Sales Representative
Sales, Marketing, and Customer Service
At-a-glance
Required Education, Credentials, and Licenses
- High school diploma or GED
Preferred Education and Credentials
- Post-secondary HVAC/R training or college degree (associate or bachelor’s)
- Knowledge of HVAC/R products and markets
- Driver’s license
Skills
- Sales
- Communication and presentation
- Customer service
- Build strong relationships
- Problem-solving
- Organization
- Time management
- Teamwork
Description
Sales representatives sell manufacturers’ and wholesalers’ products to business customers by managing a portfolio of client accounts to grow sales and develop new contracts.
Strong communication and interpersonal skills are essential when sales representatives conduct outreach to existing and prospective customers, whether it be over the phone, during in-person client meetings, or networking at trade shows or professional organization meetings. They need a customer service-oriented attitude to actively listen to and understand the needs of customers, including a problem-solving aptitude to address those needs promptly. In the HVAC/R field, that may entail influencing clients’ design specifications and equipment choices. Sales representatives must have knowledge of the goods they sell and strong presentation skills to explain products’ features and benefits (including advantages over competitors’ products), demonstrate how products work, and answer customers’ questions. Sales representatives present product promotions, quote and negotiate prices, and prepare sales contracts to complete transactions. They may also have a role in developing their employer’s sales strategies.
Sales representatives need to have strong organizational and time management skills to effectively service multiple client accounts simultaneously. They should have a basic level of comfort using computers to document their work. Sales representatives need to have a team-oriented mindset as they often collaborate with other departments in their company to ensure they meet all customers’ needs. Retaining existing clientele and establishing new customer accounts is critical to building a strong customer base that will support maximizing company profits and market share.
Sales representatives often need to travel to meet with vendors and clients; those who manage accounts for larger sales regions tend to travel more frequently than sales representatives responsible for smaller regions. Sales representatives typically work full-time, and many work additional hours during evenings and weekends to meet sales targets, which can be stressful.
Job Outlook
According to the New York State Department of Labor, there are approximately 71,000 representatives selling non-technical and non-scientific products for wholesalers or manufacturers in New York State and opportunities for employment are expected to be favorable through 2028 – the Department projects this occupation to grow by 380 jobs between 2018 and 2028.
Entering the Field
Sales representatives need to have a high school diploma or GED, and some positions require post-secondary HVAC/R training, an associate degree, or even a bachelor’s degree if the products sold require technical knowledge in special areas or job duties include the development of system design specifications. Sales representatives without prior experience receive on-the-job training within their first year of employment. Some positions within this occupation are targeted to candidates with three to five years of experience, and job duties may include responsibility for overseeing larger regions or accounts. Within the HVAC/R field, employers may give preference to applicants who already have market and product knowledge gained through prior experience in sales or with HVAC/R contractors. Installers and service technicians, for example, can successfully transition into a sales role because they have first-hand experience with HVAC/R products and their applications, as well as knowledge of customers’ experiences with various products. They can apply this technical expertise and consumer awareness to build strong connections with clients and inform their HVAC/R system design and equipment choices.
Some workers prepare to become sales representatives by earning certification(s) from the Manufacturers’ Representatives Educational Research Foundation (MRERF). MRERF offers training to become a Certified Professional Manufacturer’s Representative or a Certified Professional Sales Consultant, formerly titled Certified Sales Professional; these are not typically required by employers. A driver’s license may be needed for sales representatives that must travel to meet in-person with clients.
Wages
In New York State, the median wage for sales representatives is approximately $68,400. Entry-level workers earn about $40,100, and experienced workers earn about $104,100.
Annual Wage (Q1 2021 dollars, rounded to 100s) – Statewide and by Labor Market Region
| Region | Entry | Median | Experienced | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York State | $40,100 | $68,400 | $104,100 | |||
| Capital Region | $41,700 | $67,700 | $94,900 | |||
| Central New York | $40,400 | $64,400 | $89,300 | |||
| Finger Lakes | $34,500 | $62,900 | $92,200 | |||
| Hudson Valley | $41,700 | $71,400 | $117,500 | |||
| Long Island | $47,200 | $75,700 | $119,800 | |||
| Mohawk Valley | $38,100 | $60,100 | $79,700 | |||
| New York City | $39,100 | $68,900 | $104,500 | |||
| North Country | $36,400 | $56,100 | $75,500 | |||
| Southern Tier | $40,200 | $62,300 | $83,600 | |||
| Western New York | $41,200 | $64,200 | $89,000 |
Source: New York State Department of Labor, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics Survey, SOC Code 41-4012 (Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products)
Employers
HVAC/R sales representatives may be employed by wholesale and manufacturing companies that supply HVAC/R products and related services, as well as contractors that work on building equipment systems (including boilers and HVAC/R systems).
The top three employers with the most online job advertisements in each region in 2020 are listed below.
