What is a Wholesale and Manufacturing Sales Representative?
Wholesale & Manufacturing Sales Representative Job Description Sell goods for wholesalers or manufacturers to businesses or groups of individuals. Work requires substantial knowledge of items sold.
List of Wholesale & Manufacturing Sales Representative Job Duties
- Train customers’ employees to operate and maintain new equipment.
- Recommend products to customers, based on customers’ needs and interests.
- Prepare sales contracts and order forms.
- Obtain credit information about prospective customers.
- Answer customers’ questions about products, prices, availability, product uses, and credit terms.
- Consult with clients after sales or contract signings to resolve problems and to provide ongoing support.
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What Skills Do You Need to Work as a Wholesale & Manufacturing Sales Representative?
When polled, Wholesale and Manufacturing Sales Representatives say the following skills are most frequently used in their jobs:
Active Listening: Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Speaking: Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Persuasion: Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
Social Perceptiveness: Being aware of others’ reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
Negotiation: Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.
Critical Thinking: Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
Other Wholesale & Manufacturing Sales Representative Job Titles
- General Merchandise Sales Representative
- Wool Merchant
- National Sales
- Account Manager (Salesman)
- National Account Manager
Is There Job Demand for Wholesale and Manufacturing Sales Representatives?
There were about 1,469,900 jobs for Wholesale and Manufacturing Sales Representative in 2016 (in the United States). New jobs are being produced at a rate of 5.2% which is below the national average. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts 76,400 new jobs for Wholesale and Manufacturing Sales Representative by 2026. Due to new job openings and attrition, there will be an average of 158,400 job openings in this field each year.

The states with the most job growth for Wholesale & Manufacturing Sales Representative are Utah, Nevada, and Wisconsin. Watch out if you plan on working in Delaware, Maine, or Ohio. These states have the worst job growth for this type of profession.
Wholesale & Manufacturing Sales Representative Salary
The average yearly salary of a Wholesale & Manufacturing Sales Representative ranges between $29,140 and $122,770.

Wholesale and Manufacturing Sales Representatives who work in District of Columbia, Massachusetts, or New Jersey, make the highest salaries.
Below is a list of the median annual salaries for Wholesale and Manufacturing Sales Representatives in different U.S. states.
State | Annual Mean Salary |
---|---|
Alabama | $64,510 |
Alaska | $56,550 |
Arizona | $63,550 |
Arkansas | $59,290 |
California | $72,780 |
Colorado | $77,330 |
Connecticut | $74,320 |
Delaware | $65,170 |
District of Columbia | $75,570 |
Florida | $61,150 |
Georgia | $64,480 |
Hawaii | $51,720 |
Idaho | $61,990 |
Illinois | $68,510 |
Indiana | $71,610 |
Iowa | $65,580 |
Kansas | $68,830 |
Kentucky | $64,260 |
Louisiana | $60,360 |
Maine | $65,850 |
Maryland | $69,950 |
Massachusetts | $79,240 |
Michigan | $75,130 |
Minnesota | $72,550 |
Mississippi | $61,090 |
Missouri | $65,640 |
Montana | $57,470 |
Nebraska | $60,390 |
Nevada | $66,790 |
New Hampshire | $71,570 |
New Jersey | $79,290 |
New Mexico | $62,290 |
New York | $72,820 |
North Carolina | $73,890 |
North Dakota | $65,770 |
Ohio | $67,790 |
Oklahoma | $59,370 |
Oregon | $67,170 |
Pennsylvania | $73,280 |
Rhode Island | $74,610 |
South Carolina | $64,430 |
South Dakota | $64,490 |
Tennessee | $64,340 |
Texas | $69,990 |
Utah | $60,750 |
Vermont | $68,340 |
Virginia | $76,470 |
Washington | $75,100 |
West Virginia | $55,970 |
Wisconsin | $69,360 |
Wyoming | $66,940 |
What Tools do Wholesale and Manufacturing Sales Representatives Use?
Although they’re not necessarily needed for all jobs, the following technologies are used by many Wholesale and Manufacturing Sales Representatives:
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Word
- Microsoft Office
- Hypertext markup language HTML
- Microsoft PowerPoint
- Microsoft Outlook
- Microsoft Access
- Data entry software
- SAP
- Microsoft Windows
- Microsoft Project
- Autodesk AutoCAD
- Adobe Systems Adobe Acrobat
- Microsoft Visio
- Microsoft SharePoint
- Adobe Systems Adobe Photoshop
- Microsoft Dynamics
- SAS
- IBM Notes
Becoming a Wholesale & Manufacturing Sales Representative
Education needed to be a Wholesale and Manufacturing Sales Representative:

How Long Does it Take to Become a Wholesale & Manufacturing Sales Representative?

Where Wholesale and Manufacturing Sales Representatives Are Employed

Below are examples of industries where Wholesale and Manufacturing Sales Representatives work:

You May Also Be Interested In…
Those thinking about becoming a Wholesale and Manufacturing Sales Representative might also be interested in the following careers:
References:
Image Credit: Qfamily via Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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