What Does an Area Sales Representative Do?

The primary role of an area sales representative is to sell the company's products and services within a specified region or territory. You will be responsible for attracting new clients, increase profitability, and win new accounts. Other duties typically include building and maintaining relationships with both new and existing customers, traveling across the region to visit customers, and maintaining records of customer accounts and sales leads. As an area sales representative, it is also your duty to close deals and negotiate service agreements, prices, and terms of sale.

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Area Sales Representative Responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real area sales representative resumes representing typical tasks they are likely to perform in their roles.

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.
Increase sales and product visibility by placing POS material and encouraging promotion participation within accounts.
Execute weekly on premise promotions and off-site special events that generate brand awareness, increase distribution and additional sales.
Create a zip code analysis tool to identify Medicaid recipients' target areas for strategic marketing penetration.

Area Sales Representative Job Description

Perhaps the hardest question to answer when deciding on a career as an area sales representative is "should I become an area sales representative?" You might find this info to be helpful. When compared to other jobs, area sales representative careers are projected to have a growth rate described as "slower than average" at 2% from 2018 through 2028. This is in accordance with the Bureau of Labor Statistics. What's more, is that the projected number of opportunities that are predicted to become available for a area sales representative by 2028 is 35,400.

On average, the area sales representative annual salary is $58,355 per year, which translates to $28.06 an hour. Generally speaking, area sales representatives earn anywhere from $42,000 to $80,000 a year, which means that the top-earning area sales representatives make $40,000 more than the ones at the lower end of the spectrum.

Once you've become an area sales representative, you may be curious about what other opportunities are out there. Careers aren't one size fits all. For that reason, we discovered some other jobs that you may find appealing. Some jobs you might find interesting include a sales representative and account manager, senior accounts representative, territory representative, and sales development representative.

Learn More About Area Sales Representative Job Descriptions

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Area Sales Representative Jobs You Might Like

5 Area Sales Representative Resume Examples

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Gary Perez Area Sales Representative Contact Information Los Angeles, CA (570) 555-0205 gperez@example.com Skills Patient Care Customer Orders Sales Goals Customer Service Prospective Customers Depot New Prospects Internet Revenue Growth New Customers Employment History Area Sales Representative 2012 - Present Avon Police Department Los Angeles, CA Promote and sell women's beauty aids and products via internet and one-on-one interaction Process orders of beauty products Demonstrate products Developed expert product knowledge enabling certification as an Avon health and beauty advisor. B2B Sales Representatives 2011 - 2012 Best Buy Los Angeles, CA Moved items from the stock room to the sales floor. Assisted customers with knowledge about the latest technology Provided excellent customer service Processed customer transactions efficiently Gained knowledge of latest technological products Master SOP's, POS', and communicate with customers more on a personal level to guarantee their satisfaction. Used POS system to make sales and credit applications Merchandising Specialist 2006 - 2011 Best Buy Los Angeles, CA Checked in drop shipments, truck shipments, upstocks overstock product when necessary, downstocks product when necessary. Moved product from stockroom to sales floor using appropriate equipment * Serviced, repaired and cleaned displays and interactive as needed Worked merchandise from the warehouse to the sales floor as indicated by nightly reports. Maintained product on the sales floor. Education Bachelor's Degree Business 2003 - 2006 California State University - San Bernardino San Bernardino, CA


Dorothy Parker Area Sales Representative Contact Info New York, NY (400) 555-8922 dparker@example.com Skills InternetNew CustomersSolution SalesProspective CustomersConsultantsCommunicationREPBusiness DevelopmentDepotCustomer Relations Employment History Area Sales Representative 2014 - Present Saks Fifth Avenue New York, NY Greeted customers and provided customer services. Read and understand floor plans and then merchandise the clothing and accessories Strive to meet and increase department and personal sales goals Settle customer complaints and ensure satisfaction is being met. Consulted potential future sales consultants to work as independent sales representatives under my supervision and mentorship. Performed sales presentations, trunk shows and product knowledge seminars at The Seattle Trade Center and various retail stores. Sales Representative 2010 - 2014 Saks Fifth Avenue New York, NY Maintain and organize Hugo Boss, Moncler and Weekend Max Mara stock rooms. Audit inventory, place pop, build and demonstrate displays, and provide product knowledge to sales associates. Delivered a great-looking, fully-stocked sales floor. Demonstrated effective communication when interacting with customers, co-workers and managers. Merchandised sales floor- make it easy for customers to shop new merchandise which is in the front of the store. Consultant And Sales Representative 2008 - 2010 Best Buy New York, NY Help the team reach their sales goals. Achieved all set sales goals by 10% while providing great customer service. Education Bachelor's Degree Business 2000 - 2003 American InterContinental University Chandler, AZ


