2 answers
Dennis
Student
1
Question
Asked
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How much time dose a wholesales and manufacture sales representative spend traveling in a day?
I feel like I have good communicating skills and I'm not opposed to going around all-day I just want to know how much I'm going around in a day. #salesrep
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2 answers
James Lane
Sales Coach
6
Answers
Killeen, Texas
Updated
James’s Answer
Hi Dennis!
It will really depend on your company's go to market strategy. Some of them will have sales reps travel in the field to a certain number of stops, and some of them will have hours in the field requirements. I have seen positions with a lot of freedom for you to plan your own days, and I have seen some that are a little more restrictive and designated by management. If you enjoy meeting people and having regular goals to achieve ,then the time of travel might not matter as much. The days will tend to go by quickly when you enjoy what you do.
A recommendation I would make is to determine how many hours/miles per day you are comfortable with. And make sure you ask questions like this one in your interview. If it is hard for you to decide that, you might try pretending to have that job on a weekend and travel around like it is a typical workday.
It will really depend on your company's go to market strategy. Some of them will have sales reps travel in the field to a certain number of stops, and some of them will have hours in the field requirements. I have seen positions with a lot of freedom for you to plan your own days, and I have seen some that are a little more restrictive and designated by management. If you enjoy meeting people and having regular goals to achieve ,then the time of travel might not matter as much. The days will tend to go by quickly when you enjoy what you do.
A recommendation I would make is to determine how many hours/miles per day you are comfortable with. And make sure you ask questions like this one in your interview. If it is hard for you to decide that, you might try pretending to have that job on a weekend and travel around like it is a typical workday.
Matthew Ingram
Project Support
3
Answers
Oxford, England, United Kingdom
Updated
Matthew’s Answer
Hi Dennis,
I worked for 2 years as a sales rep for an LED lighting manufacturer, so can hopefully give some insight.
It generally depends on the role, as sales reps can be regional, national or international. Not sure if you’re based in the US or UK, but I covered the national area in the UK and generally worked 12 hour days, including travel time. Mostly because you would drive to an area, spend ‘normal’ working hours seeing customers, then drive home from the area after working hours. If you’re travelling a fair distance, then the company should put you up in a hotel for the night.
It’s generally an intense, numbers based profession - management can see your sales figures, and naturally your performance is based on these figures. So if you’re not hitting the numbers, you could be put under pressure, but at the same time, if you’re excelling then it is clear for all to see! This can act as a great motivator though, and if you’re an outgoing person that likes to travel, it could well be the job for you! It’s a great way to meet lots of new people and see the world.
Hope this is of some help!
Matt
I worked for 2 years as a sales rep for an LED lighting manufacturer, so can hopefully give some insight.
It generally depends on the role, as sales reps can be regional, national or international. Not sure if you’re based in the US or UK, but I covered the national area in the UK and generally worked 12 hour days, including travel time. Mostly because you would drive to an area, spend ‘normal’ working hours seeing customers, then drive home from the area after working hours. If you’re travelling a fair distance, then the company should put you up in a hotel for the night.
It’s generally an intense, numbers based profession - management can see your sales figures, and naturally your performance is based on these figures. So if you’re not hitting the numbers, you could be put under pressure, but at the same time, if you’re excelling then it is clear for all to see! This can act as a great motivator though, and if you’re an outgoing person that likes to travel, it could well be the job for you! It’s a great way to meet lots of new people and see the world.
Hope this is of some help!
Matt