What a sales representative really does
You sell technical products to people who know their field, so you have to understand their work, price it right and close the deal.
FieldBusiness
Preparation (O*NET Job Zone)Considerable preparation needed
What the work involves
What fills a typical week for sales representatives, built from O*NET occupation data.
- Calling, emailing and visiting customers to learn what they need and show how your products fit
- Answering questions about specifications, prices, stock and credit terms
- Building quotes and proposals, and calculating what customers will save
- Negotiating prices and terms, then writing up and submitting the order
- Keeping every account and deal up to date in the CRM
- Checking that deliveries will arrive in time for the customer's project
- Driving between customer sites most days and finding new prospects at trade shows and through referrals
What the days are like
What people in the job know
- Long weeks are the norm, not the exception. Duration of typical work week: 79% more than 40 hours (O*NET Work Context)
- It is fiercely competitive, and you feel it in every price conversation. Level of competition: 44% extremely competitive, 20% highly competitive; Task 1 (Core, importance 83): Negotiate prices or terms of sales (O*NET)
- You spend a lot of the day in your car going between customers. Enclosed vehicle: 40% every day, 25% once a week or more; Task 3 (Core, importance 81): Visit establishments to evaluate needs or promote sales (O*NET)
- Unhappy customers are a weekly event, often about delays, pricing or problems with an order. Dealing with unpleasant, angry, or discourteous people: 15% every day, 45% once a week or more; Conflict situations: 42% once a week or more (O*NET Work Context)
- You have a lot of control over your own day, which comes with the responsibility to hit your numbers. Determine tasks, priorities, and goals: 73% a lot of freedom; Frequency of decision making: 83% every day (O*NET Work Context)
How people get into it
Most reps in this field hold a bachelor's degree (O*NET Job Zone 4), often in a science, engineering or business field connected to what they sell. Many start in inside sales, customer service or a technical role such as lab technician, then move into a territory. Product knowledge is learned through company training on the job.
The Firstday trial, easy to hard
Three simulated tasks at Meridian Lab Systems, a fictional company, with AI coworkers who message you, react to your work and coach with questions. Nobody scores you.
What the trial can't show: The trial cannot show driving a territory, walking into labs and plants, carrying demo equipment, relationships built over years, or the pressure of a quarterly quota and commission paycheck. It also cannot teach the deep product knowledge reps build over time. Customers, products and prices are fictional.
Reading about it is one thing.
Find out how the work feels to you before you spend on a degree, course or job change. Your first trial is free.
Other careers you can try
Job details on this page are built from O*NET OnLine, 41-4011.00. This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.