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

Career Description: Sell goods for wholesalers or manufacturers to businesses or groups of individuals. Work requires substantial knowledge of items sold.

Industry: Sales and Related

Other Job Titles for Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products:

• Realistic: Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.
• Investigative: Investigative occupations frequently involve working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. These occupations can involve searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally.
• Artistic: Artistic occupations frequently involve working with forms, designs and patterns. They often require self-expression and the work can be done without following a clear set of rules.
• Social: Social occupations frequently involve working with, communicating with, and teaching people. These occupations often involve helping or providing service to others.
• Enterprising: Enterprising occupations frequently involve starting up and carrying out projects. These occupations can involve leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes they require risk taking and often deal with business.
• Conventional: Conventional occupations frequently involve following set procedures and routines. These occupations can include working with data and details more than with ideas. Usually there is a clear line of authority to follow.
• First Interest High-Point: Primary-Rank Descriptiveness
• Second Interest High-Point: Secondary-Cutoff/Rank Descriptiveness
• Third Interest High-Point: Tertiary-Cutoff/Rank Descriptiveness

• Answer customers' questions about products, prices, availability, product uses, and credit terms.
• Recommend products to customers, based on customers' needs and interests.
• Contact regular and prospective customers to demonstrate products, explain product features, and solicit orders.
• Estimate or quote prices, credit or contract terms, warranties, and delivery dates.
• Consult with clients after sales or contract signings to resolve problems and to provide ongoing support.
• Prepare drawings, estimates, and bids that meet specific customer needs.
• Provide customers with product samples and catalogs.
• Identify prospective customers by using business directories, following leads from existing clients, participating in organizations and clubs, and attending trade shows and conferences.
• Arrange and direct delivery and installation of products and equipment.
• Monitor market conditions, product innovations, and competitors' products, prices, and sales.
• Negotiate details of contracts and payments, and prepare sales contracts and order forms.
• Perform administrative duties, such as preparing sales budgets and reports, keeping sales records, and filing expense account reports.
• Obtain credit information about prospective customers.
• Forward orders to manufacturers.
• Check stock levels and reorder merchandise as necessary.
• Plan, assemble, and stock product displays in retail stores, or make recommendations to retailers regarding product displays, promotional programs, and advertising.
• Negotiate with retail merchants to improve product exposure, such as shelf positioning and advertising.
• Train customers' employees to operate and maintain new equipment.
• Buy products from manufacturers or brokerage firms and distribute them to wholesale and retail clients.
• Identify resale opportunities and support them to achieve sales plans.
• Document account activities, generate reports, and keep records of business transactions with customers and suppliers.
• Train team members in the customer applications of technologies.
• Maintain sales forecasting reports.
• Attend trade shows and seminars to promote products or to learn about industry developments.
• Report to supervisors about prospective firms' credit ratings.
• Contact utility companies for service hookups to clients' property.
• Conduct seminars and training sessions for sales agents to improve sales techniques.
• Appraise properties to determine loan values.
• Solicit and compile listings of available rental properties.
• Secure construction or purchase financing with own firm or mortgage company.
• Rent or lease properties on behalf of clients.
• Locate and appraise undeveloped areas for building sites, based on evaluations of area market conditions.

Emerging Tasks

• Assist customers, such as responding to customer complaints and updating them about back ordered parts.
• Fill customer orders from stock and place orders when requested items are out of stock.
• Locate and label parts and maintain inventory of stock.
• Maintain and clean work and inventory areas.
• Research shipping methods and costs, track packages, and pick up and deliver parts.

