What is a direct sales representative and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted experts

Frederik Beuk,

John Cicala Ph.D.

A direct sales representative is an individual who sells products or services directly to consumers in a face-to-face setting, without the use of a physical retail store. They often work for companies that offer multi-level marketing or network marketing opportunities, and earn commissions based on their sales as well as the sales of those they recruit into the company. Direct sales representatives typically build relationships with customers, provide product demonstrations, and offer personalized recommendations.

What general advice would you give to a direct 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.

ScoreDirect Sales RepresentativeUS Average

Salary

3.4

Avg. Salary $43,527

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 5.14%

Black or African American 3.83%

Hispanic or Latino 14.20%

Unknown 3.71%

White 72.88%

Gender

female 31.64%

male 68.36%

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

What are the pros and cons of being a direct sales representative?

Pros

Opportunity for unlimited earning potential
Flexible schedule and ability to work from home
Ability to build your own business and be your own boss
Variety of products and industries to choose from
Performance-based promotions and bonuses

Cons

Inconsistent income and potential for financial instability
High pressure to meet sales goals and quotas
Limited benefits and lack of job security
Need for self-motivation and discipline to succeed
Difficulty in finding new customers and retaining current ones

Key steps to become a direct sales representative

Explore direct sales representative education requirements

Most common direct sales representative degrees

Bachelor's

53.4 %

Associate

18.8 %

High School Diploma

16.1 %

Start to develop specific direct sales representative skills

Skills	Percentages
Customer Service	33.39%
Direct Sales	20.11%
TV	15.07%
Work Ethic	4.03%
Technical Troubleshooting	3.23%

Complete relevant direct sales representative training and internships

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

Research direct sales representative duties and responsibilities

Manage accounts and create invoices via QuickBooks.
Achieve and maintain high-volume sales output, for cell phones and broadband products to stay employ with company.
Contact medicare eligible recipients to sell medicare advantage plans through in-home meetings, community seminars and direct telesales.
Canvass assigned sales territory and solicit orders for new or upgrade cable, broadband and digital phone services.

Prepare your direct sales representative resume

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

Build a professional direct 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 direct sales representative resume.