{"id":2393,"date":"2026-04-03T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-03T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/careernavig8r.com\/blog\/?p=2393"},"modified":"2026-04-08T04:10:26","modified_gmt":"2026-04-08T04:10:26","slug":"what-does-sales-representative-do","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/careernavig8r.com\/blog\/what-does-sales-representative-do\/","title":{"rendered":"What is a Sales Rep? And How Do You Become One?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Ever wondered what a sales representative actually does? Think you might be a good fit for the role and want to know how to become one?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is a Sales Rep?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A sales representative is a person whose job it is to champion a company\/their products to potential buyers. As with most sales roles they fall into two categories: business to consumer (B2C) and business to business (B2B).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While similar in concept B2B and B2C couldn\u2019t be more different when it comes to experience. Consumers are generally expected to buy quickly based on impulse. They\u2019re usually one person making a decision for themself. Businesses on the other hand tend to be slow and considered in their decision making but spend more money in the long run. This is why the specific role of sales rep is more common in B2B sales.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Businesses want to take their time talking with someone who knows the product and knows their needs. In fact, part of a sales rep\u2019s job involves liaising with the product team, communicating common wants and needs that are not being met by the product.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Makes a Good Sales Rep?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In some ways, being a sales rep is similar to being a brand ambassador<\/a>. Although the focus is less on your company\u2019s wider reputation and more on individual connections and deals, the two roles do have a lot of cross over.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a sales rep, many will see you as the face of a company. Your conduct will reflect back on the people you work for and even the product you\u2019re selling. Put simply, if people like you, then they\u2019ll want to like your product.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s also important to note that the B2B context most sales reps work in is less hostile than B2C sales. Due to the fast nature of B2C sales, consumers often feel a lack of authenticity on the part of the seller. They feel the need to keep their guard up and will take anything the seller says as being suspect. At the same time, sellers are less motivated to develop friendly on-going relationships with individual customers. It\u2019s quantity over quality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now we\u2019re not saying that a good B2B sales rep won\u2019t upsell their product or downplay ways in which a product might not meet needs. That said, when working between businesses, the atmosphere is much closer to a negotiation. So while a sales rep isn\u2019t the same thing as a brand ambassador, they are something of a diplomat nonetheless.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Earnings Potential<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Measuring a sales rep\u2019s earnings can get a little complicated. In the UK base salaries start around \u00a323K and can go as high as \u00a350K with a small minority far exceeding that in specific, niche\/luxury industries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That, however, is far from the whole story. As a sales rep, your salary is only a chunk of your earnings. Sales reps also take home a commission based on their sales, bonuses for hitting targets, and sometimes even company shares. In practice this means that it\u2019s not uncommon at all for successful sales staff to take home six figure salaries. This is particularly true for those working in enterprise software\/SAAS.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to Become a Sales Rep<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Becoming a sales rep isn\u2019t about going to the right university or studying late into the night. It\u2019s about working your way up through retail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s not uncommon to hear the sales world described as Darwinian. While this may be a bit of an exaggeration, it\u2019s not far from the truth. Few jobs come with such direct measurements of your success. When working in sales, your boss can always see exactly how much money you\u2019re making for the company and if the numbers are good you\u2019ll get promoted. Eventually you\u2019ll be able to get into a rep position.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All that said, being good at sales alone isn\u2019t always enough. It\u2019s important to understand that not every part of the job is under your control. You might be able to convert every customer that steps through the door into a sale but if nobody walks into the shop that day, there\u2019s nothing you can do. On top of this, a lot of companies simply aren\u2019t very good at promoting from within, instead hiring from outside for more senior roles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s why you have to be willing to job hop in order to climb the career ladder. Always be on the look out for better positions where you can gain experience and where your skills will be an asset.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you want to go from the shop floor to being a high earning sales rep in just a few years, then you need to be good at networking. You need to get your name out there in your industry. On top of that, make sure to always keep an eye on the job market. You never know when the next opportunity will come your way.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Ever wondered what a sales representative actually does? Think you might be a good fit for the role and want to know how to become one?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":1672,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[14,19],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2393","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mentoring-advice-opinion","category-monetise-your-knowledge"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nWhat is a Sales Rep? And How Do You Become One?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"What does a sales representative do? How much do they make? 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