What do they 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.

Also known as:

Inside Sales Representative, Marketing Representative, Pharmaceutical Sales Representative, Sales Engineer, Sales Representative

Typical Wages

Projected Growth Rate

Employment of Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Products is projected to grow 3 percent from 2022 to 2032, more slowly than average compared to all occupations.

Projected Employment For All United States

No Data Available
  • 3.8%

    Change

    Select a state to see its job growth rate ranking
    28,500

    Job Openings

    Select a state to see its net job growth ranking

Best colleges for Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Products

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Education Level

Percent of workers in this field with these degrees:

  • Bachelor's degree  (41%)
  • Some college, no degree  (22%)
  • High school diploma equivalent  (17%)
  • Associate's degree  (9%)
  • Master's degree  (7%)
  • Less than high school diploma  (3%)
  • Doctorate or Professional Degree  (1%)

Typical College Majors

Most Popular Majors that prepare Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Products

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People in this career often have these skills:

  • Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
  • Persuasion - Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
  • Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
  • Negotiation - Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.
  • Social Perceptiveness - Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
  • Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
  • Service Orientation - Actively looking for ways to help people.
  • Coordination - Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
  • Active Learning - Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
  • Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
  • Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
  • Complex Problem Solving - Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.

People in this career often know a lot about:

  • Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
  • Sales and Marketing - Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
  • English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.

People in this career often have talent in:

  • Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
  • Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
  • Speech Recognition - The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
  • Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
  • Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
  • Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
  • Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.

People in this career often do these activities:

  • Negotiate prices or other sales terms.
  • Prepare sales or other contracts.
  • Process sales or other transactions.
  • Gather customer or product information to determine customer needs.
  • Contact current or potential customers to promote products or services.
  • Sell products or services.
  • Maintain records of customer accounts.
  • Answer customer questions about goods or services.
  • Estimate costs or terms of sales.
  • Explain technical product or service information to customers.
  • Demonstrate products to consumers.
  • Discuss design or technical features of products or services with technical personnel.
  • Recommend products or services to customers.
  • Develop content for sales presentations or other materials.
  • Prepare financial documents, reports, or budgets.
  • Maintain records of sales or other business transactions.
  • Arrange delivery of goods or services.
  • Identify potential customers.
  • Share sales-related or market information with colleagues.
  • Coordinate sales campaigns.
  • Advise customers on the use of products or services.
  • Verify accuracy of records.
  • Verify customer credit information.
  • Appraise property values.
  • Study product information to acquire professional knowledge.
  • Stock products or parts.
  • Distribute promotional literature or samples to customers.
  • Monitor market conditions or trends.
  • Attend events to develop professional knowledge.
  • Monitor sales activities.
  • Deliver promotional presentations to current or prospective customers.
  • Explain financial information to customers.

This page includes data from:

O*NET OnLine Career data: O*NET 28.3 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

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Logo Occupation statistics: USDOL U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment Statistics

careeronestop logo Videos: CareerOneStop, USDOL/ETA and the Minnesota Department of Employment & Economic Development

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