Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products
Sell goods for wholesalers or manufacturers to businesses or groups of individuals.
High school diploma
Sales
Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Products
Also called: Inside Sales Representative, Marketing Representative, Sales Representative
- Typical education
- Bachelor's degree
- 39% of workers surveyed
- Preparation needed
- Considerable Preparation Needed
- Job Zone 4 of 5
- Programs in this directory
- 161
- that lead to this career
What sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, technical and scientific products do
Sell goods for wholesalers or manufacturers where technical or scientific knowledge is required in such areas as biology, engineering, chemistry, and electronics, normally obtained from at least 2 years of postsecondary education.
Typical tasks
- 1Negotiate prices or terms of sales or service agreements.
- 2Prepare and submit sales contracts for orders.
- 3Visit establishments to evaluate needs or to promote product or service sales.
- 4Maintain customer records, using automated systems.
- 5Answer customers' questions about products, prices, availability, or credit terms.
- 6Quote prices, credit terms, or other bid specifications.
- 7Contact new or existing customers to discuss how specific products or services can meet their needs.
- 8Emphasize product features, based on analyses of customers' needs and on technical knowledge of product capabilities and limitations.
- 9Compute customer's installation or production costs and estimate savings from new services, products, or equipment.
- 10Select or assist customers in selecting products based on customer needs, product specifications, and applicable regulations.
Key skills
- Persuasion4.2/5
- Speaking4.2/5
- Active Listening4.1/5
- Negotiation4.0/5
- Social Perceptiveness3.9/5
- Reading Comprehension3.8/5
- Service Orientation3.8/5
- Coordination3.6/5
Importance rated by workers in this career (1–5).
Knowledge areas
- Customer and Personal Service4.4/5
- Sales and Marketing4.3/5
- English Language3.7/5
- Administration and Management3.2/5
- Mathematics3.2/5
- Production and Processing3.1/5
Importance rated by workers in this career (1–5).
Technology used
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Office software
- Microsoft Outlook
- Salesforce software
- Amazon Web Services AWS software
- Apache Hadoop
- Google Analytics
- Google Workspace software
- HubSpot software
- IBM SPSS Statistics
- Intuit QuickBooks
- Linux
How to become one
- Education
- The most common level among workers surveyed is a bachelor's degree (39%). Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
- Experience
- A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.
- Training
- Employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training.
Where to study
Subjects that prepare for this career:
Showing 12 of 161 matching programs.
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This page includes information from O*NET OnLine 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. We have modified some of this information; USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed or tested these modifications. Programs are linked with the CIP–SOC crosswalk from the U.S. Department of Education (NCES). Education levels and preparation describe the United States and may differ in other countries.