A route sales representative is responsible for offering goods and services to customers in a designated area. Route sales representatives work closely with the marketing team to develop effective sales strategies, create sales pitches, and release promotional offers to generate sales, increase revenues, and build the organization's profitability. They also research the latest industry trends to identify sales opportunities and communicate findings to the team for new service offerings. A route sales representative must have excellent customer service and communication skills to assist customers in their inquiries and concerns and negotiate sales contracts.

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Route Sales Representative Responsibilities

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

  • Manage invoice collection and customer issues.
  • Drive CDL rate truck over assign territory.
  • Complete route in timely manner via CDL truck.
  • Utilize math skills to process payments while on route.
  • Maintain cleanliness of truck and inspect truck for imperfections and safe operation.
  • Distribute daily newspapers to customers; acquire new business via effective sales and marketing techniques.
  • DOT require, due to the weight and amount of product being distribute to these accounts.
  • Perform all work associate with ordering, delivering, merchandising product and upselling to establish and new accounts.
  • Unload product via loading dock or using lift-gate onto truck dolly, pallets or flat carts outside in all weather conditions.
  • Maintain warehouse cleanliness and organization.
  • Gather daily inventory of newspapers sell to subscribers.
  • Work with upper management to secure Medicare approval for durable medical equipment provider status to skil nursing facilities and hospitals
  • Pull necessary merchandise from warehouse and load truck using warehouse equipment such as forklift, pallet jacks, and conveyors.
  • Deliver and sell Pepsi products to corporate businesses and retail establishments.

Route Sales Representative Job Description

Between the years 2018 and 2028, route sales representative jobs are expected to undergo a growth rate described as "slower than average" at 2%, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. So if the thought "should I become a route sales representative?" Has crossed your mind, maybe you should take the growth rate into account. In addition, the number of route sales representative opportunities that are projected to become available by 2028 is 30,100.

A route sales representative annual salary averages $44,918, which breaks down to $21.6 an hour. However, route sales representatives can earn anywhere from upwards of $37,000 to $54,000 a year. This means that the top-earning route sales representatives make $22,000 more than the lowest-earning ones.

Once you've become a route 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 driver/merchandiser, pizza delivery driver, driver, and driver sales.

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12 Route Sales Representative Resume Examples

Route Sales Representative Skills and Personality Traits

We calculated that 17% of Route Sales Representatives are proficient in CDL, DOT, and Strong Customer Service. They’re also known for soft skills such as Hand-eye coordination, Math skills, and Patience.

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

  • CDL, 17%

    Obtained a Commercial Drivers Licenses (CDL) Class A, in order to be qualified for employment.

  • DOT, 16%

    Sell and deliver quality foods to scheduled customers* Provide great customer service* Responsible for financial transactions/ DOT certified

  • Strong Customer Service, 12%

    Demonstrate a strong Customer Service orientation.

  • Customer Accounts, 8%

    Experience managing and maintaining over 65 customer accounts and ensuring proper attention to inventory, merchandising, and customer satisfaction.

  • Work Ethic, 7%

    Demonstrated a strong work ethic, good organizational skills with a sincere willingness and desire to learn continuously.

  • Upselling, 5%

    Run route according to schedule while upselling to increase ticket average * Increase customer base * Complete daily paperwork and deposit.

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Some of the skills we found on route sales representative resumes included "cdl," "dot," and "strong customer service." We have detailed the most important route sales representative responsibilities below.

