Sales Representatives, Wholesale & Manufacturing

Outside Sales Representative, Sales Consultant, Sales Representative (Sales Rep), Salesman

What they do:
Sell goods for wholesalers or manufacturers to businesses or groups of individuals. Work requires substantial knowledge of items sold.
On the job, you would:
  • 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.

Knowledge

Business

  • sales and marketing
  • customer service

Arts and Humanities

  • English language

Math and Science

  • arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, or statistics

Transportation

  • movement of people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road

Skills

Basic Skills

  • listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions
  • talking to others

Social

  • bringing people together to solve differences
  • talking people into changing their minds or their behavior

Problem Solving

  • noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it

Abilities

Verbal

  • communicate by speaking
  • listen and understand what people say

Ideas and Logic

  • come up with lots of ideas
  • group things in different ways

Personality

People interested in this work like activities that include data, detail, and regular routines.

They do well at jobs that need:

  • Analytical Thinking
  • Dependability
  • Initiative
  • Adaptability/Flexibility
  • Stress Tolerance
  • Attention to Detail

Technology

You might use software like this on the job:

Enterprise resource planning ERP software

  • Microsoft Dynamics Hot Technology
  • SAP software Hot Technology

Data base user interface and query software

  • Blackboard software
  • Yardi software Hot Technology

Customer relationship management CRM software

  • Salesforce software
  • Soffront CRM Portal

Education

Education: (rated 4 of 5)
high school diploma/GED or
bachelor's degree
usually needed

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Job Outlook

Bright
New job opportunities are very likely in the future.
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See more details at O*NET OnLine about sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing.