Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Products

Career Description: 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 post-secondary education.

Industry: Sales and Related

Other Job Titles for Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, 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

• Contact new and existing customers to discuss their needs, and to explain how these needs could be met by specific products and services.
• Answer customers' questions about products, prices, availability, product uses, and credit terms.
• Quote prices, credit terms and other bid specifications.
• Emphasize product features based on analyses of customers' needs, and on technical knowledge of product capabilities and limitations.
• Negotiate prices and terms of sales and service agreements.
• Maintain customer records, using automated systems.
• Identify prospective customers by using business directories, following leads from existing clients, participating in organizations and clubs, and attending trade shows and conferences.
• Prepare sales contracts for orders obtained, and submit orders for processing.
• Select the correct products or assist customers in making product selections, based on customers' needs, product specifications, and applicable regulations.
• Collaborate with colleagues to exchange information such as selling strategies and marketing information.
• Prepare sales presentations and proposals that explain product specifications and applications.
• Demonstrate and explain the operation and use of products.
• Provide customers with ongoing technical support.
• Inform customers of estimated delivery schedules, service contracts, warranties, or other information pertaining to purchased products.
• Attend sales and trade meetings, and read related publications in order to obtain information about market conditions, business trends, and industry developments.
• Visit establishments to evaluate needs and to promote product or service sales.
• Complete expense reports, sales reports, and other paperwork.
• Initiate sales campaigns and follow marketing plan guidelines in order to meet sales and production expectations.
• Recommend ways for customers to alter product usage in order to improve production.
• Complete product and development training as required.
• Provide feedback to company's product design team so that products can be tailored to clients' needs.
• Arrange for installation and test-operation of machinery.
• Verify that materials lists are accurate and that delivery schedules meet project deadlines.
• Sell service contracts for products.
• Study information about new products so that equipment and supplies can be accurately depicted and proper recommendations made.
• Compute customer's installation or production costs, and estimate savings from new services, products, or equipment.
• Consult with engineers regarding technical problems.
• Verify customers' credit ratings, and appraise equipment in order to determine contract terms and trade-in values.
• Advise customers regarding office layouts, legal and insurance regulations, cost analyses, and collection methods.
• Stock and distribute resources such as samples and promotional and educational materials.
• Obtain building blueprints and specifications for use by engineering departments in bid preparations.
• Visit establishments such as pharmacies in order to check product sales.
• Train establishment personnel in equipment use.
• Review existing machinery/equipment placement, and create diagrams to illustrate efficient space utilization, using standard measuring devices and templates.

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

• access media advertising services
• advise clients or customers
• advise retail dealers in use of sales promotion techniques
• analyze business, scientific, or technical problems in electronic data processing systems
• analyze sales activities or trends
• answer customer or public inquiries
• arrange delivery schedules
• arrange for trial installations of equipment
• compute financial data
• conduct sales presentations
• conduct training for personnel
• consult with managerial or supervisory personnel
• demonstrate goods or services
• estimate delivery dates
• explain uses or effects of drugs
• fill out business or government forms
• identify best product for customer's needs
• instruct customers in product installation, use, or repair
• maintain records, reports, or files
• make presentations
• measure customer for size
• negotiate term of sale or services with customer
• obtain information from individuals
• operate agricultural equipment or machinery
• prepare list of prospective customers
• prepare recommendations based upon research
• prepare reports
• provide advice on food or drug storage or use
• provide customer service
• sell merchandise
• sell products or services
• solicit orders from established or new customers
• understand drug products
• understand technical operating, service or repair manuals
• use computers to enter, access or retrieve data
• use industry terms or concepts
• use interpersonal communication techniques
• use knowledge of medical terminology
• use knowledge of sales contracts
• use knowledge of written communication in sales work
• use marketing techniques
• use product knowledge to market goods
• use sales techniques
• use telephone communication techniques
• use sales techniques
• use spreadsheet software
• verify bank or financial transactions
• write business correspondence

Overall Experience
A minimum of two to four years of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.

Job Training
Employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training.

Education
Most of these occupations require a four - year bachelor's degree, but some do not.

Examples
Many of these occupations involve coordinating, supervising, managing, or training others. Examples include accountants, human resource managers, computer programmers, teachers, chemists, and police detectives.

• Average hourly wage (2007) -$32.82
• Average annual wage (2007) - $68,270.00

• Projected growth (2006-2016): 12.39%
• Projected need (2006-2016): 50,904
• Employment (2006): 410,948

• Advertising Sales Agents
• Demonstrators and Product Promoters
• Insurance Sales Agents
• Parts Salespersons
• Real Estate Sales Agents
• Retail Salespersons
• Sales Agents, Financial Services
• Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products
• Retail Salespersons