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.
Also called: Inside Sales Representative · Marketing Representative · Sales Representative
Median pay (national)
$100,070
$48,840–$194,890 (10th–90th)
Employed (US)
293,930
BLS OEWS, May 2024
Outlook 2024–34
+1.9%
~27,200 openings/yr
Typical entry
Bachelor's degree
What the numbers say
Refit analysis ·Pay for sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, technical and scientific products shows an unusually wide range: the top 10% earn $194,890 versus $48,840 at the bottom 10% — 4.0x. The median of $100,070 leaves roughly 95% of headroom to the 90th percentile, which is where seniority, specialization, and the skills below tend to pay off.
Refit analysis ·Employment is projected to change +1.9% from 2024 to 2034 — slower than the 3% all-occupation average. Even so, BLS projects about 27,200 openings a year, mostly to replace workers who retire or change careers.
Refit analysis ·Where you work moves the number a lot. Across the 51 states with released data, New Jersey pays the most for this role (median $134,240, +34% vs the national median), while Puerto Rico sits lowest at $59,820 — a 124% spread for the same job title.
Refit analysis ·O*NET rates Speaking, Active Listening, Reading Comprehension as the highest-importance skills here — so a resume aimed at this role should lead with evidence of those, not a generic skills list. On the tools side, O*NET flags Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft Outlook, Salesforce software as in-demand technologies for this role.
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Top skills employers ask for
Ranked by O*NET importance for this occupation.
- Speaking
- Active Listening
- Reading Comprehension
- Active Learning
- Writing
- Critical Thinking
- Monitoring
- Mathematics
- Learning Strategies
- Science
What they actually do
Core O*NET tasks for this role.
- 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.
- Quote prices, credit terms, or other bid specifications.
- Contact new or existing customers to discuss how specific products or services can meet their needs.
- Compute customer's installation or production costs and estimate savings from new services, products, or equipment.
- Complete expense reports, sales reports, or other paperwork.
- Verify that delivery schedules meet project deadlines.
- Identify prospective customers, using business directories, leads from existing clients, participation in organizations, or trade show or conference attendance.
Tools & technology
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Office software
- Microsoft Outlook
- Salesforce software
- Amazon Web Services AWS software
- Apache Hadoop
- Google Analytics
- Google Workspace software
- HubSpot software
- IBM SPSS Statistics
- Intuit QuickBooks
- Linux
- Microsoft Azure software
- Oracle Database
- Oracle PeopleSoft
- R
Knowledge areas
- Customer and Personal Service
- Sales and Marketing
- English Language
- Administration and Management
- Mathematics
- Production and Processing
- Computers and Electronics
- Administrative