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

• Summary

• Details

Work Activities

• Estimate or quote prices, credit or contract terms, warranties, and delivery dates.
• Forward orders to manufacturers.
• Estimate or quote prices, credit or contract terms, warranties, and delivery dates.
• Contact regular and prospective customers to demonstrate products, explain product features, and solicit orders.
• Identify prospective customers by using business directories, following leads from existing clients, participating in organizations and clubs, and attending trade shows and conferences.
• Monitor market conditions, product innovations, and competitors' products, prices, and sales.
• Check stock levels and reorder merchandise as necessary.
• Contact regular and prospective customers to demonstrate products, explain product features, and solicit orders.
• Answer customers' questions about products, prices, availability, product uses, and credit terms.
• Negotiate with retail merchants to improve product exposure, such as shelf positioning and advertising.
• 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.
• Prepare drawings, estimates, and bids that meet specific customer needs.
• Recommend products to customers, based on customers' needs and interests.
• Provide customers with product samples and catalogs.
• Prepare drawings, estimates, and bids that meet specific customer needs.
• Consult with clients after sales or contract signings to resolve problems and to provide ongoing support.
• Arrange and direct delivery and installation of products and equipment.
• Contact regular and prospective customers to demonstrate products, explain product features, and solicit orders.
• Forward orders to manufacturers.
• Perform administrative duties, such as preparing sales budgets and reports, keeping sales records, and filing expense account reports.
• Plan, assemble, and stock product displays in retail stores, or make recommendations to retailers regarding product displays, promotional programs, and advertising.
• Perform administrative duties, such as preparing sales budgets and reports, keeping sales records, and filing expense account reports.
• Prepare sales contracts and order forms.
• Prepare drawings, estimates, and bids that meet specific customer needs.
• Plan, assemble, and stock product displays in retail stores, or make recommendations to retailers regarding product displays, promotional programs, and advertising.
• Negotiate details of contracts and payments.
• Monitor market conditions, product innovations, and competitors' products, prices, and sales.
• Obtain credit information about prospective customers.

Skills

• Judgment and Decision Making
  • Thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one.
• Instructing
  • Teaching people how to do something.
• Programming
  • Writing computer programs.
• Management of Material Resources
  • Managing equipment and materials.
• Systems Evaluation
  • Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it.
• Service Orientation
  • Looking for ways to help people.
• Writing
  • Writing things for co-workers or customers.
• Operations Analysis
  • Figuring out what a product or service needs to be able to do.
• Coordination
  • Changing what is done based on other people's actions.
• Active Learning
  • Figuring out how to use new ideas or things.
• Learning Strategies
  • Using the best training or teaching strategies for learning new things.
• Active Listening
  • Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.
• Installation
  • Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs.
• Management of Financial Resources
  • Making spending decisions and keeping track of what is spent.
• Quality Control Analysis
  • Testing how well a product or service works.
• Technology Design
  • Making equipment and technology useful for customers.
• Monitoring
  • Keeping track of how well people and/or groups are doing in order to make improvements.
• Negotiation
  • Bringing people together to solve differences.
• Critical Thinking
  • Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.
• Social Perceptiveness
  • Understanding people's reactions.
• Science
  • Using scientific rules and strategies to solve problems.
• Complex Problem Solving
  • Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.
• Reading Comprehension
  • Reading work-related information.
• Troubleshooting
  • Figuring out what is causing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs to not work.
• Operation and Control
  • Using equipment or systems.
• Time Management
  • Managing your time and the time of other people.
• Mathematics
  • Using math to solve problems.
• Systems Analysis
  • Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it.
• Equipment Maintenance
  • Planning and doing the basic maintenance on equipment.
• Operations Monitoring
  • Watching gauges, dials, or display screens to make sure a machine is working.
• Management of Personnel Resources
  • Selecting and managing the best workers for a job.
• Equipment Selection
  • Deciding what kind of tools and equipment are needed to do a job.
• Repairing
  • Repairing machines or systems using the right tools.
• Speaking
  • Talking to others.
• Persuasion
  • Talking people into changing their minds or their behavior.

