Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products

Answer customers' questions about products, prices, availability, product uses, and credit terms.
Recommend products to customers, based on customers' needs and interests.
Estimate or quote prices, credit or contract terms, warranties, and delivery dates.

Important Qualities

Customer-service skills. Wholesale and manufacturing sales representatives must be able to listen to the customer’s needs and concerns before and after the sale.

Interpersonal skills. Wholesale and manufacturing sales representatives must be able to work well with many types of people. They must be able to build good relationships with clients and with other members of the sales team.

Physical stamina. Wholesale and manufacturing sales representatives are often on their feet for a long time and may carry heavy sample products.

Self-confidence. Wholesale and manufacturing sales representatives must be confident and persuasive when making sales presentations. In addition, making a call to a potential customer who is not expecting to be contacted, or “cold-calling,” requires confidence and composure.

Personality

A3	Your Strengths	Importance	Characteristics of this Career
		84%	Analytical Thinking - Job requires analyzing information and using logic to address work-related issues and problems.
		83%	Initiative - Job requires a willingness to take on responsibilities and challenges.
		83%	Dependability - Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.
		82%	Adaptability/Flexibility - Job requires being open to change (positive or negative) and to considerable variety in the workplace.
		82%	Stress Tolerance - Job requires accepting criticism and dealing calmly and effectively with high-stress situations.
		81%	Integrity - Job requires being honest and ethical.
		81%	Innovation - Job requires creativity and alternative thinking to develop new ideas for and answers to work-related problems.
		81%	Attention to Detail - Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks.
		79%	Achievement/Effort - Job requires establishing and maintaining personally challenging achievement goals and exerting effort toward mastering tasks.
		79%	Self-Control - Job requires maintaining composure, keeping emotions in check, controlling anger, and avoiding aggressive behavior, even in very difficult situations.
		78%	Cooperation - Job requires being pleasant with others on the job and displaying a good-natured, cooperative attitude.
		76%	Persistence - Job requires persistence in the face of obstacles.
		75%	Leadership - Job requires a willingness to lead, take charge, and offer opinions and direction.
		75%	Independence - Job requires developing one's own ways of doing things, guiding oneself with little or no supervision, and depending on oneself to get things done.
		73%	Social Orientation - Job requires preferring to work with others rather than alone, and being personally connected with others on the job.
		71%	Concern for Others - Job requires being sensitive to others' needs and feelings and being understanding and helpful on the job.

A3	Your Strengths	Importance	Strengths
		89%	Conventional - Work involves following procedures and regulations to organize information or data, typically in a business setting. Conventional occupations are often associated with office work, accounting, mathematics/statistics, information technology, finance, or human resources.
		83%	Enterprising - Work involves managing, negotiating, marketing, or selling, typically in a business setting, or leading or advising people in political and legal situations. Enterprising occupations are often associated with business initiatives, sales, marketing/advertising, finance, management/administration, professional advising, public speaking, politics, or law.

A3	Your Strengths	Importance	Values of the Work Environment
		67%	Relationships - Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to provide service to others and work with co-workers in a friendly non-competitive environment. Corresponding needs are Co-workers, Moral Values and Social Service.
		61%	Achievement - Occupations that satisfy this work value are results oriented and allow employees to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment. Corresponding needs are Ability Utilization and Achievement.
		61%	Working Conditions - Occupations that satisfy this work value offer job security and good working conditions. Corresponding needs are Activity, Compensation, Independence, Security, Variety and Working Conditions.
		61%	Independence - Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to work on their own and make decisions. Corresponding needs are Creativity, Responsibility and Autonomy.

Aptitude

A3	Your Strengths	Importance	Abilities \| Cognitive, Physical, Personality
		75%	Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
		72%	Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
		72%	Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
		69%	Speech Recognition - The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
		69%	Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
		66%	Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
		53%	Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
		53%	Information Ordering - The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
		53%	Category Flexibility - The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.
		53%	Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
		53%	Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem.
		53%	Fluency of Ideas - The ability to come up with a number of ideas about a topic (the number of ideas is important, not their quality, correctness, or creativity).

