Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Products Salary
The median sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, technical and scientific products salary in the United States is $104,920 per year ($50.44/hour). Salaries range from $52,600 at the entry level to $200,440+ for the top 10% of earners. There are 284,800 sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, technical and scientific products jobs nationwide. Employment is projected to grow 1.9% through 2034.
Last updated: June 2026 Β· Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Median Salary
$104,920
per year
Hourly Rate
$50.44
per hour
Employment
284,800
jobs in the U.S.
Salary Distribution
10th percentile
$52,600
25th percentile
$75,030
Median
$104,920
75th percentile
$158,160
90th percentile
$200,440
Job Growth (2024-2034)
+1.9%
Slower than average
Annual Openings
27,200
jobs/year (growth + replacements)
Education Required
Bachelor's degree
Training Needed
Moderate-term on-the-job training
Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Products Career Guide
Interview questions, resume templates, and a career ladder written specifically for sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, technical and scientific productss.
Technical outside sales reps sell complex, high-consideration products β medical devices in operating rooms, capital equipment on manufacturing floors, semiconductors into design-in cycles, and industrial supplies into MRO accounts. Deals close on technical fit, service, and relationships built over multi-quarter cycles. BLS median is $104,920 with p10 at $52,600 (early-career reps at industrial distributors like Grainger or Fastenal) and p90 at $200,440 (top medical-device reps at Stryker, Intuitive Surgical, and Medtronic on premium implant lines). 284,800 people hold this seat. Comp is base + commission β typically 60/40 in medical devices, 70/30 in industrial, and 50/50 for pure-commission channel roles.
Core Skills Hiring Managers Screen For
Deep product and application expertise
Know your product at the level of the surgeon, plant engineer, or design engineer you're selling to. In medical devices, this means scrubbing into cases; in industrial capital equipment, this means being on the plant floor with the maintenance team; in semiconductors, this means reading datasheets and simulation results.
Long-cycle account management
Deals close in 6-24 months. Own the account plan β named contacts across engineering, procurement, and executive; the compelling event; the competitive posture; and the internal blockers. CRM discipline is the difference between a top-quartile and a bottom-quartile year.
Clinical / technical demo and evaluation
Run in-service training, case coverage in ORs, plant-floor pilot installs, or design-in evaluations. This is the moment the product actually earns the sale β reps who bail on evaluations lose the deal.
Relationship and access with clinical / engineering buyers
Surgeons, biomedical engineers, plant managers, and design engineers are the true buyers. Reps who build these relationships over 3-5 years become the referred vendor in their territory.
Procurement and value-based selling
Increasingly, deals need to pass procurement / GPO / value analysis committees on TCO, clinical evidence, or engineering-cost justification. Reps who can build a written value case in the language of finance close more.
Territory planning and time management
Territories are 100-500 accounts; the top decile visited 10x more than the bottom decile. Segmentation (A/B/C accounts), route planning, and CRM cadence are the leading indicators of quota.
Regulatory & compliance fluency (FDA / OSHA / RoHS / REACH)
In medical devices, know 21 CFR Part 820 and complaint handling. In industrial, know OSHA, EPA, and RoHS. In semiconductors, know the customer's qualification and revision-control processes.
How to Become a Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Products
- 1Get a technical bachelor's (engineering, biology, chemistry, physics)Not always required but strongly preferred. Medical device reps often come from biology / kinesiology / biomedical engineering. Industrial reps often come from mechanical / electrical engineering. Some strong reps come from clinical or engineering backgrounds directly.
- 2Start as an Associate Sales Rep, Clinical Specialist, or Inside Sales rep$55-85k OTE. In medical devices this is the standard 12-24 month ramp. In industrial, it's often Inside Sales at Grainger, Motion, or Fastenal for 18-30 months.
- 3Get promoted to full Territory Manager / Field Sales Rep$95-145k OTE (60/40 or 70/30 split). Own a territory of 100-400 accounts with a full quota. In medical device implants, you'll now scrub into cases; in industrial, you'll be on customer floors weekly.
- 4Specialize (product line, vertical, or GPO / national account)$145-215k OTE. In medical devices, spine, cardio, or robotics command premiums. In industrial, capital equipment and MRO commands premium. In semiconductors, FAE (Field Applications Engineer) or design-in reps command premium.
- 5Promote to Sr Rep β Regional Sales Manager β District / Area Sales Director β VP Sales$215-455k+ OTE at senior levels. Top medical-device Regional Managers at Stryker, Medtronic, and Intuitive earn $315-485k+ OTE.
Career Progression
Associate Sales Rep / Clinical Specialist / Inside Sales
1-2 yrs$55-85k OTE (base + reduced commission or full base)
- β’Support senior reps in the territory: case coverage, in-services, tradeshow booth, sample delivery
- β’Learn product portfolio, competitive landscape, and territory account list
- β’Handle inside sales calls, quote generation, and CRM hygiene
- β’Complete company-specific certification and clinical / technical training
Next: Territory Manager / Field Rep at 12-24 months, once you've earned a territory of your own.