• Analyzing Data or Information: Identifying the underlying principles, reasons, or facts of information by breaking down information or data into separate parts.
• Assisting and Caring for Others: Providing personal assistance, medical attention, emotional support, or other personal care to others such as coworkers, customers, or patients.
• Coaching and Developing Others: Identifying the developmental needs of others and coaching, mentoring, or otherwise helping others to improve their knowledge or skills.
• Communicating with Persons Outside 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.
• Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates: Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
• Controlling Machines and Processes: Using either control mechanisms or direct physical activity to operate machines or processes (not including computers or vehicles).
• Coordinating the Work and Activities of Others: Getting members of a group to work together to accomplish tasks.
• Developing and Building Teams: Encouraging and building mutual trust, respect, and cooperation among team members.
• Developing Objectives and Strategies: Establishing long-range objectives and specifying the strategies and actions to achieve them.
• Documenting/Recording Information: Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.
• Drafting, Laying Out, and Specifying Technical Devices, Parts, and Equipment: Providing documentation, detailed instructions, drawings, or specifications to tell others about how devices, parts, equipment, or structures are to be fabricated, constructed, assembled, modified, maintained, or used.
• Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships: Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time.
• Estimating the Quantifiable Characteristics of Products, Events, or Information: Estimating sizes, distances, and quantities; or determining time, costs, resources, or materials needed to perform a work activity.
• Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards: Using relevant information and individual judgment to determine whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards.
• Getting Information: Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
• Guiding, Directing, and Motivating Subordinates: Providing guidance and direction to subordinates, including setting performance standards and monitoring performance.
• Handling and Moving Objects: Using hands and arms in handling, installing, positioning, and moving materials, and manipulating things.
• Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events: Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.
• Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Material: Inspecting equipment, structures, or materials to identify the cause of errors or other problems or defects.
• Interacting With Computers: Using computers and computer systems (including hardware and software) to program, write software, set up functions, enter data, or process information.
• Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others: Translating or explaining what information means and how it can be used.
• Judging the Qualities of Things, Services, or People: Assessing the value, importance, or quality of things or people.
• Making Decisions and Solving Problems: Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
• Monitor Processes, Materials, or Surroundings: Monitoring and reviewing information from materials, events, or the environment, to detect or assess problems.
• Monitoring and Controlling Resources: Monitoring and controlling resources and overseeing the spending of money.
• Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment: Running, maneuvering, navigating, or driving vehicles or mechanized equipment, such as forklifts, passenger vehicles, aircraft, or water craft.
• Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work: Developing specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work.
• Performing Administrative Activities: Performing day-to-day administrative tasks such as maintaining information files and processing paperwork.
• 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.
• 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 of materials.
• Processing Information: Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or verifying information or data.
• Provide Consultation and Advice to Others: Providing guidance and expert advice to management or other groups on technical, systems-, or process-related topics.
• Repairing and Maintaining Electronic Equipment: Servicing, repairing, calibrating, regulating, fine-tuning, or testing machines, devices, and equipment that operate primarily on the basis of electrical or electronic (not mechanical) principles.
• Repairing and Maintaining Mechanical Equipment: Servicing, repairing, adjusting, and testing machines, devices, moving parts, and equipment that operate primarily on the basis of mechanical (not electronic) principles.
• Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with Others: Handling complaints, settling disputes, and resolving grievances and conflicts, or otherwise negotiating with others.
• Scheduling Work and Activities: Scheduling events, programs, and activities, as well as the work of others.
• Selling or Influencing Others: Convincing others to buy merchandise/goods or to otherwise change their minds or actions.
• Staffing Organizational Units: Recruiting, interviewing, selecting, hiring, and promoting employees in an organization.
• Thinking Creatively: Developing, designing, or creating new applications, ideas, relationships, systems, or products, including artistic contributions.
• Training and Teaching Others: Identifying the educational needs of others, developing formal educational or training programs or classes, and teaching or instructing others.
• Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge: Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job.

Detailed Work Activities

• advise clients or customers
• advise retail dealers in use of sales promotion techniques
• analyze sales activities or trends
• answer customer or public inquiries
• arrange delivery schedules
• arrange merchandise display
• assemble advertising displays
• communicate visually or verbally
• conduct sales presentations
• confer with customer to review terms of credit or payment plan
• demonstrate goods or services
• estimate costs or price arrangements
• estimate delivery dates
• evaluate advertising promotions
• explain products to customer representatives
• identify best product for customer's needs
• instruct customers in product installation, use, or repair
• investigate customer complaints
• maintain records, reports, or files
• obtain information from individuals
• prepare list of prospective customers
• prepare reports
• provide customer service
• request customer order
• resolve customer or public complaints
• sell merchandise
• sell products or services
• solicit orders from established or new customers
• stock or organize goods
• use computers to enter, access or retrieve data
• use interpersonal communication techniques
• use inventory control procedures
• use knowledge of sales contracts
• use knowledge of written communication in sales work
• use merchandising techniques
• use product knowledge to market goods
• use sales techniques
• use telephone communication techniques
• write business project or bid proposals
• use interpersonal communication techniques
• use knowledge of economic trends
• use knowledge of written communication in sales work
• use marketing techniques
• use public speaking techniques
• use sales techniques
• use spreadsheet software
• verify bank or financial transactions
• write business correspondence

Overall Experience
Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job.

Job Training
Employees in these occupations usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers.

Education
Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree. Some may require a bachelor's degree.

Examples
These occupations usually involve using communication and organizational skills to coordinate, supervise, manage, or train others to accomplish goals. Examples include funeral directors, electricians, forest and conservation technicians, legal secretaries, interviewers, and insurance sales agents.

• Average hourly wage (2007) -$24.40
• Average annual wage (2007) - $50,750.00

• Projected growth (2006-2016): 8.37%
• Projected need (2006-2016): 130,760
• Employment (2006): 1,562,254

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