Equipment sales can bring top salaries

Chron

Sales has a wide involvement in numerous industries. The field of equipment sales, whether it’s in the agriculture, oilfield or health care industries, has incredible potential on various levels, including salary/paycheck.

Keith Wolf, managing director at Murray Resources, said for experienced professionals, the salary range is typically $80,000-120,000 plus commission, with higher base pay for vice president/director-level professionals.
On Learn.org’s report, Heavy Equipment Sales Training Program: Salary and Career Facts, a heavy machinery sales representative with an associate or bachelor’s degree in business in 2014 had an average salary of $87,690 for industry-specific sales representative.

Expected to grow

The report also stated that the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that in 2014 there were about 335,540 wholesale and manufacturing representatives working with technical products such as commercial machinery. This field is expected to grow 9 percent by 2022.

According to Learn.org, though no formal schooling is required, a college degree is recommended to stand out when searching for a job. Employers may possibly require either a two- or four-year degree in a business-related field. Sales experience can also be beneficial.

After a period of stagnation, the oil and gas industry is back on track and looking for potential salespeople, Wolf said.

“There’s once again strong demand for oil and gas sales professionals,” said Wolf. “The products can include compressor, pumps, valves, artificial lift systems, downhole tools, fracking equipment, and rig equipment, to name a few.”

In the medical equipment field, MedReps.com reported in its 2018 Medical Sales Salary Survey that though the industry is highly competitive and demanding, the effort can pay off. The survey stated that medical equipment sales representatives saw their average bonus go up by over $20,000 since last year. Although average base salaries dropped, the average total compensation is up from $151,882 to $167,554, making it the second highest earnings in the last three years.

Another equipment-sales career option is in the field of agriculture.

Agricultural sales entails selling equipment used on farms and ranches for raising animals and growing food. Products can include reapers, tractors and other related equipment. Typical employers can include manufacturers of planters, tractors and combines. The mean annual salary in 2015 was $89,170 for sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, technical and scientific products as reported by Study.com.

So, who is a good person for this type of work? Having an outgoing personality is a great start, but there are other qualities employers are wanting.

“Our employer clients are typically seeking a hunter mentality/road warrior with strong product and oilfield knowledge. Established client relationships can be a must for some companies,” Wolf said.

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