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Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Products
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.
Other titles employers use
Inside Sales Representative · Marketing Representative · Sales Representative · Chemical Sales Representative · Electroplating Sales Representative · Engineering Supplies Sales · Pharmaceutical Detailer · Pharmaceutical Sales Representative
Inside the work
What you would actually do.
6 responsibilities that define the role, before job titles and workplaces change the details.
- 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.
Who it suits
Would this work hold your attention?
This career often appeals to people drawn to persuading, organizing and analytical work.
- Persuading
- Leading, selling, starting projects, or making a case
- Organizing
- Creating order, checking details, and keeping work accurate
- Analytical
- Investigating questions, testing ideas, and solving problems
Skills and strengths
What you would get good at.
Compare the skills the work relies on, the subjects behind it, and the abilities that make it easier to learn.
Core skills
- Speaking
- Persuasion
- Active Listening
- Negotiation
- Social Perceptiveness
- Reading Comprehension
Subjects to know
- Customer and Personal Service
- Sales and Marketing
- English Language
- Administration and Management
- Mathematics
Useful strengths
- Oral Expression
- Oral Comprehension
- Speech Recognition
- Speech Clarity
- Written Comprehension
Working day
Picture yourself doing it.
These measures show how much of the day involves people, movement, conversation, and hands-on work.
| Measure | Out of 5 | What that means here |
|---|---|---|
| Close to other people | 2.8 | Largely your own space |
| On your feet | 2.7 | Mostly seated |
| Talking face to face | 4.6 | Continuous — the job is conversations |
| Working with your hands | 2.3 | Little of the day |
Preparation
How people prepare for this work.
Employers usually ask for a bachelor's degree. Other routes may also lead into the field.
- A certificate or some college 44%
- A four-year degree 40%
- High school or less 14%
- A master's degree 2%
Tools of the work
Technology you may use.
- Data base user interface and query software
- Enterprise resource planning ERP software
- Analytical or scientific software
- Data base management system software
- Office suite software
- Customer relationship management CRM software
- Electronic mail software
- Sales and marketing software
Opportunity near you
See where this work is growing.
Choose a state to compare the size of the field, annual openings, and expected hiring change.
- People doing this work
- 40,780
- Job openings each year
- 3,980
- Expected hiring change, 2022–2032
- 20.8%
Compare every available state
| State | People doing it | Job openings each year | Expected change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | 40,780 | 3,980 | 20.8% |
| California | 39,400 | 3,580 | 5.6% |
| Florida | 27,450 | 2,600 | 13.9% |
| New York | 15,890 | 0 | — |
| Washington | 13,580 | 1,540 | 19.5% |
| North Carolina | 13,170 | 1,240 | 11.9% |
| Georgia | 11,690 | 1,080 | 7.8% |
| Tennessee | 11,640 | 1,140 | 20.9% |
| Pennsylvania | 8,180 | 740 | 4.7% |
| Ohio | 7,760 | 690 | 1.8% |
| Arizona | 7,170 | 680 | 14.2% |
| Oklahoma | 7,010 | 630 | 4.3% |
| Minnesota | 6,720 | 630 | 12.4% |
| Michigan | 6,450 | 580 | 3.5% |
| Colorado | 6,070 | 580 | 17.0% |
| Virginia | 6,070 | 560 | 6.9% |
| Utah | 5,770 | 570 | 22.0% |
| Illinois | 5,520 | 500 | 3.6% |
| Maryland | 5,390 | 490 | 4.9% |
| Wisconsin | 5,330 | 510 | 15.4% |
| Missouri | 5,260 | 460 | — |
| Indiana | 5,120 | 460 | 4.7% |
| New Jersey | 5,120 | 470 | 5.1% |
| South Carolina | 3,980 | 380 | 12.4% |
| Massachusetts | 3,750 | 340 | 3.9% |
| Oregon | 3,720 | 350 | 11.7% |
| Kentucky | 3,640 | 330 | 4.6% |
| Alabama | 3,390 | 310 | 4.0% |
| Connecticut | 3,200 | 300 | 11.1% |
| Iowa | 3,170 | 290 | 5.0% |
| Kansas | 2,730 | 250 | 5.0% |
| New Hampshire | 2,590 | 240 | 6.1% |
| Nevada | 2,380 | 230 | 20.2% |
| Arkansas | 2,280 | 210 | 7.5% |
| Nebraska | 2,160 | 200 | 5.9% |
| South Dakota | 2,020 | 190 | 12.8% |
| Louisiana | 1,540 | 140 | 10.0% |
| Delaware | 1,260 | 110 | — |
| Puerto Rico | 1,110 | 100 | 11.0% |
| Idaho | 1,080 | 100 | 18.7% |
| New Mexico | 1,000 | 90 | 11.1% |
| Rhode Island | 950 | 90 | 9.2% |
| Mississippi | 930 | 90 | 9.4% |
| Maine | 910 | 80 | −1.1% |
| West Virginia | 770 | 70 | 4.1% |
| Montana | 700 | 70 | 12.9% |
| Vermont | 560 | 50 | 3.7% |
| North Dakota | 510 | 50 | 6.3% |
| Alaska | 340 | 30 | 6.3% |
| District of Columbia | 310 | 30 | 6.9% |
| Wyoming | 240 | 20 | 14.3% |
Career to college
Build a path toward this work.
Start with a related major, then compare colleges where students complete that field.
Where to study
Colleges with strong activity in these fields.
Start with program size, admission, and likely cost. Open a college for the full picture.
CUNY Bernard M Baruch College
- Degrees each year
- 580
- Admit rate
- 50%
- Annual cost after aid
- $6,000
Program entryApply after enrollment
Open college TXTexas A & M University-College Station
- Degrees each year
- 311
- Admit rate
- 63%
- Annual cost after aid
- $17,000
Program entryDirect to major
Open college WIUniversity of Wisconsin-Madison
- Degrees each year
- 232
- Admit rate
- 43%
- Annual cost after aid
- $8,000
Program entryFirst-year program admission
Open college PAWest Chester University of Pennsylvania
- Degrees each year
- 229
- Admit rate
- 79%
- Annual cost after aid
- $20,000
Program entryApply after enrollment
Open college SCUniversity of South Carolina-Columbia
- Degrees each year
- 147
- Admit rate
- 61%
- Annual cost after aid
- $20,000
Program entryOpen major
Open college MNUniversity of Minnesota-Twin Cities
- Degrees each year
- 105
- Admit rate
- 77%
- Annual cost after aid
- $10,000
Program entryFirst-year program admission
Open college INPurdue University-Main Campus
- Degrees each year
- 94
- Admit rate
- 50%
- Annual cost after aid
- $9,000
Program entryFirst-year program admission
Open college MNUniversity of Minnesota-Duluth
- Degrees each year
- 50
- Admit rate
- 82%
- Annual cost after aid
- $12,000
Program entryApply after enrollment
Open collegeCompare every college offering general sales, merchandising and related marketing operations