DETAILED OCCUPATION DATA
41-4011 Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Products
Occupational Description:
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 post-secondary education. Excludes “Sales Engineers” (41-9031).| Percentiles | |||||||||
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| Geography | Employment | Emp SE* | Mean | Mean SE* | 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
| Minnesota | 7,570 | 484 | $43.11/hr | $1.81/hr | $22.49/hr | $30.71/hr | $39.33/hr | $52.64/hr | $67.48/hr |
| U S | 364,830 | 5,837 | $41.49/hr | $0.29/hr | $18.05/hr | $25.07/hr | $36.30/hr | $51.55/hr | $71.33/hr |
| *SE = Standard error, a measure of the statistical reliability of the estimate. | |||||||||
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| Occupation (click title for details) | OES | Projections | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Employment | Median Wage | % Change 2010 - 2020 | |
| Retail Salespersons | 83,990 | $9.83/hr | 15.0% |
| Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products | 29,720 | $30.52/hr | 13.7% |
| Securities, Commodities, and Financial Services Sales Agents | 8,180 | $28.16/hr | 13.3% |
| Driver/Sales Workers | 7,610 | $10.41/hr | 7.9% |
| Insurance Sales Agents | 5,350 | $23.61/hr | 21.8% |
| Parts Salespersons | 4,890 | $14.82/hr | 11.5% |
| Public Relations Specialists | 3,510 | $27.15/hr | 13.4% |
| Advertising Sales Agents | 2,910 | $23.07/hr | 6.8% |
| Real Estate Sales Agents | 2,010 | $17.54/hr | 13.4% |
| Demonstrators and Product Promoters | 1,760 | $10.81/hr | 16.6% |
| Purchasing Agents and Buyers, Farm Products | 310 | $32.13/hr | 6.3% |
| Farm and Home Management Advisors | 110 | $27.44/hr | 9.5% |
Tasks for Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Products
- Solicits orders from customers in person or by phone.
- Recommends changes in customer use of agricultural products to improve production.
- Prepares reports of business transactions.
- Demonstrates use of agricultural equipment or machines.
- Informs customer of estimated delivery schedule, service contracts, warranty, or other information pertaining to purchased products.
- Consults with customer regarding installation, set-up, or layout of agricultural equipment and machines.
- Prepares sales contracts for orders obtained.
- Displays or shows customer agricultural related products.
- Compiles lists of prospective customers for use as sales leads.
- Quotes prices and credit terms.
- Promotes and sells pharmaceutical and chemical products to potential customers.
- Distributes drug samples to customer and takes orders for pharmaceutical supply items from customer.
- Explains water treatment package benefits to customer and sells chemicals to treat and resolve water process problems.
- Discusses characteristics and clinical studies pertaining to pharmaceutical products with physicians, dentists, hospitals, and retail/wholesale establishments.
- Inspects, tests, and observes chemical changes in water system equipment, utilizing test kit, reference manual, and knowledge of chemical treatment.
- Estimates and advises customer of service costs to correct water-treatment process problems.
- Analyzes communication needs of customer and consults with staff engineers regarding technical problems.
- Trains establishment personnel in equipment use, utilizing knowledge of electronics and product sold.
- Recommends equipment to meet customer requirements, considering salable features, such as flexibility, cost, capacity, and economy of operation.
- Negotiates terms of sale and services with customer.
- Sells electrical or electronic equipment, such as computers, data processing and radiographic equipment to businesses and industrial establishments.
- Recommends and sells textile, industrial, construction, railroad, and oil field machinery, equipment, materials, and supplies, and services utilizing knowledge of machine operations.
- Computes installation or production costs, estimates savings, and prepares and submits bid specifications to customer for review and approval.
- Arranges for installation and test-operation of machinery and recommends solutions to product-related problems.
- Demonstrates and explains use of installed equipment and production processes.
- Appraises equipment and verifies customer credit rating to establish trade-in value and contract terms.
- Attends sales and trade meetings and reads related publications to obtain current market condition information, business trends, and industry developments.
- Inspects establishment premises to verify installation feasibility, and obtains building blueprints and elevator specifications to submit to engineering department for bid.
- Reviews existing machinery/equipment placement and diagrams proposal to illustrate efficient space utilization, using standard measuring devices and templates.
- Submits orders for product and follows-up on order to verify material list accuracy and delivery schedule meets project deadline.
- Contacts current and potential customers, visits establishments to evaluate needs, and promotes sale of products and services.
- Promotes sale of medical and dental equipment, supplies, and services to doctors, dentists, hospitals, medical schools, and retail establishments.
- Writes specifications to order custom-made surgical appliances, using customer measurements and physician prescriptions.
- Designs and fabricates custom-made medical appliances.
- Advises customer regarding office layout, legal and insurance regulations, cost analysis, and collection methods.
- Studies data describing new products to accurately recommend purchase of equipment and supplies.
- Selects surgical appliances from stock and fits and sells appliance to customer.
- Assists customer with product selection, utilizing knowledge of engineering specifications and catalog resources.
- Sells weighing and other precision instruments, such as spring scales, dynamometers, and laboratory, navigational, and surveying instruments to customer.
- Evaluates customer needs and emphasizes product features based on technical knowledge of product capabilities and limitations.