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

• Summary

• Details

Work Activities

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

Skills

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

Abilities

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

Knowledge

• Food Production
  • Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.
• 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.
• 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.
• Economics and Accounting
  • Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.
• 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.
• 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.
• History and Archeology
  • Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.
• Mathematics
  • Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
• 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.
• 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.
• Telecommunications
  • Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
• 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.
• Computers and Electronics
  • Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
• 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.
• Fine Arts
  • Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.
• 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.
• Law and Government
  • Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
• 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.
• 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.
• Mechanical
  • Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• English Language
  • Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, and rules of composition and grammar.
• 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.
• 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.
• Production and Processing
  • Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
• 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.
• Biology
  • Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
• Transportation
  • Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.

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

  10,000 - 19,999

  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

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• 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

  http://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

  http://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

  ---

• Spokane Community College
  1810 North Greene Street, Spokane WA 99217-5399
  School Type

  Public, 4-year or above

  Admissions
  School Size

  5,000 - 9,999

  Financial Aid 509-533-8400
  Other Degrees Offered

  Undergraduate degree or certificate offering,No graduate offering
  Website

  https://scc.spokane.edu/
  Program Name
  General Merchandising, Sales, and Related Marketing Operations, Other
  Length
  2 years
  Award Level
  Associate'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:

• Initiative
• Self-Confidence
• Optimism
• Perseverance
• Social Orientation
• Achievement Orientation

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