A3	Your Strengths	Importance	Skills \| Cognitive, Physical, Personality
		57%	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.
		57%	Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
		57%	Persuasion - Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
		55%	Negotiation - Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.
		54%	Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
		54%	Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.

Job Details

Responsibilities

Prepare sales or other contracts.

Negotiate prices or other sales terms.

Answer customer questions about goods or services.

Recommend products or services to customers.

Explain technical product or service information to customers.

Demonstrate products to consumers.

Contact current or potential customers to promote products or services.

Estimate costs or terms of sales.

Explain technical product or service information to customers.

Advise customers on the use of products or services.

Estimate costs or terms of sales.

Prepare drawings or diagrams of products or services.

Develop proposals for current or prospective customers.

Distribute promotional literature or samples to customers.

Identify potential customers.

Arrange delivery of goods or services.

Monitor market conditions or trends.

Study product information to acquire professional knowledge.

Prepare financial documents, reports, or budgets.

Maintain records of sales or other business transactions.

Verify customer credit information.

Send information, materials or documentation.

Order materials, supplies, or equipment.

Purchase stocks of merchandise or supplies.

Monitor inventories of products or materials.

Set up merchandise displays.

Stock products or parts.

Coordinate sales campaigns.

Negotiate prices or other sales terms.

Arrange delivery of goods or services.

Purchase stocks of merchandise or supplies.

A3	Your Strengths	Importance	Attributes & Percentage of Time Spent
		100%	Contact With Others - How much does this job require the worker to be in contact with others (face-to-face, by telephone, or otherwise) in order to perform it?
		100%	Telephone - How often do you have telephone conversations in this job?
		98%	Work With Work Group or Team - How important is it to work with others in a group or team in this job?
		98%	Deal With External Customers - How important is it to work with external customers or the public in this job?
		94%	Electronic Mail - How often do you use electronic mail in this job?
		93%	Frequency of Decision Making - How frequently is the worker required to make decisions that affect other people, the financial resources, and/or the image and reputation of the organization?
		91%	Face-to-Face Discussions - How often do you have to have face-to-face discussions with individuals or teams in this job?
		91%	Indoors, Environmentally Controlled - How often does this job require working indoors in environmentally controlled conditions?
		90%	Structured versus Unstructured Work - To what extent is this job structured for the worker, rather than allowing the worker to determine tasks, priorities, and goals?
		88%	Freedom to Make Decisions - How much decision making freedom, without supervision, does the job offer?
		83%	In an Enclosed Vehicle or Equipment - How often does this job require working in a closed vehicle or equipment (e.g., car)?
		83%	Coordinate or Lead Others - How important is it to coordinate or lead others in accomplishing work activities in this job?
		83%	Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results - What results do your decisions usually have on other people or the image or reputation or financial resources of your employer?
		76%	Level of Competition - To what extent does this job require the worker to compete or to be aware of competitive pressures?
		70%	Time Pressure - How often does this job require the worker to meet strict deadlines?
		69%	Importance of Being Exact or Accurate - How important is being very exact or highly accurate in performing this job?
		65%	Deal With Unpleasant or Angry People - How frequently does the worker have to deal with unpleasant, angry, or discourteous individuals as part of the job requirements?
		61%	Importance of Repeating Same Tasks - How important is repeating the same physical activities (e.g., key entry) or mental activities (e.g., checking entries in a ledger) over and over, without stopping, to performing this job?
		59%	Letters and Memos - How often does the job require written letters and memos?
		59%	Spend Time Sitting - How much does this job require sitting?
		58%	Frequency of Conflict Situations - How often are there conflict situations the employee has to face in this job?
		56%	Responsibility for Outcomes and Results - How responsible is the worker for work outcomes and results of other workers?
		52%	Physical Proximity - To what extent does this job require the worker to perform job tasks in close physical proximity to other people?
		83%	Duration of Typical Work Week - Number of hours typically worked in one week.

