Post job

What is an area sales representative and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
3 min read
Quoted experts
Frederik Beuk,
John Cicala Ph.D.
introduction image

The Area Sales Representative is responsible for identifying, developing, and closing sales within an assigned territory. He/She will work with regional managers to develop, implement, and manage a strategic business and sales plan. Similarly, he/she develops and implements sales and marketing ideas to increase awareness and demand for products. He/She keeps records of customer information and tracks the performance of goals and objectives. Additionally, he/she attends to customer service issues to preserve customers' satisfaction and retention. Moreover, he/she identifies new end-user opportunities through prospecting to attain the company goals of pipeline development.

The minimum educational requirement for this role is a high school diploma or its equivalent. However, some employers prefer a bachelor's degree in business or marketing with at least a year of relevant work experience. Candidates must possess communication, selling, and presentation skills. Area sales representatives earn an average annual income of $49,470. This varies from $32,000 to $76,000.

What general advice would you give to an area sales representative?

Frederik Beuk

Associate Professor of Marketing, University of Akron

The key consideration is whether you really want to maximize your initial salary. For instance, envision two job opportunities: one offering a salary of $50,000 per year, where you'd be the most junior team member, and the other providing $75,000 per year, with the caveat that you would be the sole sales representative for the firm. The optimal choice is to prioritize learning opportunities. In this context, being the lone salesperson for a company that compensates its highest-earning sales professional $75,000 might not be your superior option. Instead, seek a position that offers the greatest potential for learning. Subsequently, demonstrate your negotiating prowess, a critical sales skill, by securing a slightly higher salary. However, it's essential not to fixate on maximizing your starting salary. Your career requires a long-term strategy, and you have several decades ahead of you to maximize income.
ScoreArea Sales RepresentativeUS Average
Salary
4.6

Avg. Salary $58,355

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level
7.1

Growth rate 4%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity
3.8
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.23%

Asian 5.16%

Black or African American 3.85%

Hispanic or Latino 14.31%

Unknown 3.71%

White 72.73%

Gender

female 33.96%

male 66.04%

Age - 48
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 48
Stress level
7.1

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level
8.4

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance
4.9

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Area sales representative career paths

Key steps to become an area sales representative

  1. Explore area sales representative education requirements

    Most common area sales representative degrees

    Bachelor's

    68.9 %

    Associate

    14.2 %

    Master's

    8.4 %
  2. Start to develop specific area sales representative skills

    SkillsPercentages
    Customer Service24.29%
    Business Development16.58%
    Sales Process14.76%
    Customer Relations6.70%
    Product Knowledge4.30%
  3. Complete relevant area sales representative training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New area sales representatives learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as an area sales representative based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real area sales representative resumes.
  4. Research area sales representative duties and responsibilities

    • Manage and create all content distribute via various social media outlets: Facebook, twitter, feedback blogs, etc.
    • Create wholesale catalog using Powerpoint and PDF.
    • Add and update customer information in Seibel CRM application.
    • Schedule monthly sales, change POS, acquire extra sales/floor space.
  5. Prepare your area sales representative resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your area sales representative resume.

    You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on an area sales representative resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

    Choose from 10+ customizable area sales representative resume templates

    Build a professional area sales representative resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your area sales representative resume.
    Area Sales Representative Resume
    Area Sales Representative Resume
    Area Sales Representative Resume
    Area Sales Representative Resume
    Area Sales Representative Resume
    Area Sales Representative Resume
    Area Sales Representative Resume
    Area Sales Representative Resume
    Area Sales Representative Resume
  6. Apply for area sales representative jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for an area sales representative job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

    1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
    2. Consult your professional network
    3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
    4. Watch out for job scams

How did you land your first area sales representative job

Zippi

Are you an area sales representative?

Share your story for a free salary report.

Average area sales representative salary

The average area sales representative salary in the United States is $58,355 per year or $28 per hour. Area sales representative salaries range between $42,000 and $80,000 per year.

Average area sales representative salary
$58,355 Yearly
$28.06 hourly

What am I worth?

salary-calculator

How do area sales representatives rate their job?

-/5

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Area sales representative reviews

profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Jun 2020
Pros

Communicating and helping my clients.

Cons

The travel was extensive. Sometimes. It took more than month to close a deaĺ.


profile
A zippia user wrote a review on May 2020
Pros

I love to engage the public and meet new faces. I enjoy explaining all of the benefits of the product I am selling, and making the customer feel important and well informed.

Cons

I don't like feeling like I haven't did a great at job at making customers feel comfortable and confident about where and who they are purchasing from.


profile
A zippia user wrote a review on May 2020
Pros

i enjoy the interaction with people, listen the customer in order to convert him/her into your friend, detect and help customer with his/her needs.

Cons

People without vision, dreams and selfishness.


Working as an area sales representative? Share your experience anonymously.
Overall rating*
Career growth
Work/Life balance
Pay/Salary

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.