Stories you may like
By Nsim Team
If you want to become a sporting goods sales rep, you first need to determine if this career path is a good fit for you. If the following description sounds like you, then you’re probably well suited for a career as a sporting goods sales rep:
Those who become sporting goods sales reps are typically self-confident and self-motivated individuals. They enjoy getting out of the office and interacting with people.
Sporting goods sales reps are typically quite keen on being rewarded fairly for their time, efforts and results. Since sales representatives often work on commission, they must be able to persevere and stay positive during periods of low sales, and they must be willing to face rejection.
Who is a Sporting Goods Sales Rep ?
Sporting goods sales reps are responsible for selling sporting goods to retailers, distributors or individuals. Sporting goods sales representatives sometimes work directly for a single manufacturer and other times work independently, selling sporting goods from various manufacturers.
Education Needed to Become a Sporting Goods Sales Rep
There are no governmental or industry regulations in Canada or the United States that dictate educational requirements needed to become a sporting goods sales rep; any such requirements are at the discretion of the employer.
Typically, sporting goods manufacturers prefer to hire candidates with a post-secondary education in a field related to marketing, business or business administration, although they often accept related career experience in place of education.
Skills Needed to Become a Sporting Goods Sales Rep
In order to become effective in a career as a sporting goods sales rep, you need to posses a certain set of skills and personal attributes, including:
• Must exude confidence, as clients perceive this as a confidence in the product or service they are being sold
• Must be able to make strong relationships with vendors
• Proven negotiation skills
• Must be willing and able to attend trade shows
• Ability to recognize trends in the marketplace for specific products
• Able to handle rejection, as there will be periods of time where they have a hard time selling
• Have thorough knowledge of the market they serve, as well as the products they are selling
• Be highly organized, as they may have to look after many client accounts during their workweek
• Listen to the needs of clients and customers, and be able to communicate how their product or service will fulfill them
• Comfortable dealing with individuals from all different walks of life
Who Hires Sporting Goods Sales Reps?
Sporting goods sales reps are hired by companies that manufacture and/or distribute sporting goods. Sporting goods sales reps may typically be hired by these companies in one of two capacities:
• Exclusively for a manufacturer or distributor of sporting goods
• Independently (Representing many manufacturers or distributors)
Those that work exclusively for sporting goods manufacturers or distributors typically have more job stability, as they are working with a brand large enough to support an exclusive representative. They may also have a higher base salary that their independent counterparts, as well as health and other benefits.
Sporting goods sales representatives that work independently have the advantage of controlling the products they market to customers and potential customers, and they may have a higher income potential as they are more likely offered a higher commission split than representatives that work for a larger company.
User's Comments
No comments there.