human engineers on site.

Provide information needed for the development of custom-made machinery.

AI: Partial - AI can synthesize client requirements into technical information, specifications, and proposals but lacks on-site tacit knowledge and the stakeholder negotiation needed for fully autonomous development guidance.

Identify resale opportunities and support them to achieve sales plans.

AI: Partial - AI can identify resale opportunities from data and provide playbooks and outreach materials but cannot fully replace human relationship-building and complex negotiation to close deals.

Attend company training seminars to become familiar with product lines.

AI: Partial - AI can ingest training materials and learn product lines virtually, but cannot fully replicate in-person experiential learning, live Q&A dynamics, and hands-on practice in all contexts.

Train team members in the customer applications of technologies.

AI: Partial - AI can produce and deliver training modules and simulations for customer applications, yet human trainers are typically needed for mentorship, nuanced judgment, and real-time troubleshooting.

Attend trade shows and seminars to promote products or to learn about industry developments.

AI: Partial - AI can prepare materials, monitor sessions remotely, and support virtual presence but cannot fully replicate in-person networking, booth interaction, and hands-on demonstrations at physical trade shows.