How To Become a Sales Rep in Wholesale
November 17, 2014 By Stacey Woods
What You Will Learn
- You'll go through the process of gaining hands-on experience as a trainee and highlight the significance of professional certifications to advance your career.
- You'll gain insights into the earning potential of wholesale sales representatives and the growth prospects within the field.
The job of a wholesale sales rep is to sell merchandise to businesses and other organizations. The responsibilities include teaching the customers about the existing products, negotiating prices, and preparing sales contracts. If these duties and responsibilities are of interest to you; you hold a high school diploma (some may require additional education); and you want to take control over your own schedule maybe you would be interested in learning how to become a wholesale sales rep.
Schooling
Since a 4-year college degree is really recommended for a job in the wholesale sales field, even though a lot of time a High School diploma will sometimes suffice, we advise if you really want to succeed in the field spring for the Bachelor’s degree it will help you while on the job as well. While you’re in school you can supplement your college degree by attending seminars and actively learning about wholesale sales. A lot of universities and colleges offer programs for aspiring sales reps administrated through professional organizations that can help you get your foot in the door.
Pro Tip: Networking is essential, to successfully start and advance in a wholesale sales career. Attending business career fairs and searching online for trainee opportunities can help you find the right company to gain your first experience.
Training
Once you’ve completed all of the necessary schooling for the job reach out to well known companies to see if they have any available sales trainee positions. There’s a plethora of opportunities you can find by searching online, or attending business career fairs. At this point in the game, it’s not so significant whether the company’s business is wholesale or not since you’re just building your professional repertoire.
Pro Tip:Work hard and learn from experienced professionals during your trainee period. The more effort you put into understanding the sales process and building your skill set, the faster you will move toward managing your own sales calls and responsibilities. Patience and persistence are key in this career path—don’t be discouraged if it takes time to advance.
It will take you about 1-2 years of working as a trainee to build of the skill set to join the sales work force. Take advantage of this time and work hard to improve these skills, learn by example from all of the sales reps you’re surrounded with. If you work really hard and show a lot of potential you may even network your way into landing your first job with a wholesaler
Be patient. It’s important to understand that experienced personnel must accompany anyone who wants to become a sales rep on sales calls. Eventually, once your broaden your knowledge of the company’s clients and you begin to make a name for yourself your responsibility will gradually increase. Don’t worry, the day will come when you will be given your own sales ground.
Pro Tip:Consider specializing in technical or scientific products, which typically offer higher salaries, if you’re looking to boost your earning potential.
If you feel like you’ve been stuck doing the same sales rep duties, and you’re not moving up in the company you’re working for consider obtaining one of the advanced professional designations available to sales representatives. Since we’re trying to become wholesale sales reps here the certification with the most weight is the Certified Professional Manufacturers’ Representative, Cp.m.R. If you’re really serious about your career in Wholesale these certifications will make your commitment to the sales force very apparent. It will also open the doors for you to a whole new world of wholesale sales rep job opportunities.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, wholesale and manufacturing sales representatives who sold technical and scientific products or services had an average yearly income of $85,750 in 2011. Wholesale and manufacturing sales representatives who sold other products and services earned $63,520. Wholesale and sales teams are moving forward with force and it’s an exciting environment a lot of people want to join.
Pro Tip:Don’t overlook the value of obtaining advanced certifications, such as the Cp.m.R., which demonstrate your commitment to the field and can help open doors to higher-paying and more prestigious opportunities.
Do you feel like you’re ready to start your career as a sales rep in wholesale? Do you have any other tips to succeed and reach the top of this field?
Key Takeaways
- While a high school diploma may be sufficient for some wholesale sales representative positions, obtaining a bachelor’s degree can significantly improve your career prospects. Supplementing your degree with seminars and professional sales courses will further enhance your qualifications. These credentials signal your commitment and expertise in the field.
- Gaining hands-on experience as a trainee in order to build a strong foundation and actively learn from experienced sales reps is crucial for developing the skills needed in wholesale sales. While starting out might require patience, gaining solid experience in the field can lead to increased responsibilities and greater career advancement. With time, you can transition into higher-level sales roles or even start your own sales team.
- Wholesale and manufacturing sales representatives earn different salaries depending on the type of products they sell. Sales reps who specialize in technical and scientific products tend to have higher earnings compared to those selling other types of goods.
- Networking through career fairs, online job searches, and connecting with well-known companies can help you find valuable training and job opportunities, especially when starting out in the field.
- It can take time to establish yourself and move up in the wholesale sales field. Success is achieved through persistence, continual learning, and dedication to building relationships with clients and colleagues.
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