What does a sales representative do?
Sales representatives work for businesses selling a product or service. These professionals may be part of sales departments in a larger company or operate as a sole salesperson for a smaller organization. Sales representatives also reach out to leads, educate customers about products and build trust with customers that helps close deals.
They often work toward sales quotas, either based on revenue or activities such as demos, which can contribute to an organization’s financial success.
Sales representative skills and qualifications
Strong candidates often demonstrate excellent communication, customer service and interpersonal skills, which may be important for success in this role. Problem solving and organization are also valuable competencies that set top candidates apart.
Skills commonly listed in sales representative job description templates include:
- Active listening to understand customer concerns, needs and preferences
- Persuasion and negotiation skills to help overcome client objections. Knowledge of customer relationship management to support ongoing communications and build trust
- Product knowledge and an understanding of regulations and specifications within the industry
- Presentation skills for explaining products and services to individuals and groups
- Self-motivation to support internal drive toward sales goals
- Adaptability to pivot and adjust sales tactics
Sales representative experience requirements
Experience requirements depend on the level and duties of the position and how much in-house training your organization provides. For example, an entry-level sales representative role may require customer service or retail experience. Inside sales reps who work with complex services or goods may need to be familiar with those specific products.
Consider candidates with retail skills, customer service or marketing backgrounds, as they may have transferable skills necessary to succeed in a sales role.
Sales representative education and training requirements
Most sales representative jobs don’t require formal education. Skills-first hiring that evaluates an applicant’s knowledge and capabilities can help you find candidates with relevant backgrounds.
In some fields, degrees may be helpful. For example, sales representatives in the pharmaceutical or medical fields may need clinical knowledge to explain products to doctors or other healthcare providers. Similarly, a rep selling engineering equipment might be more successful if they have an education in engineering.
Sales representative salary expectations
According to Indeed Salaries, the average salary for a sales representative is $81,550 per year. Salary can vary based on business size, industry, commission structure and bonus opportunities.
Sales representative salary expectations
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Common salary:
82599.12 YEARLY -
Typical salaries range from
14000.00 -223000.00 YEARLY - Find more information on Indeed Salaries
*Indeed data –
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