Territory Manager / Field Sales Rep
2-6 yrs$105-145k OTE ($65-90k base + $40-60k commission)
- β’Own a full territory quota (typically $2-5M in medical devices, $3-8M in industrial)
- β’Cover 100-400 accounts across engineering, procurement, and clinical stakeholders
- β’Run in-services, product evaluations, and case coverage (in medical devices)
- β’Own CRM hygiene, quarterly business reviews, and forecast accuracy
Next: Sr Territory Manager or specialty rep (spine, cardio, capital equipment) at 4-8 years.
Sr Territory Manager / Product Specialist
5-10 yrs$145-215k OTE ($85-115k base + $60-100k commission)
- β’Own a larger territory or a specialty product line (spine, cardio, robotics, capital equipment)
- β’Mentor Associate Reps in the district; lead product training
- β’Drive strategic account wins (top-5 hospital systems, top-10 MRO accounts, top design-in customers)
- β’Own competitive displacements and contract renewals with GPOs / national accounts
Next: Regional Sales Manager at 8-13 years.
Regional / District Sales Manager
8-14 yrs$225-355k OTE + equity (public medtech)
- β’Manage 6-12 Territory Managers across a region ($25-80M in ARR / revenue)
- β’Hire, ramp, coach, and manage performance of the team
- β’Own regional forecast, quota assignment, and territory design
- β’Represent the region in national QBRs and strategic account reviews
Next: Area Sales Director / VP Sales at 12-18 years.
Area Sales Director / VP Sales
14+ yrs$355-585k+ OTE + significant equity + LTIP
- β’Lead 4-8 Regional Managers + 40-100 Territory Managers
- β’Own a national or multi-region product line P&L ($150-500M+ revenue)
- β’Partner with Marketing, Medical Affairs / Product Management, and R&D on launches
- β’Own top strategic account relationships (top-10 hospital IDN, top-10 industrial customer)
Next: SVP Sales, GM of a business unit, or CCO / CRO.
Interview Questions & Answers
5 free questions below. Career Kit unlocks 17 total plus resume bullets for every level.
Q1. Walk me through your biggest deal.behavioral
Use STAR with dollar amounts. Situation: named account, competitive context, deal size β 'a 4-hospital IDN using a competitor's spine implants across 22 surgeons, $2.8M ARR at stake.' Task: the specific technical or clinical objection that would decide it. Action: what you personally did that moved the deal β brought a KOL (key opinion leader) surgeon in for a technique visit, ran a controlled evaluation in 3 ORs with your product against theirs, built a written TCO case showing $185k in annualized savings per hospital, aligned procurement and value analysis committees. Result: closed-won, expanded into 2 additional service lines within 18 months, reference-able. At Stryker, Medtronic, Intuitive, and Danaher, interviewers screen for reps who can name the deal, the doctor, the mechanism, and the dollar impact β not reps who wave at 'a big deal I closed.'
Q2. How do you handle a surgeon (or engineer) who's committed to your competitor?situational
Never trash the competitor. Instead: acknowledge specifically what the competitor does well, then reframe on the 2-3 clinical or engineering dimensions where you objectively win β usually outcomes data, ease of use, or service model. Build a slow relationship β attend the case as a courtesy visit before you pitch, offer a proctored technique visit with one of your KOL surgeons, and get on the schedule for the next resident training. Displacements almost never close on a single meeting; the average competitive switch in medical device implants takes 6-14 months of relationship-building.
Q3. Describe your case coverage / on-site presence philosophy.technical
Presence is the product in this business. In medical devices, I'm scrubbed into every first case with a new surgeon and every complex revision case with an existing surgeon β usually 8-15 cases per week early in the ramp, tapering to 5-8 cases per week when the territory is mature. In industrial, I'm on the plant floor with maintenance and engineering weekly for A accounts, biweekly for B accounts, and quarterly for C accounts. Reps who try to run this from behind a desk fail. Reps who show up when the product isn't perfect and help solve the problem win the account for a decade.
Q4. How do you build an account plan?technical
Six sections. (1) Buying center map β every named contact across clinical / engineering, procurement, executive, and finance, with title, tenure, and preference. (2) Compelling event β what specifically triggers a decision this quarter vs next. (3) Competitive position β the incumbent, their pricing, their weaknesses. (4) Our stack β the products in play and the whitespace. (5) Champion β the named person driving change internally, and what they get from a win. (6) Sequence β the 6-8 activities over the next 90 days that move the deal. I refresh account plans monthly in the top 10 accounts and quarterly in the rest.
Q5. Why medical devices (or industrial / semiconductor) sales specifically?closer
The honest answer that resonates: technical depth matters more than closing tricks. You get to be in the OR, on the plant floor, or at the design bench where the product does real work β and reps who build that credibility earn the trust to run 20-year customer relationships. The comp is real: top reps at Stryker, Medtronic, and Intuitive Surgical earn $200-400k+ consistently, and the retention is real β I want a career, not a stepping stone. Avoid 'because it pays a lot' as the first reason. Hiring managers at Danaher, 3M, and Grainger screen hard for reps who genuinely love the product and the buyer.
