Outside Sales Representative job description: duties, skills and qualifications.

Core duties

10

O*NET task statements

O*NET occupation

Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products

O*NET-SOC 41-4012.00

Preparation

Job Zone 4 of 5

considerable preparation

Typical entry education

High school diploma or equivalent

BLS 2025–35

Median pay

$72,080

BLS May 2025

Data Government data groups this job as Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products (O*NET-SOC 41-4012.00). O*NET 31.0 lists “Outside Sales Representative” in its Sample of Reported Titles (the titles job holders report) for this occupation only (also listed from O*NET job-incumbent data, employer job postings and user input). 5 other occupations carry it only as an alternate title (from the U.S. Employment and Training Administration and user input), never as a reported title or a SOC Index title. Figures on this page are for that occupation. TryHired has no separate career page for this title yet.

1. Answer customers' questions about products, prices, availability, product uses, and credit terms. importance 4.4 of 5
2. Recommend products to customers, based on customers' needs and interests. importance 4.3 of 5
3. Estimate or quote prices, credit or contract terms, warranties, and delivery dates. importance 4.3 of 5
4. Consult with clients after sales or contract signings to resolve problems and to provide ongoing support. importance 4.2 of 5
5. Prepare sales contracts and order forms. importance 4.2 of 5
6. Provide customers with product samples and catalogs. importance 4.1 of 5
7. Monitor market conditions, product innovations, and competitors' products, prices, and sales. importance 4.1 of 5
8. Perform administrative duties, such as preparing sales budgets and reports, keeping sales records, and filing expense account reports. importance 4.0 of 5
9. Contact regular and prospective customers to demonstrate products, explain product features, and solicit orders. importance 3.9 of 5
10. Identify prospective customers by using business directories, following leads from existing clients, participating in organizations and clubs, and attending trade shows and conferences. importance 3.9 of 5

Work activities O*NET rates most important here: Selling or Influencing Others, Getting Information, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge and Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships.

Also part of the job

Supplemental tasks O*NET lists for this occupation: less central than the core duties above, and not done in every job.

• Negotiate with retail merchants to improve product exposure, such as shelf positioning and advertising.
• Check stock levels and reorder merchandise as necessary.
• Plan, assemble, and stock product displays in retail stores, or make recommendations to retailers regarding product displays, promotional programs, and advertising.
• Negotiate details of contracts and payments.
• Prepare drawings, estimates, and bids that meet specific customer needs.
• Obtain credit information about prospective customers.

Knowledge areas: Sales and Marketing, Customer and Personal Service, English Language, Mathematics and Transportation.

Software O*NET lists for this occupation: Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft PowerPoint, Salesforce software, Adobe Creative Cloud software. These are examples O*NET records for the job, not a list of tools every employer uses or a checklist of what you must know.

• Education: BLS lists a high school diploma or equivalent as the typical entry-level education.
• Experience: BLS lists no work experience in a related occupation as typical to enter.
• Training on the job: BLS lists moderate-term on-the-job training as typical once hired.
• Preparation: O*NET places the job in Job Zone 4 of 5 (considerable preparation). A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations.
• Licenses and certifications: not listed here. A license is a legal requirement set by a state; a certification is a credential from a private or professional body. Rules vary by state and employer, and a missing entry on this page does not mean none is required: check with your state's licensing board.

Job title: Outside Sales Representative
[Company] · [City, State] · [Full-time or part-time] · [Pay range, where your state requires one]

About the role
[Company] is hiring an Outside Sales Representative to sell goods for wholesalers or manufacturers to businesses or groups of individuals.
[One sentence on your team and why this role matters.]

What you will do
- Answer customers' questions about products, prices, availability, product uses, and credit terms.
- Recommend products to customers, based on customers' needs and interests.
- Estimate or quote prices, credit or contract terms, warranties, and delivery dates.
- Consult with clients after sales or contract signings to resolve problems and to provide ongoing support.
- Prepare sales contracts and order forms.
- Provide customers with product samples and catalogs.
- Monitor market conditions, product innovations, and competitors' products, prices, and sales.
- Perform administrative duties, such as preparing sales budgets and reports, keeping sales records, and filing expense account reports.

What we are looking for
- [Education: BLS lists a high school diploma or equivalent as typical for this occupation; set the level this role truly needs]
- [Experience: BLS lists no related work experience as typical to enter; set what this role needs]
- Strength in active listening, speaking and social perceptiveness
- Working knowledge of Sales and Marketing and Customer and Personal Service
- [Software your team uses, e.g. Microsoft Excel or Microsoft Office software]
- [Any license or certification your state or company requires]

[Schedule, benefits and how to apply]

Illustrative: every name, employer, school, date and number in these samples is fictional or a bracketed placeholder. Replace each bracket with your own true details; never copy a result you did not achieve.

Not a real job posting. This template is TryHired's illustration built from government occupational data. It is not an opening at any employer, and no employer wrote it.

For Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products, the median annual wage was $72,080 in May 2025. The median hourly wage was $34.65. BLS estimates about 1,238,190 jobs in this occupation in the U.S.

BLS projects employment of Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products to decline 0.9% from 2025 to 2035, with about 99,800 openings a year over that period, including openings to replace workers who leave.

• Read a real outside sales representative posting next to the core duties above. Duties it repeats, such as “Answer customers' questions about products, prices, availability…”, tell you what that employer weighs most; anything it adds is specific to that team.
• Tailor your resume to the posting, not to this page: describe only outside sales representative work you have actually done, with your own results.
• Prepare a story for each of the top-rated skills (active listening and speaking): a real situation, what you did and what changed.