Sales and Related · Holland code ECS

Sales Representatives of Services, Except Advertising, Insurance, Financial Services, and Travel

Sell services to individuals or businesses. May describe options or resolve client problems.

Also called: National Sales Executive, Sales Representative (Sales Rep).

O*NET 41-3091.00

At a glance

US median annual pay: $69,990; Middle half earn $47,670 to $100,480. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
Preparation needed: Job Zone 2 of 5; Some preparation. Zone 1 is little or none; zone 5 is graduate-level.

What the work involves

The tasks workers in this occupation rate as most important, from the O*NET survey.

Consult with clients after sales or contract signings to resolve problems and provide ongoing support.
Answer customers' questions about services, prices, availability, or credit terms.
Develop sales presentations or proposals to explain service specifications.
Create forms or agreements to complete sales.
Contact prospective or existing customers to discuss how services can meet their needs.
Negotiate prices or terms of sales or service agreements.
Quote prices, credit terms, contract terms, or fulfillment dates for services.
Maintain customer records using automated systems.

Skills and knowledge it leans on

Skills

Active Listening3.9 / 5
Speaking3.9 / 5
Reading Comprehension3.6 / 5
Writing3.4 / 5
Critical Thinking3.4 / 5
Active Learning3.4 / 5

Knowledge areas

Customer and Personal Service4.6 / 5
English Language4.2 / 5
Administrative3.7 / 5
Sales and Marketing3.5 / 5
Administration and Management3.5 / 5
Computers and Electronics3.2 / 5

Importance ratings on O*NET’s 1 to 5 scale. Higher means the occupation depends on it more.

Who tends to enjoy it

How strongly this occupation draws on each of the six Holland interest types, which is the same profile the career interests test compares you against.

Realistic1
Investigative16
Artistic8
Social46
Enterprising96
Conventional68

The same work abroad

Other countries classify jobs differently, so these are the closest matches through the international ISCO-08 standard, not exact equivalents.

European occupation titles (ESCO)

insurance product manager · DE Versicherungsmanager/Versicherungsmanagerin · FR chef de produit en assurances
sales account manager · DE Verkaufsleiter/Verkaufsleiterin · FR directeur ventes et relations clientèle/directrice ventes et relations clientèle
client relations manager · DE Customer Relationship Manager/Customer Relationship Managerin · FR responsable de la relation clientèle
solar energy sales consultant · DE Verkaufsberater für Solarenergie/Verkaufsberaterin für Solarenergie · FR conseiller en énergie solaire/conseillère en énergie solaire
ICT presales engineer · DE IKT-Vorverkaufsingenieur/IKT-Vorverkaufsingenieurin · FR ingénieur informatique avant-vente/ingénieure informatique avant-vente
insurance broker · DE Versicherungsmakler/Versicherungsmaklerin · FR courtier en assurances/courtière en assurances

Closest UK occupation groups (SOC 2020)

Managers and directors in retail and wholesale (1150)299,300 employed
Advertising and marketing associate professionals (3554)211,800 employed
Business sales executives (3552)161,000 employed

Employment is the UK Annual Population Survey for April 2025 to March 2026, all workers in the group, which can be broader than this one occupation.

Pay across Europe, for the whole group

Median annual earnings of all employees in “Technicians and associate professionals”. This is the broad ISCO group this occupation falls in, not the occupation itself, so treat it as context for the wage level, not as a salary for this job.

Median annual earnings, Technicians and associate professionals, by country
Country	Median pay
Belgium	€50,992
Austria	€46,986
Germany	€44,473
Netherlands	€42,448
Ireland	€41,613
Sweden	€41,155
Italy	€34,882
France	€34,816
Spain	€29,757
Portugal	€18,080
Poland	€12,108

Eurostat Structure of Earnings Survey, businesses with ten or more employees outside public administration, in euro and not adjusted for the cost of living. Reference years differ between sources: the US, Japan and Europe figures on this page come from different survey years, so compare them as rough levels, not to the euro or yen.

Is it a fit for you?

Interest is one input, alongside ability, pay and what is hiring near you. The career interests test takes about thirteen minutes and ranks occupations by how closely their profile matches yours.

Take the career interests test