Abilities

• Glare Sensitivity
  • Seeing something even if there is a glare or very bright light.
• Near Vision
  • Seeing details up close.
• Reaction Time
  • Quickly moving your hand, finger, or foot based on a sound, light, picture or other command.
• Selective Attention
  • Paying attention to something without being distracted.
• Fluency of Ideas
  • Coming up with lots of ideas.
• Problem Sensitivity
  • Noticing when problems happen.
• Rate Control
  • Changing when and how fast you move based on how something else is moving.
• Oral Comprehension
  • Listening and understanding what people say.
• Inductive Reasoning
  • Making general rules or coming up with answers from lots of detailed information.
• Trunk Strength
  • Using your lower back and stomach.
• Auditory Attention
  • Paying attention to one sound while there are other distracting sounds.
• Time Sharing
  • Doing two or more things at the same time.
• Static Strength
  • Lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying.
• Stamina
  • Exercising for a long time without getting out of breath.
• Perceptual Speed
  • Quickly comparing groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.
• Wrist-Finger Speed
  • Making fast, simple, repeated movements of your fingers, hands, and wrists.
• Speech Clarity
  • Speaking clearly.
• Number Facility
  • Adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing.
• Written Comprehension
  • Reading and understanding what is written.
• Memorization
  • Remembering words, numbers, pictures, or steps.
• Deductive Reasoning
  • Using rules to solve problems.
• Depth Perception
  • Deciding which thing is closer or farther away from you, or deciding how far away it is from you.
• Written Expression
  • Communicating by writing.
• Originality
  • Creating new and original ideas.
• Flexibility of Closure
  • Seeing hidden patterns.
• Gross Body Equilibrium
  • Keeping your balance or staying upright.
• Far Vision
  • Seeing details that are far away.
• Speed of Limb Movement
  • Quickly moving your arms and legs.
• Finger Dexterity
  • Putting together small parts with your fingers.
• Spatial Orientation
  • Knowing where things are around you.
• Hearing Sensitivity
  • Telling the difference between sounds.
• Explosive Strength
  • Jumping, sprinting, or throwing something.
• Visualization
  • Imagining how something will look after it is moved around or changed.
• Control Precision
  • Quickly changing the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat.
• Information Ordering
  • Ordering or arranging things.
• Speed of Closure
  • Quickly knowing what you are looking at.
• Visual Color Discrimination
  • Noticing the difference between colors, including shades and brightness.
• Night Vision
  • Seeing at night or under low light.
• Extent Flexibility
  • Bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching with your body, arms, and/or legs.
• Speech Recognition
  • Recognizing spoken words.
• Dynamic Strength
  • Exercising for a long time without your muscles getting tired.
• Response Orientation
  • Quickly deciding if you should move your hand, foot, or other body part.
• Multilimb Coordination
  • Using your arms and/or legs together while sitting, standing, or lying down.
• Mathematical Reasoning
  • Choosing the right type of math to solve a problem.
• Oral Expression
  • Communicating by speaking.
• Manual Dexterity
  • Holding or moving items with your hands.
• Sound Localization
  • Noticing the direction that a sound came from.
• Category Flexibility
  • Grouping things in different ways.
• Arm-Hand Steadiness
  • Keeping your arm or hand steady.
• Gross Body Coordination
  • Moving your arms, legs, and mid-section together while your whole body is moving.
• Dynamic Flexibility
  • Quickly and repeatedly bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching out with your body, arms, and/or legs.
• Peripheral Vision
  • Seeing something to your side when your are looking ahead.

Knowledge

• Computers and Electronics
  • Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
• Medicine and Dentistry
  • Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
• 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.
• Education and Training
  • Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
• Mathematics
  • Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
• 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.
• English Language
  • Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Psychology
  • Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
• Public Safety and Security
  • Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
• Law and Government
  • Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
• Transportation
  • Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.
• Fine Arts
  • Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.
• Physics
  • Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub-atomic structures and processes.
• Geography
  • Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.
• Building and Construction
  • Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.
• Therapy and Counseling
  • Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.
• Economics and Accounting
  • Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.
• Design
  • Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
• Sociology and Anthropology
  • Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.
• Personnel and Human Resources
  • Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.
• Engineering and Technology
  • Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
• 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.
• Communications and Media
  • Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
• Telecommunications
  • Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
• Philosophy and Theology
  • Knowledge of different philosophical systems and religions. This includes their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and their impact on human culture.
• Production and Processing
  • Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
• Mechanical
  • Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
• Food Production
  • Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.
• Foreign Language
  • Knowledge of the structure and content of a foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.
• History and Archeology
  • Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.
• Administrative
  • Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.
• Chemistry
  • Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.
• Biology
  • Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.

