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

What do sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, technical and scientific products do?

• Negotiate prices or terms of sales or service agreements.
• Prepare and submit sales contracts for orders.
• Visit establishments to evaluate needs or to promote product or service sales.
• Maintain customer records, using automated systems.
• Answer customers' questions about products, prices, availability, or credit terms.
• Quote prices, credit terms, or other bid specifications.

Core tasks, O*NET OnLine, 41-4011.00.

What does it take to become one?

Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.

Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job.

Employees in these occupations usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.

O*NET Job Zone 3, SVP (6.0 to < 7.0). O*NET OnLine.

Employers commonly list experience with Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft PowerPoint, Salesforce software, Amazon Web Services AWS software for this role.

What do sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, technical and scientific products get paid?

BLS OEWS, May 2025 publishes a wage for sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, technical and scientific products in 88 of the metro areas we publish data for. The median ranges from $64,670 to $167,630 a year depending on the metro, with a midpoint of $101,460. This is what employers pay, place of work, not a single national figure and not what any one person takes home.

BLS OEWS, BLS OEWS, May 2025, SOC 41-4011.

What does hiring one cost?

The same as any role: tier, not location or salary, sets the fee. Across all six tiers the published range is $6,240 to $54,340 per search. For scale, the highest median any metro we publish data for pays sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, technical and scientific products is $167,630 a year, place of work (BLS OEWS, May 2025). A contingency firm hiring at that level would bill roughly $33,526 to $50,289 on the first year salary alone, 20 to 30%.

Frequently asked

How fast can a technical sales representative search fill?

Typically 23 to 35 days, and typically 2 to 3x faster than a contingency search, per our recruiting partner's published figures. Both are typical rather than guaranteed.

What if the hire does not work out?

A 45-day replacement guarantee, at 50% off a repeat search for the same role.