Wholesale and manufacturing sales representatives held about 1.8 million jobs in 2014. The industries that employed the most wholesale and manufacturing sales representatives were as follows:
Wholesale electronic markets and agents and brokers
17%
Manufacturing
14
Machinery, equipment, and supplies merchant wholesalers
7
Professional and commercial equipment and supplies merchant wholesalers
6
Grocery and related product wholesalers
5
Some wholesale and manufacturing sales representatives have large territories and travel considerably. Because a sales region may cover several states, representatives may be away from home for several days or weeks at a time. Sales representatives who cover a smaller region may not spend much time away from home.
Inside wholesale and manufacturing sales representatives spend a lot of their time on the phone, selling goods, taking orders, and resolving problems or complaints about the merchandise. They also use Web technology, including chat, email, and video conferencing, to contact clients.
Workers in this occupation can be under considerable stress because their income and job security often depend directly on the amount of merchandise they sell, and their companies usually set goals or quotas that they are expected to meet.
Work Schedules
Most wholesale and manufacturing sales representatives work full time. Since sales calls take place during regular working hours, many do much of the planning and paperwork involved with sales in the evening and on weekends. Although the hours are often irregular, many sales representatives may determine their own schedules.
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