Education

Education

High school diploma or equivalent

Work Experience

No work experience

Training

1 to 12 months on-the-job training

Education and Training Opportunities

×

Education and Training Opportunities

• Central Washington University
  400 East University Way, Ellensburg WA 98926
  School Type

  Public, 4-year or above

  Admissions
  School Size

  5,000 - 9,999

  Financial Aid 509-963-1111
  Other Degrees Offered

  Undergraduate degree or certificate offering,Graduate degree or certificate offering
  Website

  http://www.cwu.edu/
  Program Name
  Special Products Marketing Operations
  Length
  4 years
  Award Level
  Bachelor's degree
  Save
  Program Name
  Fashion Merchandising
  Length
  4 years
  Award Level
  Bachelor's degree
  Save

  ---

• Edmonds College
  20000 68th Ave W, Lynnwood WA 98036
  School Type

  Public, 4-year or above

  Admissions
  School Size

  5,000 - 9,999

  Financial Aid 425-640-1459
  Other Degrees Offered

  Undergraduate degree or certificate offering,No graduate offering
  Website

  https://www.edmonds.edu/
  Program Name
  Fashion Merchandising
  Length
  At least one but less than two years
  Award Level
  Award of at least 1 but less than 2 academic years
  Save

  ---

• Pierce College District
  9401 Farwest Dr SW, Lakewood WA 98498-1999
  School Type

  Public, 4-year or above

  Admissions
  School Size

  5,000 - 9,999

  Financial Aid 253-964-6500
  Other Degrees Offered

  Undergraduate degree or certificate offering,No graduate offering
  Website

  https://www.pierce.ctc.edu/
  Program Name
  Fashion Merchandising
  Length
  At least one but less than two years
  Award Level
  Award of at least 1 but less than 2 academic years
  Save

  ---

• Seattle Pacific University
  3307 3rd Ave W, Seattle WA 98119-1997
  School Type

  Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above

  Admissions
  School Size

  1,000 - 4,999

  Financial Aid 206-281-2000
  Other Degrees Offered

  Undergraduate degree or certificate offering,Graduate degree or certificate offering
  Website

  https://spu.edu/
  Program Name
  Fashion Merchandising
  Length
  4 years
  Award Level
  Bachelor's degree
  Save

  ---

Close

Pay

Washington Annual Salary

79190/yr

Washington Hourly Wage

38.07/hr

Washington Employment Trends

Currently Employed

37,470

Yearly Projected Openings

3710

Personality

Enterprising: People interested in this work like activities that include leading, making decisions, and business. They do well at jobs that need:

• Analytical Thinking
• Dependability
• Initiative
• Adaptability/Flexibility
• Stress Tolerance
• Attention to Detail

Tools

• Desktop computers
• Laser printers
• Liquid crystal display projector
• Mobile phones
• Notebook computers
• Personal computers

Technology

• Access software
• Accounting software
• Analytical or scientific software
• Application server software
• Business intelligence and data analysis software
• Calendar and scheduling software
• Cloud-based data access and sharing software
• Computer aided design CAD software
• Customer relationship management CRM software
• Data base management system software
• Data base reporting software
• Data base user interface and query software
• Data mining software
• Desktop communications software
• Desktop publishing software
• Development environment software
• Document management software
• Electronic mail software
• Enterprise application integration software
• Enterprise resource planning ERP software
• Enterprise system management software
• Expert system software
• Financial analysis software
• Geographic information system
• Graphics or photo imaging software
• Information retrieval or search software
• Instant messaging software
• Internet browser software
• Internet protocol IP multimedia subsystem software
• Medical software
• Network conferencing software
• Network security and virtual private network VPN equipment software
• Object or component oriented development software
• Office suite software
• Operating system software
• Presentation software
• Process mapping and design software
• Project management software
• Sales and marketing software
• Spreadsheet software
• Transaction security and virus protection software
• Video conferencing software
• Video creation and editing software
• Web page creation and editing software
• Web platform development software
• Word processing software