A3	Your Strengths	Importance	Tasks & Values
		97%	Selling or Influencing Others - Convincing others to buy merchandise/goods or to otherwise change their minds or actions.
		87%	Getting Information - Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
		85%	Making Decisions and Solving Problems - Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
		85%	Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge - Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job.
		82%	Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships - Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time.
		81%	Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates - Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
		80%	Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events - Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.
		77%	Working with Computers - Using computers and computer systems (including hardware and software) to program, write software, set up functions, enter data, or process information.
		76%	Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings - Monitoring and reviewing information from materials, events, or the environment, to detect or assess problems.
		75%	Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment - Running, maneuvering, navigating, or driving vehicles or mechanized equipment, such as forklifts, passenger vehicles, aircraft, or watercraft.
		74%	Communicating with People Outside the Organization - Communicating with people outside the organization, representing the organization to customers, the public, government, and other external sources. This information can be exchanged in person, in writing, or by telephone or e-mail.
		73%	Thinking Creatively - Developing, designing, or creating new applications, ideas, relationships, systems, or products, including artistic contributions.
		73%	Documenting/Recording Information - Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.
		70%	Performing for or Working Directly with the Public - Performing for people or dealing directly with the public. This includes serving customers in restaurants and stores, and receiving clients or guests.
		69%	Processing Information - Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or verifying information or data.
		68%	Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work - Developing specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work.
		67%	Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with Others - Handling complaints, settling disputes, and resolving grievances and conflicts, or otherwise negotiating with others.
		61%	Performing General Physical Activities - Performing physical activities that require considerable use of your arms and legs and moving your whole body, such as climbing, lifting, balancing, walking, stooping, and handling materials.
		58%	Performing Administrative Activities - Performing day-to-day administrative tasks such as maintaining information files and processing paperwork.
		56%	Handling and Moving Objects - Using hands and arms in handling, installing, positioning, and moving materials, and manipulating things.
		54%	Judging the Qualities of Objects, Services, or People - Assessing the value, importance, or quality of things or people.
		53%	Scheduling Work and Activities - Scheduling events, programs, and activities, as well as the work of others.

What Wholesale and Manufacturing Sales Representatives Do

Some wholesale and manufacturing sales representatives specialize in technical and scientific products, ranging from agricultural and mechanical equipment to computer and pharmaceutical goods.

Wholesale and manufacturing sales representatives sell goods for wholesalers or manufacturers to businesses, government agencies, and other organizations. They contact customers, explain the features of the products they are selling, negotiate prices, and answer any questions that their customers may have about the products.

Duties

Wholesale and manufacturing sales representatives typically do the following:

Identify prospective customers by using business directories, following leads from existing clients, and attending trade shows and conferences
Contact new and existing customers to discuss their needs and explain how specific products and services can meet these needs
Help customers select products to meet customers’ needs, product specifications, and regulations
Emphasize product features that will meet customers’ needs, and exhibit the capabilities and limitations of their products
Answer customers’ questions about the prices, availability, and uses of the products they are selling
Negotiate prices and terms of sales and service agreements
Prepare sales contracts and submit orders for processing
Collaborate with colleagues to exchange information, such as information on selling strategies and marketing information
Follow up with customers to make sure that they are satisfied with their purchases and to answer any questions or concerns they might have

Wholesale and manufacturing sales representatives—sometimes called manufacturers’ representatives or manufacturers’ agents—generally work for manufacturers or wholesalers. Some work for a single organization, while others represent several companies and sell a range of products.

Unlike retail sales workers, who sell goods directly to consumers, wholesale and manufacturing sales representatives deal with businesses, government agencies, and other organizations.

Some wholesale and manufacturing sales representatives work with nonscientific products, such as food, office supplies, and clothing. Other representatives specialize in technical and scientific products, ranging from agricultural and mechanical equipment to computer and pharmaceutical goods.

