How to Become a Wholesale Sales Representative
Though the exact qualifications you'll need to become a wholesale sales representative vary from industry to industry, you'll need a proven sales track record and extensive product knowledge, at minimum. Many wholesale companies have an in-house training program that sales reps complete, learning every facet of the business through a combination of classroom and on-the-job instruction.
Other People Are Reading
Instructions
-
Get the Education
-
1
Take business and economics classes in high school, and foster your leadership and verbal communication skills through extracurricular activities and oral in-class presentations.
-
2
Get a 4-year college degree. In the past, proven sales experience (which can be attained without college training) usually sufficed to get you in the door at a wholesale company. However, with product lines becoming more technical and complex, a relevant Bachelor's degree is being seen as more and more attractive.
-
-
3
Supplement your college education by taking training seminars for aspiring sales reps, offered through business schools and professional organizations. A thorough understanding of marketing and communications is also essential if you want to become a wholesale sales representative.
Train to Be a Wholesale Sales Rep
-
4
Find a sales trainee position with a well-established company after you complete your education. By browsing online job sites and attending sales and business career fairs, you'll have no problem lining up a bevy of opportunities. Don't worry at this point whether or not the company's business is wholesale, since you're still trying to acquire the professional experience needed to land your preferred job.
-
5
Work through the trainee program and into the sales work force for a period of 1 to 2 years. Work hard to improve your skills, and learn all you can from successful sales reps above you. Of course, if you can land your first job with a wholesaler, all the better.
-
6
Understand that many people who want to become sales reps are trained by accompanying experienced personnel on sales calls. As your knowledge of a company's clients and business builds, your job responsibility usually increases. Eventually, you will likely be given your own sales territory.
-
7
Consider acquiring one or more of the advanced professional designations available to sales representatives. For a wholesale sales representative, you're most likely to go after the Certified Professional Manufacturers' Representative (Cp.m.R) or the Certified Sales Professional (CSP) certification. These designations signal your commitment to professional improvement, and can open the doors to a world of wholesale sales rep jobs.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
You'll be at an added advantage if you have foreign language capabilities. Employers look for sales representatives who can help raise their visibility in overseas markets.
Expect to find that sales is an extremely competitive field.
