What You Need to Know About Wholesale and Manufacturing Sales Representative
Job Description: Sell goods for wholesalers or manufacturers to businesses or groups of individuals. Work requires substantial knowledge of items sold.
Life As a Wholesale & Manufacturing Sales Representative: What Do They Do?
- Recommend products to customers, based on customers’ needs and interests.
- Prepare sales contracts and order forms.
- Forward orders to manufacturers.
- Check stock levels and reorder merchandise as necessary.
- Answer customers’ questions about products, prices, availability, product uses, and credit terms.
- Buy products from manufacturers or brokerage firms and distribute them to wholesale and retail clients.
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Wholesale & Manufacturing Sales Representative Skills
Below is a list of the skills most Wholesale and Manufacturing Sales Representatives say are important on the job.
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.
Related Job Titles
- Tobacco Products and Smoking Supplies Sales Representative
- District Sales Representative
- Executive Vice President of Sales
- Sales Director
- Musical Instruments and Accessories Sales Representative
Job Outlook for Wholesale and Manufacturing Sales Representatives
In the United States, there were 1,469,900 jobs for Wholesale and Manufacturing Sales Representative in 2016. 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. There will be an estimated 158,400 positions for Wholesale & Manufacturing Sales Representative per 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.
Average Wholesale and Manufacturing Sales Representatives Salary
The typical yearly salary for Wholesale and Manufacturing Sales Representatives is somewhere 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.
How much do Wholesale and Manufacturing Sales Representatives make 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 & Technology 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
Individuals working as a Wholesale and Manufacturing Sales Representative have obtained the following education levels:

How many years of work experience do I need?

Wholesale and Manufacturing Sales Representatives Sector

Wholesale and Manufacturing Sales Representatives work in the following industries:

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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