Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Products
Agriculture, Food and Natural ResourcesO*NET 41-4011.00United States
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.
- Median annual earnings
- $104,355
- Projected change
- +6%
- Typical education
- Bachelor's degree
- Employment
- 293.65K jobs
50th percentile, United States
2025 to 2035
41.1% of the workforce
Growing to 311.21K by 2035
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These courses and certificates are connected through catalog career relationships and Lightcast skill tags.
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The work
What sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, technical and scientific products do
Tasks reported for this occupation, ordered by how often they come up in the role.
- Negotiate prices or terms of sales or service agreements.
- Prepare and submit sales contracts for orders.
- Visit establishments to evaluate needs or to promote product or service sales.
- Maintain customer records, using automated systems.
- Answer customers' questions about products, prices, availability, or credit terms.
- Quote prices, credit terms, or other bid specifications.
- Contact new or existing customers to discuss how specific products or services can meet their needs.
- Emphasize product features, based on analyses of customers' needs and on technical knowledge of product capabilities and limitations.
- Compute customer's installation or production costs and estimate savings from new services, products, or equipment.
- Select or assist customers in selecting products based on customer needs, product specifications, and applicable regulations.
- Prepare sales presentations or proposals to explain product specifications or applications.
- Verify that delivery schedules meet project deadlines.
- Complete expense reports, sales reports, or other paperwork.
- Identify prospective customers, using business directories, leads from existing clients, participation in organizations, or trade show or conference attendance.
- Inform customers of estimated delivery schedules, service contracts, warranties, or other information pertaining to purchased products.
- Collaborate with colleagues to exchange information, such as selling strategies or marketing information.
- Provide customers with ongoing technical support.
- Advise customers on product usage to improve production.
- Study documentation or other information for new scientific or technical products.
- Stock or distribute resources, such as samples or promotional or educational materials.
- Attend sales or trade meetings or read related publications to obtain information about market conditions, business trends, environmental regulations, or industry developments.
Pay and outlook
What the job pays and where it is heading
Annual earnings range
Reported earnings by percentile, United States
- 10th percentile
- $51,848
- 25th percentile
- $74,294
- 50th percentile
- $104,355
- 75th percentile
- $158,035
- 90th percentile
- $203,124
The gold marker shows the median. Half earn more than $104,355 and half earn less.
Employment outlook
2025 to 2035 projection
+6%average or slower
2025293,652 jobs
2035 projected311,210 jobs
17,558 more positions over the decade, before replacement hiring.
Preparation
Education levels
What people currently working in the career hold. These are not entry requirements.
- Bachelor's degree
- 41.1%
- Some college
- 30.5%
- High school diploma or less
- 14.4%
- Certificate
- 13.8%
- Doctoral degree or more
- 0.3%
Skills
Skills employers ask for
Technical skills appearing most often in job postings for this occupation.
How the work gets done
Core competencies
Broad capabilities associated with strong performance in this occupation.
- 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.
- Critical Thinking
- Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
- Writing
- Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
- Complex Problem Solving
- Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
- Monitoring
- Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
- Time Management
- Managing one's own time and the time of others.
- Instructing
- Teaching others how to do something.
- Systems Analysis
- Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.
- Mathematics
- Using mathematics to solve problems.
- Learning Strategies
- Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
- Management of Financial Resources
- Determining how money will be spent to get the work done, and accounting for these expenditures.
In the market
Job titles and employers
Recent job postings in United StatesCommon job titles
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- 03Inside Sales Representatives15,911 postings
- 04Field Sales Representatives9,685 postings
- 05Territory Sales Representatives7,815 postings
- 06Automotive Sales Consultants4,134 postings
- 07Route Sales Representatives3,874 postings
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- 09Authorized Retailers2,832 postings
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- 11In Home Sales Consultants1,652 postings
- 12Outside Sales Consultants1,626 postings
- 13Technical Sales Representatives1,480 postings
- 14Pharmaceutical Sales Representatives1,433 postings
- 15Sales/Design Consultants1,290 postings
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- 18New Home Sales Consultants991 postings
- 19Regional Sales Representatives864 postings
- 20Residential Sales Consultants835 postings
Top employers
- 01Merck & Co.5,688 postings
- 02AT&T2,988 postings
- 03Cellular Sales2,604 postings
- 04Verizon Communications2,597 postings
- 05TruGreen2,428 postings
- 06Prime Communications2,270 postings
- 07Victra2,260 postings
- 08Hibu2,164 postings
- 09Frito Lay1,963 postings
- 10Sysco1,352 postings
- 11Southern Glazer's1,258 postings
- 12Bayer1,212 postings
- 13Tcc Wireless1,198 postings
- 14UniFirst1,150 postings
- 15NFIB1,115 postings
- 16Global Payment Holding Company1,109 postings
- 17Spectrum1,104 postings
- 18Leaffilter North1,095 postings
- 19Global Payments1,062 postings
- 20RepRally859 postings
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