Example Career: Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical & 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.

What Job Titles Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical & Scientific Products Might Have

• Account Manager
• Inside Sales Representative
• Sales Manager
• Sales Representative

What Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical & Scientific Products Do

• 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.
• Contact new or existing customers to discuss how specific products or services can meet their needs.
• Emphasize product features based on analyses of customers' needs and on technical knowledge of product capabilities and limitations.
• Compute customer's installation or production costs and estimate savings from new services, products, or equipment.
• Select or assist customers in selecting products based on customer needs, product specifications, and applicable regulations.
• Prepare sales presentations or proposals to explain product specifications or applications.
• 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.
• Inform customers of estimated delivery schedules, service contracts, warranties, or other information pertaining to purchased products.
• Collaborate with colleagues to exchange information, such as selling strategies or marketing information.
• Provide customers with ongoing technical support.
• Advise customers on product usage to improve production.
• Study documentation or other information for new scientific or technical products.
• Stock or distribute resources, such as samples or promotional or educational materials.
• Attend sales or trade meetings or read related publications to obtain information about market conditions, business trends, environmental regulations, or industry developments.
• Sell service contracts for technical or scientific products.
• Demonstrate the operation or use of technical or scientific products.
• Provide feedback to product design teams so that products can be tailored to clients' needs.
• Arrange for installation and testing of products or machinery.
• Initiate sales campaigns to meet sales and production expectations.
• Obtain building blueprints or specifications for use by engineering departments in bid preparations.
• Verify accuracy of materials lists.
• Verify customer credit ratings.
• Appraise equipment to determine contract terms or trade-in values.
• Consult with engineers regarding technical problems with products.
• Sell technical and scientific products that are environmentally sound or designed for environmental remediation.
• Visit establishments, such as pharmacies, to determine product sales.

What Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical & Scientific Products Should Be Good At

• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Speech Recognition - The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
• Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
• Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.

What Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical & Scientific Products Should Be Interested In

• 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.

What Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical & Scientific Products Need to Learn

• Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
• Sales and Marketing - Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Administration and Management - Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
• Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
• Production and Processing - Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
• Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.