Resume Template β Territory Manager / Field Sales Rep (2-6 yrs)
Copy these bullets into your resume as a starting point. Career Kit includes bullets for every level of the ladder.
Territory Manager / Field Sales Rep (2-6 yrs)
- βΈOwned $4.2M annual quota across a 148-account territory at [Medtronic / Stryker / Danaher]; delivered 132% attainment FY24, ranked #7 of 84 reps nationally.
- βΈDisplaced competitor across 6 hospitals in the territory, contributing $1.6M net-new ARR through a documented clinical evaluation program with 14 surgeons.
- βΈRan 22 in-services and covered 340+ surgical cases in FY24; NPS 78 on physician-reported service surveys.
- βΈBSN + MBA in progress. President's Club 2 years running. $138k OTE ($82k base + $56k commission) + stock.
What Gets You Rejected
- βDoesn't know the product beyond the marketing datasheet β hiring managers screen out reps who can't answer a clinical or engineering question in-round.
- βNo comfort in the operating room, on the plant floor, or at the design bench β case coverage or plant-floor presence is the job.
- βWeak CRM discipline β reps who can't produce a current account plan or a clean forecast lose credibility with sales management.
- βBlames the product, the pricing, or the marketing for every miss β top reps take accountability and adapt.
- βNo relationship references from clinical or engineering buyers β the trust of surgeons / engineers is the true test.
- βOverly commission-focused β reps who lead with 'how much can I make?' before 'what does the product actually do?' don't last.
Salary Negotiation Levers
- βProduct line premium β spine, cardio, robotics, and capital equipment carry 20-40% premium OTE over general orthopedics or general industrial.
- βTerritory quality β reps inheriting a 130%-attainment territory vs building one from scratch should negotiate a lower or guaranteed ramp quota.
- βGuaranteed commission or draw β 6-12 months at 100% target commission regardless of actual attainment is standard for external hires switching companies.
- βSign-on bonuses of $25-100k are standard at mid-career and senior levels, especially to offset unvested equity or trailing commissions.
- βCompany car or car allowance β standard in field sales; ranges $600-1,000/month or a company-owned vehicle. Negotiate the equivalent cash value if you're a road warrior.
- βRSUs / equity meaningful at public medtech (Stryker, Medtronic, BSX, ISRG). Ask for annual refresher cadence, not just Year-1 grant.
- βMetro / geography β Bay Area, LA, NYC, Boston, and Chicago pay 10-20% above national median on OTE for the same product line.
- βNon-compete negotiation β most medtech and industrial roles have 12-24 month non-competes; negotiate carve-outs for non-competitive product lines.
Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Products Resume Review β $29
Personalized resume review from someone who has hired sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, technical and scientific productss. Purchase, email your resume to support@weblabra.com, and receive detailed written feedback within 7 days.
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Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Products Career Kit β $19
- β All 17 interview questions with expert answers
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- β Interview format intel for 9 top employers
- β 3 copy-paste salary negotiation emails
- β Resume bullets for every level of the career ladder
- β 30β60β90 day plan for your first role
- β Cover letter templates specific to this occupation
- β Detailed salary negotiation script
- β Ranked list of certifications with cost + ROI
- β Downloadable PDF for offline access
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Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Products Salary by State
Best Cities (cost-adjusted) βSalary Map β Click a state for details
$72K$135Kβ No data
Top Paying States
Colorado
$135K
+29%
New Jersey
$131K
+25%
Kansas
$131K
+25%
New York
$129K
+23%
Georgia
$129K
+23%
Virginia
$128K
+22%
Washington
$127K
+21%
Hawaii
$126K
+20%
Michigan
$126K
+20%
North Carolina
$125K
+19%
Vertical line = national median. Click a state for full details.
| State | Median | vs. National |
|---|---|---|
| Colorado | $135,000 | +28.7% |
| New Jersey | $131,360 | +25.2% |
| Kansas | $130,850 | +24.7% |
| New York | $129,410 | +23.3% |
| Georgia | $128,850 | +22.8% |
| Virginia | $128,270 | +22.3% |
| Washington | $127,390 | +21.4% |
| Hawaii | $126,110 | +20.2% |
| Michigan | $125,650 | +19.8% |
| North Carolina | $125,370 | +19.5% |
Showing 1β10 of 49
Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Products Salary by Metro Area
| Metro Area | Median | vs. National |
|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $167,630 | +59.8% |
| Shreveport-Bossier City, LA | $163,320 | +55.7% |
| Rochester, MN | $160,960 | +53.4% |
| Sebastian-Vero Beach-West Vero Corridor, FL | $158,750 | +51.3% |
| Topeka, KS | $157,760 | +50.4% |
| Spartanburg, SC | $138,750 | +32.2% |
| Greeley, CO | $137,840 | +31.4% |
| Boulder, CO | $136,180 | +29.8% |
| Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO | $136,100 | +29.7% |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $133,690 | +27.4% |
Showing 1β10 of 286
Data Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS). Data reflects the most recent annual survey.
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