How To Become A Chain Sales Representative: What It Is and Career Path

What is a chain sales representative and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

For many suppliers, a contract with a chain retailer is a coveted one indeed. Chain stores are large businesses and can help get the company's product in front of many customers, generating lots of profit. That is why many companies have a dedicated chain sales representative to handle these contracts.

A chain sales representative is responsible for building and maintaining relationships with large client chains such as Bevco or Costco. The chain sales representative needs to be very good at sales. Still, they also need to have excellent people skills to create liaisons with clients, organizational skills to track their progress towards sales goals, and even an eye for detail if they are asked to consult on displays.

Most chain sales representatives work in manufacturing for companies looking to grow their business by partnering with chain stores. Many chain sales representatives find work for food and beverage manufacturers, especially alcoholic beverage producers.

ScoreChain Sales RepresentativeUS Average

Salary

4.0

Avg. Salary $51,649

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 5.17%

Black or African American 3.85%

Hispanic or Latino 14.33%

Unknown 3.71%

White 72.71%

Gender

female 26.52%

male 73.48%

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

Key steps to become a chain sales representative

Explore chain sales representative education requirements

Most common chain sales representative degrees

Bachelor's

71.0 %

Associate

15.0 %

Master's

5.0 %

Start to develop specific chain sales representative skills

Skills	Percentages
Wine	34.67%
Supply Chain	12.87%
Business Strategies	11.08%
Customer Complaints	10.79%
Product Availability	10.32%

Complete relevant chain sales representative training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New chain 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 a chain sales representative based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real chain sales representative resumes.

Research chain sales representative duties and responsibilities

Manage organization website and Facebook page; writing articles for websites and newsletters.
Merchandise wine and spirit products with retail locations.
Update and prepare the material safety data sheets for all petrochemicals.
Promote to district trainer and graduate beverage certification course (wine and liquor knowledge).

Prepare your chain sales representative resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your chain 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 a chain 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 chain sales representative resume templates

Build a professional chain 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 chain sales representative resume.