Wholesale and manufacturing sales representatives who lack expertise about a given product frequently team with a technical expert. In this arrangement, the technical expert—sometimes a sales engineer—attends the sales presentation to explain the product and answer questions or concerns. The sales representative makes the initial contact with customers, introduces the company’s product, and obtains final agreement from the potential buyer.

By working with a technical expert, the representative is able to spend more time maintaining and soliciting accounts and less time seeking technical knowledge.

After the sale, representatives may make followup visits to ensure that equipment is functioning properly and may even help train customers’ employees to operate and maintain new equipment.

Those selling consumer goods often suggest how and where merchandise should be displayed. When working with retailers, they may help arrange promotional programs, store displays, and advertising.

In addition to selling products, wholesale and manufacturing sales representatives analyze sales statistics, prepare reports, and handle administrative duties such as filing expense accounts, scheduling appointments, and making travel plans.

Staying up to date on new products and the changing needs of customers is important. Sales representatives accomplish this aim in a variety of ways, including attending trade shows at which new products and technologies are showcased. They attend conferences and conventions to meet other sales representatives and clients and to discuss new product developments. They also read about new and existing products and monitor the sales, prices, and products of their competitors.

The following are examples of types of wholesale and manufacturing sales representatives:

Inside sales representatives work mostly in offices while making sales. Frequently, they are responsible for getting new clients by “cold-calling” various organizations, meaning that they call potential customers who are not expecting to be contacted. That way, a representative can establish an initial contact. They also take incoming calls from customers who are interested in their product, and they process paperwork to complete the sale.

Outside sales representatives spend much of their time traveling to and visiting with current clients and prospective buyers. During a sales call, they discuss the client’s needs and suggest how they can meet those needs with merchandise or services. They may show samples or catalogs that describe items their company provides, and they may inform customers about the prices and availability of the products they are selling and the ways in which their products can save money and boost productivity.

Work Environment

Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, except technical and scientific products held about 1.3 million jobs in 2022. The largest employers of sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, except technical and scientific products were as follows:

Merchant wholesalers, durable goods	32%
Merchant wholesalers, nondurable goods	19
Manufacturing	18
Wholesale trade agents and brokers	11
Retail trade	5

Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, technical and scientific products held about 305,600 jobs in 2022. The largest employers of sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, technical and scientific products were as follows:

Professional and commercial equipment and supplies merchant wholesalers	23%
Merchant wholesalers, nondurable goods	17
Manufacturing	12
Professional, scientific, and technical services	12
Wholesale trade agents and brokers	6

Some wholesale and manufacturing sales representatives have large territories and travel considerably. Because a sales region may cover several states, representatives may be away from home for several days or weeks at a time. Sales representatives who cover a smaller region may not spend much time away from home.

Other wholesale and manufacturing sales representatives spend a lot of their time on the phone, selling goods, taking orders, and resolving problems or complaints about the merchandise. They also use Web technology, including chats, email, and video conferencing, to contact clients.

Workers in this occupation can be under considerable stress because their income and job security often depend directly on the amount of merchandise they sell and their companies usually set goals or quotas that they are expected to meet.

Work Schedules

Most wholesale and manufacturing sales representatives work full time and many work more than 40 hours per week.

Getting Started

Education:

48%

High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)

34%

Bachelor's Degree

How to Become a Wholesale or Manufacturing Sales Representative

Sales representatives of scientific or technical products, such as pharmaceuticals or medical instruments, typically need a degree in a field related to the product sold.

Educational requirements vary with the type of product sold. If the products are not scientific or technical, a high school diploma is generally enough for entry into the occupation. If the products are scientific or technical, sales representatives typically need at least a bachelor’s degree.