  • The most important skills for a route sales representative to have in this position are hand-eye coordination. In this excerpt that we gathered from a route sales representative resume, you'll understand why: "drivers need to observe their surroundings at all times while operating a vehicle." According to resumes we found, hand-eye coordination can be used by a route sales representative in order to "position required frequent interactions with store management and coordination of sales goals with other company representatives. "
  • Another commonly found skill for being able to perform route sales representative duties is the following: math skills. According to a route sales representative resume, "because delivery truck drivers and driver/sales workers sometimes take payment, they must be able to count cash and make change quickly and accurately." Check out this example of how route sales representatives use math skills: "utilized math skills to process payments while on route. "
  • Route sales representatives are also known for patience, which can be critical when it comes to performing their duties. An example of why this skill is important is shown by this snippet that we found in a route sales representative resume: "when driving through heavy traffic congestion, delivery drivers must remain calm and composed." We also found this resume example that details how this skill is put to the test: "handled customer inquiries with patience and perseverance. "
  • A route sales representative responsibilities sometimes require "sales skills." The responsibilities that rely on this skills are shown by this resume excerpt: "driver/sales workers are expected to persuade customers to purchase new or different products." This resume example shows how this skill is used by route sales representatives: "implemented and directed a cost of goods sold accounting process to accurately report direct sales profitability margin. "
  • As part of the route sales representative description, you might find that one of the skills that might be helpful to the job is "visual ability." A route sales representative resume included this snippet: "to have a driver’s license, delivery truck drivers and driver/sales workers must be able to pass a state vision test." This skill could be useful in this scenario: "improved the visual quailty of all displays, increased the sales by insuring pos was in place at all times. "
  • While "customer-service skills" is listed last on this skills list, don't underestimate its importance to route sales representative responsibilities. The skill is described by this resume snippet, "when completing deliveries, drivers often interact with customers and should make a good impression to ensure repeat business." Here is an example of how this skill is used, "provide quality customer service by delivering products, services, and direct sales to customers on a weekly route. "
  • See the full list of route sales representative skills.

    After discovering the most helpful skills, we moved onto what kind of education might be helpful in becoming a route sales representative. We found that 36.9% of route sales representatives have graduated with a bachelor's degree and 2.1% of people in this position have earned their master's degrees. While some route sales representatives have a college degree, you may find it's also true that generally it's possible to be successful in this career with only a high school degree. In fact, our research shows that one out of every four route sales representatives were not college graduates.

    Those route sales representatives who do attend college, typically earn either a business degree or a general studies degree. Less commonly earned degrees for route sales representatives include a criminal justice degree or a marketing degree.

    Once you're ready to become a route sales representative, you should explore the companies that typically hire route sales representatives. According to route sales representative resumes that we searched through, route sales representatives are hired the most by Cintas, Frito-Lay, and Aramark. Currently, Cintas has 795 route sales representative job openings, while there are 598 at Frito-Lay and 47 at Aramark.

    Since salary is important to some route sales representatives, it's good to note that they are figured to earn the highest salaries at Johnson Controls, Community Coffee, and PepsiCo. If you were to take a closer look at Johnson Controls, you'd find that the average route sales representative salary is $54,476. Then at Community Coffee, route sales representatives receive an average salary of $54,201, while the salary at PepsiCo is $53,726.

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

    We also looked into companies who hire route sales representatives from the top 100 educational institutions in the U.S. The top three companies that hire the most from these institutions include Vector Marketing, Cintas, and Eli Lilly and Company.

    For the most part, route sales representatives make their living in the professional and manufacturing industries. Route sales representatives tend to make the most in the education industry with an average salary of $53,729. The route sales representative annual salary in the manufacturing and hospitality industries generally make $47,032 and $46,770 respectively. Additionally, route sales representatives who work in the education industry make 11.7% more than route sales representatives in the retail Industry.

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

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    What Driver/Merchandisers Do

    A driver/merchandiser's role in society is to directly deliver products to customers on time, bearing good communication skills to interpret and relay messages and instructions. A driver/merchandiser is also tasked to check on the truck's condition, repair or replace damaged parts, and deliver it to reliable auto shops if the damage is severe. They must follow road guidelines and laws imposed by the state or city where they do the job.

    We looked at the average route sales representative annual salary and compared it with the average of a driver/merchandiser. Generally speaking, driver/merchandisers receive $14,502 lower pay than route sales representatives per year.

    While their salaries may differ, one common ground between route sales representatives and driver/merchandisers are a few of the skills required in each craft. In both careers, employees bring forth skills like cdl, dot, and customer accounts.

    These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. A route sales representative responsibility is more likely to require skills like "strong customer service," "work ethic," "strong work ethic," and "upselling." Whereas a driver/merchandiser requires skills like "pre-trip," "rotate product," "hand trucks," and "merchandise product." Just by understanding these different skills you can see how different these careers are.

    Driver/merchandisers tend to make the most money in the education industry by averaging a salary of $46,233. In contrast, route sales representatives make the biggest average salary of $53,729 in the education industry.