Dorothy Parker Area Sales Representative New York, NY (400) 555-8922 dparker@example.com Experience Area Sales Representative2014 - Present Saks Fifth Avenue•New York, NY Greeted customers and provided customer services. Read and understand floor plans and then merchandise the clothing and accessories Strive to meet and increase department and personal sales goals Settle customer complaints and ensure satisfaction is being met. Consulted potential future sales consultants to work as independent sales representatives under my supervision and mentorship. Performed sales presentations, trunk shows and product knowledge seminars at The Seattle Trade Center and various retail stores. Sales Representative2010 - 2014 Saks Fifth Avenue•New York, NY Maintain and organize Hugo Boss, Moncler and Weekend Max Mara stock rooms. Audit inventory, place pop, build and demonstrate displays, and provide product knowledge to sales associates. Delivered a great-looking, fully-stocked sales floor. Demonstrated effective communication when interacting with customers, co-workers and managers. Merchandised sales floor- make it easy for customers to shop new merchandise which is in the front of the store. Consultant And Sales Representative2008 - 2010 Best Buy•New York, NY Help the team reach their sales goals. Achieved all set sales goals by 10% while providing great customer service. Skills InternetNew CustomersSolution SalesProspective CustomersConsultantsCommunicationREPBusiness DevelopmentDepotCustomer Relations Education Bachelor's Degree Business2000 - 2003 American InterContinental University•Chandler, AZ

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Area Sales Representative Skills and Personality Traits

We calculated that 24% of Area Sales Representatives are proficient in Customer Service, Business Development, and Sales Process. They’re also known for soft skills such as Customer-service skills, Interpersonal skills, and Physical stamina.

We break down the percentage of Area Sales Representatives that have these skills listed on their resume here:

Customer Service, 24%
Managed daily operating activities for 11 gasoline/convenience stores, including profit and loss oversight, inventory control and customer service initiatives.
Business Development, 17%
Handled new business development and lead generation in my area.
Sales Process, 15%
Created personalized ordering system which facilitated and expedited sales process.
Customer Relations, 7%
Serviced and retained existing customers by performing customer relations activities, adjusting service levels, and renewing service agreements.
Product Knowledge, 4%
Established effective relationships with physicians through foundation of needs-based selling, advanced product knowledge, and thorough territory planning and preparation.
Territory Sales, 3%
Increased territory sales and distribution by 5% despite a declining market due to advanced mapping technology.

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Some of the skills we found on area sales representative resumes included "customer service," "business development," and "sales process." We have detailed the most important area sales representative responsibilities below.

Arguably the most important personality trait for an area sales representative to have happens to be customer-service skills. An example from a resume said this about the skill, "wholesale and manufacturing sales representatives must be able to listen to the customer’s needs and concerns before and after the sale." Additionally, other resumes have pointed out that area sales representatives can use customer-service skills to "hired to direct market penetration and development of new customers through direct sales calls. "

While it may not be the most important skill, we found that many area sales representative duties rely on interpersonal skills. This example from a area sales representative explains why: "wholesale and manufacturing sales representatives must be able to work well with many types of people." This resume example is just one of many ways area sales representatives are able to utilize interpersonal skills: "utilized interpersonal skills in salvaging declining client relationship resulting in 15% sales growth 2000 vs. 1999. "

Another skill that is quite popular among area sales representatives is physical stamina. This skill is very critical to fulfilling every day responsibilities as is shown in this example from a area sales representative resume: "wholesale and manufacturing sales representatives are often on their feet for a long time and may carry heavy sample products." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "initiated and maintained quality rapport with clinical directors and physical therapists for repeat business. "

An area sales representative responsibilities sometimes require "self-confidence." The responsibilities that rely on this skills are shown by this resume excerpt: "wholesale and manufacturing sales representatives must be confident and persuasive when making sales presentations" This resume example shows how this skill is used by area sales representatives: "gained a great since of security and confidence within my customers skills used positive work ethic. "

See the full list of area sales representative skills.

Before becoming an area sales representative, 68.9% earned their bachelor's degree. When it comes down to graduating with a master's degree, 8.4% area sales representatives went for the extra education. If you're wanting to pursue this career, it may be possible to be successful with a high school degree. In fact, most area sales representatives have a college degree. But about one out of every eight area sales representatives didn't attend college at all.

Those area sales representatives who do attend college, typically earn either a business degree or a marketing degree. Less commonly earned degrees for area sales representatives include a communication degree or a management degree.

When you're ready to become an area sales representative, you might wonder which companies hire area sales representatives. According to our research through area sales representative resumes, area sales representatives are mostly hired by RevLocal, Humana, and Quest Diagnostics. Now is a good time to apply as RevLocal has 109 area sales representatives job openings, and there are 87 at Humana and 16 at Quest Diagnostics.

Since salary is important to some area sales representatives, it's good to note that they are figured to earn the highest salaries at Microsoft, Bath & Body Works, and Hayden Beverage. If you were to take a closer look at Microsoft, you'd find that the average area sales representative salary is $121,146. Then at Bath & Body Works, area sales representatives receive an average salary of $104,338, while the salary at Hayden Beverage is $84,339.

View more details on area sales representative salaries across the United States.

Some other companies you might be interested in as a area sales representative include Vector Marketing, Cintas, and Eli Lilly and Company. These three companies were found to hire the most area sales representatives from the top 100 U.S. educational institutions.

