Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products
Sell goods for wholesalers or manufacturers to businesses or groups of individuals. Work requires substantial knowledge of items sold.
1,238,190 people do this job in the US. $72,080 a year.
of the working time. Estimate.
- 52%
- 21%
- 27%
Measured, from Anthropic's usage data (2025). Counts help on part of a task.
On the chosen pace and reliability. Estimate.
Share of the working time within reach, now to 2030
What each choice means: , , , , . Every pace starts from .
At this date and pace, models finish tasks up to 4.4 h long four times in five.
How far this has come
With GPT-4, measured in March 2023, 0% of this job's working time was within reach at . With Claude 3.7 Sonnet, measured in February 2025, 1%. With Claude Mythos Preview (early), measured in April 2026, 39%. Today's estimate: 44%.
A backcast: today's task data with the best model METR had measured by each date. It shows how fast the models have moved, not what anyone forecast at the time.
The tasks
Sorted by . 18 tasks from .
| Task | Kind | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plan, assemble, and stock product displays in retail stores, or make recommendations to retailers regarding product displays, promotional programs, and advertising.Done daily by most who do it. | 13% | 1.7 h25 min to 3.3 h | Stays with people | |
| Identify prospective customers by using business directories, following leads from existing clients, participating in organizations and clubs, and attending trade shows and conferences.Done more than weekly by most who do it. AI observed on this task. | 12% | 1.7 h25 min to 4.2 h | Stays with people | |
| Monitor market conditions, product innovations, and competitors' products, prices, and sales.Done daily by most who do it. AI observed on this task. | 11% | 1.3 h25 min to 3.3 h | 77%Half by now | |
| Perform administrative duties, such as preparing sales budgets and reports, keeping sales records, and filing expense account reports.Done daily by most who do it. AI observed on this task. | 7% | 1.7 h25 min to 3.3 h | 65%Half by now | |
| Negotiate details of contracts and payments.Done daily by most who do it. | 6% | 1.1 h25 min to 2.5 h | Stays with people | |
| Contact regular and prospective customers to demonstrate products, explain product features, and solicit orders.Done daily by most who do it. AI observed on this task. | 6% | 50 min17 min to 2.5 h | 87%Half by now | |
| Recommend products to customers, based on customers' needs and interests.Done daily by most who do it. AI observed on this task. | 6% | 25 min8 min to 1.3 h | 97%Half by now | |
| Negotiate with retail merchants to improve product exposure, such as shelf positioning and advertising.Done daily by most who do it. | 5% | 1.1 h25 min to 2.1 h | Stays with people | |
| Prepare drawings, estimates, and bids that meet specific customer needs.Done daily by most who do it. | 5% | 1.3 h25 min to 4.2 h | 69%Half by now | |
| Arrange and direct delivery and installation of products and equipment.Done daily by most who do it. | 5% | 1.7 h25 min to 4.2 h | Stays with people | |
| Consult with clients after sales or contract signings to resolve problems and to provide ongoing support.Done daily by most who do it. AI observed on this task. | 4% | 38 min13 min to 2.5 h | Stays with people | |
| Estimate or quote prices, credit or contract terms, warranties, and delivery dates.Done daily by most who do it. AI observed on this task. | 4% | 25 min13 min to 1.7 h | 98%Half by now |
Within reach, per task: the share of the task's time whose instances are short enough for a model to finish at the chosen date, pace and reliability. Half by: the date half of that time comes within reach.
Jobs that share skills with this one
From O*NET's related occupations. Within reach now and by the end of 2028, long-run pace, four in five.
- Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Products47% now, 60% by 2028
- Sales Representatives of Services, Except Advertising, Insurance, Financial Services, and Travel69% now, 88% by 2028
- Wholesale and Retail Buyers, Except Farm Products39% now, 65% by 2028
- Buyers and Purchasing Agents, Farm Products43% now, 57% by 2028
- Advertising Sales Agents54% now, 86% by 2028
- Sales Engineers23% now, 49% by 2028
Where this job works
The industry groups that employ the most of it (BLS, May 2025).
- Merchant Wholesalers, Durable Goods (4232, 4233, 4235, 4236, 4237, and 4239 only)225,260 people
- Merchant Wholesalers, Nondurable Goods (4244 and 4248 only)149,860 people
- Machinery, Equipment, and Supplies Merchant Wholesalers112,430 people
- Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers111,760 people
- Merchant Wholesalers, Nondurable Goods (4241, 4247, and 4249 only)62,010 people
Where the most of these jobs are
The metro areas with the most people in it (BLS, May 2025).