    Driver/merchandisers tend to reach similar levels of education than route sales representatives. In fact, driver/merchandisers are 1.0% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.3% more likely to have a Doctoral Degree.

    What Are The Duties Of a Pizza Delivery Driver?

    A pizza delivery driver is primarily in charge of delivering pizza and other orders to homes, establishments, and other locations, ensuring accuracy and timeliness. Although the extent of their responsibilities depends on their place or company of employment, it typically includes checking to see if the orders are complete and accurate before leaving the restaurant, securing invoices, and accepting and processing payments. Moreover, there are also instances where they may perform various tasks at restaurants, such as assembling pizza boxes, responding to inquiries, and maintaining the cleanliness of different areas.

    Now we're going to look at the pizza delivery driver profession. On average, pizza delivery drivers earn a $10,045 lower salary than route sales representatives a year.

    Not everything about these jobs is different. Take their skills, for example. Route sales representatives and pizza delivery drivers both include similar skills like "math," "customer service," and "pos" on their resumes.

    But both careers also use different skills, according to real route sales representative resumes. While route sales representative responsibilities can utilize skills like "cdl," "dot," "strong customer service," and "customer accounts," some pizza delivery drivers use skills like "basic math," "taking care," "credit card accounts," and "pizza hut."

    On average, pizza delivery drivers earn a lower salary than route sales representatives. There are industries that support higher salaries in each profession respectively. Interestingly enough, pizza delivery drivers earn the most pay in the hospitality industry with an average salary of $35,402. Whereas, route sales representatives have higher paychecks in the education industry where they earn an average of $53,729.

    On the topic of education, pizza delivery drivers earn similar levels of education than route sales representatives. In general, they're 0.9% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.3% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

    How a Driver Compares

    Drivers are responsible for safely transporting people, packages, or goods from one destination to another. They should be familiar with the different routes that may be taken to reach the desired goal. They should be expert navigators and may use navigation apps to help them along the way. They should also be familiar with the basic mechanics of the vehicle they are using and the proper maintenance and cleaning needed to ensure that the car is running well. Drivers are expected to have excellent customer relation skills, a strong sense of direction, and superb organizations.

    The third profession we take a look at is driver. On an average scale, these workers bring in lower salaries than route sales representatives. In fact, they make a $10,147 lower salary per year.

    While looking through the resumes of several route sales representatives and drivers we discovered that both professions have similar skills. These similarities include skills such as "cdl," "dot," and "math," but they differ when it comes to other required skills.

    Some important key differences between the two careers are a few of the skills necessary to fulfill responsibilities. Some examples from route sales representative resumes include skills like "strong customer service," "customer accounts," "work ethic," and "strong work ethic," whereas a driver might be skilled in "basic math," "safety rules," "cleanliness," and "safety regulations. "

    Additionally, drivers earn a higher salary in the manufacturing industry compared to other industries. In this industry, they receive an average salary of $39,688. Additionally, route sales representatives earn an average salary of $53,729 in the education industry.

    When it comes to education, drivers tend to earn similar education levels than route sales representatives. In fact, they're 0.5% less likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.2% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

    Description Of a Driver Sales

    Driver sales tend to earn a lower pay than route sales representatives by about $9,115 per year.

    While their salaries may vary, route sales representatives and driver sales both use similar skills to perform their jobs. Resumes from both professions include skills like "cdl," "grocery store," and "math. "

    Each job requires different skills like "dot," "strong customer service," "customer accounts," and "work ethic," which might show up on a route sales representative resume. Whereas driver sales might include skills like "cleanliness," "basic math," "phone calls," and "hazmat."

    Driver sales earn a higher salary in the transportation industry with an average of $38,773. Whereas, route sales representatives earn the highest salary in the education industry.

    The average resume of driver sales showed that they earn similar levels of education to route sales representatives. So much so that the likelihood of them earning a Master's Degree is 0.8% less. Additionally, they're more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree by 0.1%.

    What a Route Sales Representative Does FAQs

    How Much Do Route Sales Reps Make?

    Route sales reps make approximately $42,000 per year, and also earn an average of $3,600 each year in bonuses and added incentives. The top 10% of route sales reps make around $49,000 nationally, while the entry-level positions bring in approximately $37,000 per year.

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