Wholesale and Manufacturing Sales Representative Careers

wholesale-sales-represen-50Wholesale and manufacturing sales representatives sell products to business, government agencies and various organizations on behalf of wholesalers or manufacturers. Their work includes contacting potential customers, explaining product features, answering customer questions and negotiating prices.

Wholesale and manufacturing sales representatives will also spend a significant amount of time collaborating with colleagues in order to exchange information in regards to selling strategies and marketing. This is a very customer centric career that involves identifying prospective customers, making contact with them, selling and pitching them products and following up on all sales to ensure satisfaction has been met.

Wholesale and Manufacturing Sales Representative Career Snapshot

The environment for a wholesale and manufacturing representative can be somewhat strenuous, as companies usually set quotas they are expected to meet, so their income and security can often depend directly on the amount of merchandise they sell. It is not uncommon for a sales representative to travel extensively, as many of them have large territories that cover several states, causing them to be away from home for days to weeks at a time. The hours of this job are irregular, with a lot of the planning taking place on evening and weekends, yet many representatives have the option to determine their own schedule.

Further details on a career as a wholesale and manufacturing sales representative are listed below (statistics from the May 2015 Bureau of Labor Statistics and Onet Online):

$59,080

is the average annual salary of wholesale and manufacturing sales representatives.

7%

increase in employment between 2014 and 2024.

77%

have a Bachelor’s degree while 22% have a High school diploma or equivalent.

Education

Typically a high school diploma will suffice as long as the representative isn’t selling anything technical or scientific. If they are selling something of the sort, they will usually need a bachelor’s degree.

Job Outlook

From 2012 to 2022, employment of wholesale and manufacturing sales representatives is expected to grow by 9 percent, about as fast as the average for all occupations.

Independent sales agencies are expected to see the most growth as many companies are choosing to outsource their sales activities in order to cut costs and boost revenues. In this industry, employment growth is projected to grow 30 percent from 2012 to 2022, well above average for most occupations.

Salaries

As of 2015, according to BLS.gov reports, the average salary for a representative is $59,080, with the bottom ten percent earning $26,830 and the top ten percent earning $118,000. Those with previous sales experience are more likely to land the higher paying jobs.

Job Duties

Typical duties of a sales representative involves identifying prospective customers through various means (trade shows, business directories, etc.) and then contacting them to pitch their product. Sales representatives deal with all aspects of customer relations and work to ensure customer satisfaction and retention.

Wholesale and Manufacturing Sales Representative Skills & Traits

Sales Representative Skill Set:Required Abilities:Tools Used by Sales Representatives:Typical Work Activities:
• Active Listening
• Speaking
• Persuasion
• Social Perceptiveness
• Critical Thinking
• Oral Comprehension
• Oral Expression
• Speech Clarity
• Speech Recognition
• Written Comprehension
• Desktop/Notebook Computers
• Laser printers
• LED projectors
• Mobile phones
• Influencing Others
• Communicating with Others
• Interpersonal Relationships
• Getting Information

Related Careers

Advertising Sales Agents

High School Diploma or Equivalent

Retail Sales Workers

No Formal Educational Credential

What Do Related Careers Pay?