Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Products

Sales & Account Management

Level 4395 of 1200 points

Job description

Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Products

Job purpose

To sell technical and scientific products for a wholesaler or manufacturer, matching product capability to customers' requirements and negotiating prices and terms, so that orders are won on sound terms and customers use products suited to their operations.

Skills

Technical or scientific product knowledge — biology, engineering, chemistry or electronics — with sales and marketing method and customer service practice: product capabilities and limitations, pricing and credit terms, and the cost arithmetic to compute a customer's installation costs and estimate savings. Bachelor's degree is the most common qualification, though nearly as many hold some college study or a post-secondary certificate, with several years of related experience and on-the-job training.
Deals with business customers by telephone, e-mail and visits to their establishments: explains specifications and applications, answers questions on price, availability and credit terms, advises on product usage, demonstrates equipment and negotiates agreement. Handles objections and disputes over price, delivery or performance. Exchanges selling strategy with colleagues and feeds customer requirements to engineers and design teams.
Establishes what a customer's operation requires and whether the range can meet it — analysing needs against product capabilities, specifications and applicable regulations, computing costs and estimating savings, and working with engineers on faults arising after sale. Each application differs, so product data and standard terms give only a framework and the recommendation must be defensible technically and commercially.
Sets own tasks, priorities and goals across a territory: identifies prospects from business directories, client referrals and trade shows; plans visits, presentations and sales campaigns against sales expectations; and carries quotations, contracts, installations and support cases concurrently, checking that delivery schedules meet project deadlines.
Work is done at a desk and computer maintaining customer records, and travelling by vehicle to customer establishments to demonstrate equipment and distribute samples.

Responsibilities

No line management. Coordinates colleagues, engineers and installation staff without authority over them, and represents the employer to customers whose purchasing decisions the role exists to influence.
Negotiates prices and terms of sales and service agreements, quotes credit terms and bid specifications, computes customers' costs and savings, checks credit ratings and submits contracts. Influences revenue and margin on every order, within the pricing and credit terms the employer sets and subject to acceptance of the contract.
Distributes samples and promotional materials and arranges installation and testing at customer premises. Ordinary care of a workstation, vehicle and customer record system.
Maintains customer records on automated systems and produces proposals, quotations, contracts and sales reports. The content is commercially sensitive and accuracy is critical: quoted prices, specifications and warranty terms commit the employer.

Effort required

Decisions are frequent and accuracy matters: new product documentation must be studied and applied, customer needs analysed, costs calculated and selections checked against regulations. Telephone, e-mail and customer contact is continuous, with attention switching between prospecting, quoting, negotiating and support under time pressure.
Works to sales expectations in a competitive market where the outcome rests largely with the customer. Involves conflict situations and dealing with unpleasant, angry or discourteous people over price, delivery or performance, requiring composure under challenge.
Seated work at a desk alternates with travel in an enclosed vehicle and time on customers' premises. No lifting or exertion.

Working conditions

Indoor, environmentally controlled settings, with regular time in an enclosed vehicle travelling to customer establishments. No hazardous conditions, contaminants, noise or weather exposure are recorded; the exposure is interpersonal — continuous customer contact, and conflict with discourteous or angry people.
Regular established schedule. No shift or on-call work. Considerable freedom to determine own priorities, under time pressure and competition, with frequent decisions whose consequences fall on colleagues and company results.

Skills

40% · 217 points▾

KnowledgeLevel 4 of 8
72 of 144 points
Factual and theoretical knowledge in broad contexts within a field of work. The job requires a range of thinking and practical knowledge to find solutions to specific problems in the job or study area.
Interpersonal and communication skillsLevel 3 of 5
58 of 96 points
Effective communication and interpersonal relationships. The job holder is required to adapt communication to different audiences and foster trust, cooperation and positive working relationships.
Problem-solving skillsLevel 3 of 5
58 of 96 points
Variable problems. The job involves dealing with different kinds of problems that require careful thinking, research into different options or adjusting existing ways of doing things. Guidance and resources may be limited.
Planning and organisational skillsLevel 2 of 5
29 of 72 points
Basic organisational skills required. The job involves planning and organising one's own work within set deadlines. Some input into scheduling and prioritisation of tasks.
Physical skillsLevel 0 of 5
0 of 72 points
Not applicable. The job does not require any particular physical skills (although there is likely to be some physical activity).

Responsibility

35% · 75 points▾

PeopleLevel 0 of 5
0 of 144 points
Does not apply. The job does not require any responsibility for people.
Goods and equipmentLevel 1 of 5
17 of 84 points
Limited responsibility for goods or equipment. The job involves the care and proper use of low-value tools or materials, with minimal responsibility for their maintenance or security.
InformationLevel 3 of 5
58 of 96 points
Moderate responsibility for information. The job involves managing information to ensure it is accurate, of high quality and secure. The job holder may make decisions about the handling of sensitive data.
Financial resourcesLevel 0 of 5
0 of 96 points
Not applicable. The job does not require any responsibility for financial resources.

Effort

15% · 79 points▾

Mental effortLevel 3 of 5
36 of 60 points
High level of mental effort. The job involves frequent concentration on complex tasks that require considerable mental effort, such as interpreting complex data.
Psychosocial and emotional effortLevel 3 of 5
43 of 72 points
Moderate psychosocial and emotional effort. The job requires the regular management of emotional responses, such as dealing with sensitive or challenging individuals or situations.
Physical effortLevel 0 of 5
0 of 48 points
Not applicable. The job does not require any physical effort.

Working Conditions

10% · 24 points▾

Environment (physical, psychological or emotional)Level 1 of 5
17 of 84 points
Minimal exposure to hazards or stress. The job involves little or no exposure to physical hazards (e.g. chemicals, moving equipment, noise) and minimal emotional or psychological risks (e.g. occasional routine tasks with no emotional burden). There is minor exposure to dust, dirt, fumes, noise, waste, poor lighting, etc.
Organisational environmentLevel 1 of 5
7 of 36 points
Minimal organisational demands. The job requires standard working hours with no night shifts or irregular schedules. There is little or no need for travel or digital connectivity beyond typical working hours.