Capital Region
- American Energy Care
- Service Experts LLC
- VP Supply
Central New York
- Blake Technology Corporation
- Emerson Swan Incorporated
- Carrier Enterprise
Finger Lakes
- Johnson Controls Incorporated
- EMCOR Group
- Isaac Heating & Air Conditioning
Hudson Valley
- Bruni & Campisi Incorporated
- Hudson Technologies Incorporated
- Slomins Incorporated
Long Island
- Slomins Incorporated
- Ferguson
- Gold Star Plumbing
Mohawk Valley
- Samsung America, Inc.
- Danfoss
- EDOS Manufacturers’ Reps, Inc.
New York City
- Ferguson
- Johnson Controls Incorporated
- HomeServe USA
North Country (All ads posted in 2020 were from a single employer.)
- Hajoca Corporation
Southern Tier
- EverCommerce
- Modern Marketing Concepts Incorporated
- Ferguson
Western New York
- Isaac Heating and Air Conditioning
- Irr Supply Centers, Incorporated
- VP Supply Corporation
Source: Burning Glass Technologies: Labor Insight™. 2021.
Labor Unions
Unionization rates tend to be low for workers in sales jobs. Sales representatives who do belong to a union may be members of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU) or the larger United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW), which RWDSU is part of. Check with local communities to see if these unions or others have active local chapters whose members work in the HVAC/R field as sales representatives.
Education and Training Programs
Some sales representative jobs are available to workers with a high school degree (or equivalent), but others do require post-secondary education in the HVAC/R trade or in sales. Schools throughout New York State offer technical training programs related to the HVAC/R field or degrees in marketing that can prepare workers to become sales representatives. Schools offering degrees specifically in marketing are listed in the table below. Other schools may offer business degrees with a concentration in marketing. Check with local educational institutions for program availability.
| Educational Institution | Department | Certificate | Associate | Bachelor | Master | PhD | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Capital Region | ||||||||
| Hudson Valley Community College | Applied Technologies | No | •Yes | No | No | No | ||
| Hudson Valley Community College | Business and Criminal Justice | No | •Yes | No | No | No | ||
| SUNY Adirondack | Management, Marketing & Entrepreneurship | No | •Yes | No | No | No | ||
| Central New York | ||||||||
| Onondaga-Cortland-Madison BOCES | Certificate Programs | •Yes | No | No | No | No | ||
| Finger Lakes | ||||||||
| Finger Lakes Community College | Marketing | No | •Yes | No | No | No | ||
| Monroe 2-Orleans BOCES | Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration | •Yes | No | No | No | No | ||
| Monroe Community College | Heating, Ventilation & Air Conditioning | •Yes | •Yes | No | No | No | ||
| Rochester Institute of Technology | Marketing | No | No | •Yes | No | No | ||
| Hudson Valley | ||||||||
| Dutchess Community College | Business, Aviation, and Construction | •Yes | •Yes | No | No | No | ||
| Rockland Community College | School of Business and Professional Studies | No | •Yes | No | No | No | ||
| SUNY Westchester Community College | Business | No | •Yes | No | No | No | ||
| Long Island | ||||||||
| Electrical Training Center | Electrical & HVAC/R | •Yes | No | No | No | No | ||
| Farmingdale State College | Business Management | •Yes | No | No | No | No | ||
| Long Island University | School of Business | No | No | •Yes | No | No | ||
| Suffolk County Community College | Heating, Ventilation, AC and Refrigeration Technology | •Yes | •Yes | No | No | No | ||
| Suffolk County Community College | Business | No | •Yes | No | No | No | ||
| Mohawk Valley | ||||||||
| Fulton-Montgomery Community College | Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning & Refrigeration Technology | •Yes | No | No | No | No | ||
| Fulton-Montgomery Community College | Business: Marketing | No | •Yes | No | No | No | ||
| Herkimer County Community College | Marketing | No | •Yes | No | No | No | ||
| Mohawk Valley Community College | School of STEM | •Yes | •Yes | No | No | No | ||
| New York City | ||||||||
| Apex Technical School | HVAC & Refrigeration | •Yes | No | No | No | No | ||
| Baruch College (CUNY) | Allen G. Aaronson Department of Marketing and International Business | No | No | •Yes | •Yes | •Yes | ||
| Fordham University | Gabelli School of Business | No | No | •Yes | •Yes | No | ||
| Manhattan College | Management & Marketing | No | No | •Yes | No | No | ||
| New York City College of Technology (CUNY) | Environmental Control Technology | No | •Yes | No | No | No | ||
| North Country | ||||||||
| SUNY College of Technology at Canton | Canino School of Engineering Technology | No | •Yes | No | No | No | ||
| Southern Tier | ||||||||
| SUNY Broome Community College | Business and Professional Studies | No | •Yes | No | No | No | ||
| SUNY at Delhi | School of Applied Technologies | No | •Yes | No | No | No | ||
| SUNY at Delhi | School of Business and Hospitality Management | No | •Yes | No | No | No | ||
| Western New York | ||||||||
| Erie 1 BOCES | HVAC | •Yes | No | No | No | No | ||
| Erie Community College | Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning And Refrigeration | •Yes | No | No | No | No | ||
| SUNY at Alfred | Building Trades | No | •Yes | No | No | No | ||
| SUNY at Alfred | Business | No | •Yes | No | No | No |
