Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Products
Sell goods for wholesalers or manufacturers where technical or scientific knowledge is required in such areas as biology, engineering, chemistry, and electronics, normally obtained from at least 2 years of postsecondary education.
- Median pay
- $104,920
- Doing it now
- 292,000
- By 2035
- Up 1.2%
- Usually needs
- Bachelor's degree
a year
across the country
23,600 openings a year
to get in
What the work involves
- Answer customers' questions about products, prices, availability, or credit terms.
- Quote prices, credit terms, or other bid specifications.
- Emphasize product features, based on analyses of customers' needs and on technical knowledge of product capabilities and limitations.
- Negotiate prices or terms of sales or service agreements.
- Maintain customer records, using automated systems.
- Collaborate with colleagues to exchange information, such as selling strategies or marketing information.
- Prepare sales presentations or proposals to explain product specifications or applications.
What to study
The fields of study the Department of Education links to this occupation, most widely taught first.
- General Sales, Merchandising and Related Marketing OperationsSee 88 colleges that teach it
Who it suits
O*NET scores every occupation on six interest dimensions. This one leans hardest on these three.
Leading and persuading
Organised and precise
Hands-on and practical
Careers like this one
- Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products$72,080
- Regulatory Affairs Managers$141,900
- First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers$48,520
- Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers$107,230
- Facilities Managers$106,660
- General and Operations Managers$105,770
Where this comes from: the description and the task list are O*NET, which the Department of Labor maintains. Pay, workforce size, outlook and the education normally needed are the Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections programme, 2025 wages and 2025 to 2035 projections. Half of them earn more than $104,920 a year, which means half earn less, and what you would earn depends on where you work and how long you have been doing it. The fields of study come from the National Center for Education Statistics crosswalk.