What is sales like

Sales representatives, also called salespeople or sales executives, sell their company's products or services to customers. They could be selling cleaning or food products, ICT or electronics components, medicines and pharmaceuticals, vehicles, cosmetics - in fact almost any kind of product or service. Their customers may be individuals, businesses, factories or retail outlets.

They may work for a major distributor, such as a motor vehicle agency, a national retailer or a distributor of one or more particular products. They may be responsible for sales in one specific geographical area, nationally or even worldwide.

Direct sales representatives sell directly to individuals in their homes, demonstrating products or leaving catalogues for customers to choose from. Alternatively, they may sell to companies, taking orders and delivering products.

Technical sales representatives and sales engineers work in the industrial, engineering or ICT sectors, selling industrial, specialised or high-tech equipment, materials and components. They often act as a consultant or liaise between the customer and their own company's design or production departments.

Many sales representatives specialise in one sector - pharmaceuticals, for example, or food products for resale through shops and stores. When they meet a customer, they show catalogues or demonstrate their products, discuss prices and payment plans, suggest accessories, and advise the customer on after-sales service, guarantees and delivery schedules.

Their employers rely on them to collect information from customers on the products that sell well and any new products that might be needed in the future.

Sales representatives need to keep records of their orders and invoices, the calls they make, and any money they take. This may be done on paper forms, although it is increasingly carried out on laptop computers or handheld terminals.

Salaries may start from around £15,000 a year.