Field Sales Representative
🧳Visits shops along a set route: takes orders, checks how products are displayed, negotiates shelf space and promotions.
Prospects & pay
What the work is like
💼 Job market
🇺🇸 $108.4k a year on average
Sales representatives, wholesale & manufacturing — US: Census ACS 2020–24 (full-time), BLS projections 2025–35
🇬🇧 £38.1k median a year · 146,000 jobs
Business sales executives — UK: ONS ASHE 2025 (full-time)
🤖 AI & automation
Orders move to automated systems and retailer platforms, and algorithms plan the routes. In-person visits will remain, but there will be fewer of them.
Who it suits
Interests: 🗣️ Persuading and negotiating, ✈️ Transport, flying, sea, 💰 Finance and economics.
Key strengths: understanding people, organisation.
Where to study
- Course On-the-job training from the employer; driving licence required
- Vocational BTEC / T Level in Business (UK), associate degree in business (US)
Key school subjects (A-level / IB / AP): Business, English Literature, Maths.
🧗 No specific qualification needed: employers hire school or college leavers and train them on the job. A driving licence is a must; a business course (BTEC, associate degree) helps.
Things to know
📞 Sales targets, cold calls🧳 Frequent work trips
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