Sales Representative

If you’ve ever seen Arthur Miller’s famous play, “Death of a Salesman,” you know that sales is a quintessentially American career. It’s the apple pie of occupations.

Never mind that Willy Loman’s story ended tragically. Yours will end happily, as sales is a rewarding and lucrative career for anyone who’s intrinsically energetic, persuasive, and passionate.

As a Sales Representative, or Sales Rep, you’re paid by companies to go out into the world — “representing” them — with the purpose of selling their products and services.

A businessperson, you accomplish that by traveling — locally, nationally, and internationally — in order to visit with new prospects and existing customers. Sometimes, you’ll speak with people over the phone. Frequently, however, you’ll meet with them face-to-face — for a private meeting at their office, for instance, over lunch at a local restaurant, or in your company’s booth during a trade show.

No matter where you meet, your job as a Sales Representative is threefold: Finding customers, selling to them, and retaining them. To find them, you’ll spend time networking with prospects at events and cold-calling people that you think might be interested in your product. To sell to them, meanwhile, you’ll answer questions about the product, negotiate pricing, and deliver a persuasive sales pitch that demonstrates your product’s value. Finally, to retain them, you’ll act as a Customer Service Rep who’s on call to address ongoing questions, comments, and concerns.

Basically, as a Sales Representative, you’re the gas in your company’s engine. You keep the motor running by continually filling it with fuel in the form of new and happy customers.