The industries that area sales representatives fulfill the most roles in are the health care and media industries. But the highest area sales representative annual salary is in the finance industry, averaging $74,783. In the automotive industry they make $71,967 and average about $64,872 in the retail industry. In conclusion, area sales representatives who work in the finance industry earn a 10.5% higher salary than area sales representatives in the manufacturing industry.

The three companies that hire the most prestigious area sales representatives are:

RevLocal109 Area Sales Representatives Jobs
Humana87 Area Sales Representatives Jobs
Quest Diagnostics16 Area Sales Representatives Jobs

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What Sales Representative And Account Managers Do

A sales representative/account manager is responsible for supervising client portfolio accounts and maintaining long-lasting relationships with business partners. Sales representatives/account managers meet with existing and potential clients to discuss new services offered by the company, as well as addressing their requests for review. They also handle the account budgets, developing strategic procedures and marketing techniques to improve the brand image in the market, generating more revenues and profits for the business. A sales representative/account manager identifies business opportunities by following trends to provide public demands and interests.

In this section, we compare the average area sales representative annual salary with that of a sales representative and account manager. Typically, sales representative and account managers earn a $7,062 higher salary than area sales representatives earn annually.

Even though area sales representatives and sales representative and account managers have vast differences in their careers, a few of the skills required to do both jobs are similar. For example, both careers require customer service, business development, and sales process in the day-to-day roles.

These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. An area sales representative responsibility is more likely to require skills like "post sales," "excellent interpersonal," "crm," and "strong work ethic." Whereas a sales representative and account manager requires skills like "flyers," "local businesses," "customer accounts," and "sales rep." Just by understanding these different skills you can see how different these careers are.

On average, sales representative and account managers reach similar levels of education than area sales representatives. Sales representative and account managers are 3.5% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.4% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

What Are The Duties Of a Senior Accounts Representative?

Typically, a senior accounts representative familiarizes all the accounts of the company. Senior accounts representatives communicate with customers and resolve client-associated complaints or issues. They monitor business and company messages, email, and other communication systems. It is part of their job to respond to their clients. The skills needed for this position include customer service, sales or marketing, and account management. They are also expected to be knowledgeable in PowerPoint, trade, and product development.

The next role we're going to look at is the senior accounts representative profession. Typically, this position earns a higher pay. In fact, they earn a $11,782 higher salary than area sales representatives per year.

A similarity between the two careers of area sales representatives and senior accounts representatives are a few of the skills associated with both roles. We used resumes from both professions to find that both use skills like "customer service," "business development," and "sales presentations. "

While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, several resumes showed us that area sales representative responsibilities requires skills like "sales process," "customer relations," "post sales," and "product knowledge." But a senior accounts representative might use skills, such as, "patients," "payment arrangements," "medicaid," and "branch management."

In general, senior accounts representatives study at similar levels of education than area sales representatives. They're 3.2% less likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.4% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

How a Territory Representative Compares

A territory representative is responsible for selling the company's goods and services within a designated area, negotiating offers with potential clients, and identifying business opportunities according to market trends and customer demands. Territory representatives analyze the sales performance and strategize techniques to reach sales targets by coordinating with the whole sales team. They must be highly knowledgeable of the products offered by the company to demonstrate features and functionalities and respond to the inquiries and concerns the customers may have.

The territory representative profession generally makes a lower amount of money when compared to the average salary of area sales representatives. The difference in salaries is territory representatives making $18,594 lower than area sales representatives.

While looking through the resumes of several area sales representatives and territory representatives we discovered that both professions have similar skills. These similarities include skills such as "customer service," "business development," and "product knowledge," but they differ when it comes to other required skills.

As mentioned, these two careers differ between other skills that are required for performing the work exceedingly well. For example, gathering from area sales representatives resumes, they are more likely to have skills like "sales process," "customer relations," "post sales," and "territory sales." But a territory representative might have skills like "patients," "customer relationships," "territory development," and "food handling."

When it comes to education, territory representatives tend to earn similar education levels than area sales representatives. In fact, they're 3.3% less likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.3% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Description Of a Sales Development Representative

A sales development representative qualifies leads at the sales funnel's initial stages. Sales development representatives need to conduct research for prospective clients and qualify the leads before handing them to the sales team. They develop sales strategies to attract buyers or solicit potential customers. They need to build relationships with their customers to determine their needs and qualify the viability of interests to drive sales. Also, they collaborate with the sales executives making certain that corporate targets and goals are met.

Sales development representatives tend to earn a lower pay than area sales representatives by about $6,851 per year.

While both area sales representatives and sales development representatives complete day-to-day tasks using similar skills like customer service, business development, and sales process, the two careers also vary in other skills.

Each job requires different skills like "customer relations," "post sales," "territory sales," and "crm," which might show up on an area sales representative resume. Whereas sales development representative might include skills like "sdr," "lead generation," "account executives," and "linkedin."

Sales development representatives earn a higher salary in the start-up industry with an average of $54,512. Whereas, area sales representatives earn the highest salary in the finance industry.

Sales development representatives reach similar levels of education when compared to area sales representatives. The difference is that they're 4.3% more likely to earn a Master's Degree less, and 0.2% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Updated October 2, 2020