Sales representative
Use your people skills to sell your company's products or services to businesses, shops or individuals.
Also known as: technical sales representative, sales executive, sales engineer
About the job
What it's like
You would use your people skills to sell your company’s products or services to businesses, shops or individuals.
Products you could sell include medicines, consumer goods or engineering parts.
You would:
Make appointments with new and current customers
Assess your customers’ needs
Make presentations on new products and special deals
Look after sales, prices, contracts and payments
Advise customers about delivery times and after-sales service
Keep in contact with customers in person and by telephone
Report your orders to the sales office
Keep up to date with what your competitors are doing
Go to conferences and seminars and follow industry trends
Meet sales targets
Write reports on sales trends
This job can come with a lot of pressure, as you may have to meet difficult targets. In some jobs you will be paid on commission, which means that for every item you sell you will make more money.
Hours
Your working hours would be 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday. You may be able to choose your hours as long as you meet your sales targets. Making enough appointments to meet the needs of all your customers could mean that you sometimes need to put in longer hours. This could include working evenings and weekends.
Environment
You would often cover a wide geographical area and spend a lot of time driving to visit customers. When not on the road, you could be based in a local or regional sales office, or you could work from home.
Travel
Some jobs may involve travel abroad if your company sells to overseas customers.
Explore more information about this job
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Other careers that you might like
Medical sales representative Sales supervisor
Related industries
Many jobs can be done in lots of different industries. We've highlighted the ones we think are most important for this job.
Food and drink
Top skills
Skills are things you're good at. Whether you know what yours are or not, everyone has them!
It's useful to learn which ones are important in a job so you know the areas you need to brush up on. It can also help you work out if you're suited to a career.
Top specialised skills
These are the top specialised skills that have been found in job vacancies across Scotland. From March 2024 to March 2025.
- selling techniques
- business to business
- automobile dealership
- upselling
- sales engineering
- technical sales
- cold calling
- demonstration skills
- phone sales
- executive recruitment
Meta skills
Here are some of the meta skills you'll need to do this job.
- working with numbers
- respecting
- networking
- cooperating
- verbal communication
- attention to detail
- managing resources
- negotiating
- positive attitude
Your skills are important
Our unique skillsets are what make us stand out from the crowd. Learn about each skill in depth and discover what employers look for in your applications and interviews.
Getting in
Explore each section to find more information about getting into this career.
Colleges and universities will list subjects you'll need for entry to a course. Some useful subjects include:
Business
English and Communication
Skills for Work: Retailing
Many employers look for a Higher National Certificate (SCQF level 7), a Higher National Diploma (SCQF level 8) or a degree (SCQF level 9/10) in subjects such as:
Management
Business
Marketing
For technical and medical sales a Higher National Diploma or degree relevant to the sector, such as engineering or science, might be needed.
Employers also value relevant work-based experience and qualifications such as a Scottish Vocational Qualification in Retail: Sales Professional (SVQ level 3).
You can enter a Higher National Diploma courses (SCQF level 8) with National 4/5 qualifications and one to two Highers or equivalent qualifications.
To enter a degree (SCQF level 9/10) usually requires National 5 qualifications and a minimum of four Highers or a relevant HNC/HND.
Qualifications and experience in customer services and sales such as Skills for Work Retailing (SCFQ level 5) may also be of value when applying to courses or entry level sales jobs.
You can enhance your employability, prior to becoming a sales representative or once in the job, with Institute of Sales and Marketing Management (ISMM) training and qualifications.
There is no single entry route to this profession but previous sales experience and product knowledge is often required.
You will also need a driving licence for some jobs.
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