Education

A high school diploma is typically sufficient for many positions, primarily those selling nontechnical or nonscientific products. However, representatives selling scientific and technical products usually must have a bachelor’s degree. Scientific and technical products include pharmaceuticals, medical instruments, and industrial equipment. A field of degree related to the product sold, such as agriculture or biology, is sometimes required.

Many sales representatives attend seminars in sales techniques or take courses in marketing, economics, communication, or even a foreign language to improve their ability to make sales.

Training

Many companies have formal training programs for beginning wholesale and manufacturing sales representatives. These programs may last up to 1 year. In some, trainees rotate among jobs in plants and offices in order to learn all phases of producing, installing, and distributing the product. In others, trainees receive formal technical instruction at the plant, followed by on-the-job training under the supervision of a field sales manager.

New employees may be trained by going along with experienced workers on their sales calls. As they gain familiarity with the firm’s products and clients, the new workers gain more responsibility until they eventually get their own territory.

Licenses, Certifications, and Registrations

The Certified Professional Manufacturers’ Representative (CPMR) certification and the Certified Sales Professional (CSP) certification are both offered by the Manufacturers’ Representatives Educational Research Foundation (MRERF). Certification typically involves completing formal technical training and passing an exam. In addition, the CPMR requires 10 hours of continuing education every year in order to maintain certification.

Advancement

Frequently, promotion takes the form of an assignment to a larger account or territory, for which commissions are likely to be greater. Those who have good sales records and leadership ability may advance to higher level positions, such as sales manager, sales supervisor, district manager, or vice president of sales.

Job Outlook

Overall employment of wholesale and manufacturing sales representatives is projected to show little or no change from 2022 to 2032.

Despite limited employment growth, about 148,000 openings for wholesale and manufacturing sales representatives are projected each year, on average, over the decade. Most of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.

Employment

Projected employment of wholesale and manufacturing sales representatives varies by occupation (see table).

A rising total volume of sales, as well as a wider range of products and technologies, will create demand for sales representatives. Wholesale sales are increasingly being conducted online. However, these online sales are expected to complement, rather than replace, face-to-face selling.

Contacts for More Information

For more information about wholesale sales representatives, visit

Manufacturers’ Agents National Association (MANA)

For more information about certification, visit

Manufacturers’ Representatives Educational Research Foundation (MRERF)

Similar Occupations

This table shows a list of occupations with job duties that are similar to those of wholesale and manufacturing sales representatives.

Occupation	Job Duties	Entry-Level Education	Median Annual Pay, May 2022
Advertising Sales Agents	Advertising sales agents sell advertising space to businesses and individuals.	High school diploma or equivalent	$58,450
Insurance Sales Agents	Insurance sales agents contact potential customers and sell one or more types of insurance.	High school diploma or equivalent	$57,860
Purchasing Managers, Buyers, and Purchasing Agents	Buyers and purchasing agents buy products and services for organizations. Purchasing managers oversee the work of buyers and purchasing agents.	Bachelor's degree	$75,120
Real Estate Brokers and Sales Agents	Real estate brokers and sales agents help clients buy, sell, and rent properties.	High school diploma or equivalent	$52,030
Retail Sales Workers	Retail sales workers help customers find products they want and process customers’ payments.	No formal educational credential	$30,750
Sales Engineers	Sales engineers sell complex scientific and technological products or services to businesses.	Bachelor's degree	$108,530
Securities, Commodities, and Financial Services Sales Agents	Securities, commodities, and financial services sales agents connect buyers and sellers in financial markets.	Bachelor's degree	$67,480
Customer Service Representatives	Customer service representatives interact with customers to handle complaints, process orders, and answer questions.	High school diploma or equivalent	$37,780
Public Relations Specialists	Public relations specialists create and maintain a positive public image for the clients they represent.	Bachelor's degree	$67,440
Sales Managers	Sales managers direct organizations' sales teams.	Bachelor's degree	$130,600

Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products

Wholesale or Manufacturing Sales Representative

What they do:

On the job, you would: