How To Become A B2B Sales Representatives: What It Is and Career Path

What is a b2b sales representatives and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted Experts

Frederik Beuk,

John Cicala Ph.D.

B2B sales representative is the shortened form of Business-to-business sales representative. As a B2B sales representative, you are in charge of pursuing and securing sales with businesses. Primarily, you have to research and do a thorough analysis to produce leads. You must develop business plans and negotiate contract terms.

Also, as a B2B sales representative, you must devise ways that could be used to reach out to customers and identify their needs. However, you could be required to do clerical duties such as performing calls and correspondence. You may have to arrange meetings and appointments. In addition, you have to adhere to the organization's regulations and policies while offering products and services. This also includes adhering to the company's vision and mission.

To be a successful B2B sales representative, you must possess excellent customer service skills which allow you to communicate efficiently and respectfully with a client. Also, you should have interpersonal skills and physical stamina that would enable you to exert energy without getting tired for a long time. Most B2B sales representatives study marketing, business, or communication. You must hold a bachelor's degree in any of these relevant fields. You will earn an average salary of $50,767 per year.

What general advice would you give to a B2B Sales Representatives?

Frederik Beuk

Associate Professor of Marketing, University of Akron

The key consideration is whether you really want to maximize your initial salary. For instance, envision two job opportunities: one offering a salary of $50,000 per year, where you'd be the most junior team member, and the other providing $75,000 per year, with the caveat that you would be the sole sales representative for the firm. The optimal choice is to prioritize learning opportunities. In this context, being the lone salesperson for a company that compensates its highest-earning sales professional $75,000 might not be your superior option. Instead, seek a position that offers the greatest potential for learning. Subsequently, demonstrate your negotiating prowess, a critical sales skill, by securing a slightly higher salary. However, it's essential not to fixate on maximizing your starting salary. Your career requires a long-term strategy, and you have several decades ahead of you to maximize income.

ScoreB2B Sales RepresentativesUS Average

Salary

5.1

Avg. Salary $65,833

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

7.1

Growth Rate 4%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

3.8

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.23%

Asian 5.20%

Black or African American 3.88%

Hispanic or Latino 14.50%

Unknown 3.72%

White 72.47%

Gender

female 32.17%

male 67.83%

Age - 48

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 48

Stress Level

7.1

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

8.4

Complexity Level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

4.9

Work Life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Newest jobs for B2B Sales Representatives in Columbus, OH

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Key steps to become a b2b sales representatives

Explore b2b sales representatives education requirements

Most common b2b sales representatives degrees

Bachelor's

66.7 %

Associate

15.1 %

High School Diploma

7.8 %

Start to develop specific b2b sales representatives skills

Skills	Percentages
Customer Service	15.86%
CRM	13.27%
PowerPoint	11.97%
Business-To-Business Sales	11.21%
Customer Retention	9.19%

Complete relevant b2b sales representatives training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New b2b sales representatives learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a b2b sales representatives based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real b2b sales representatives resumes.

Research b2b sales representatives duties and responsibilities

Generate new business via cold-call prospecting, telemarketing, leads and referrals.
Operate Salesforce and manage opportunities accordingly.
Join newly form emerging markets field sales team selling SaaS software/solutions to the emerging nonprofit marketplace.
Maintain customer records through SalesForce.

Prepare your b2b sales representatives resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your b2b sales representatives resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a b2b sales representatives resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose From 10+ Customizable B2B Sales Representatives Resume templates

Build a professional B2B Sales Representatives resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your B2B Sales Representatives resume.

Apply for b2b sales representatives jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a b2b sales representatives job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do b2b sales representatives rate their job?

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B2B Sales Representatives reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Jun 2020

Pros

Communicating and helping my clients.

Cons

The travel was extensive. Sometimes. It took more than month to close a deaĺ.

A zippia user wrote a review on May 2020

Pros

I love to engage the public and meet new faces. I enjoy explaining all of the benefits of the product I am selling, and making the customer feel important and well informed.

Cons

I don't like feeling like I haven't did a great at job at making customers feel comfortable and confident about where and who they are purchasing from.

A zippia user wrote a review on May 2020

Pros

i enjoy the interaction with people, listen the customer in order to convert him/her into your friend, detect and help customer with his/her needs.

Cons

People without vision, dreams and selfishness.

What is a b2b sales representatives and how to become one

What general advice would you give to a B2B Sales Representatives?

Newest jobs for B2B Sales Representatives in Columbus, OH

B2B Sales Representatives career paths

Key steps to become a b2b sales representatives

Explore b2b sales representatives education requirements

Most common b2b sales representatives degrees

Start to develop specific b2b sales representatives skills

Complete relevant b2b sales representatives training and internships

Research b2b sales representatives duties and responsibilities

Prepare your b2b sales representatives resume

Choose From 10+ Customizable B2B Sales Representatives Resume templates

Apply for b2b sales representatives jobs

How Did You Land Your First B2B Sales Representatives Job

Average b2b sales representatives salary

How do b2b sales representatives rate their job?

B2B Sales Representatives reviews

B2B Sales Representatives jobs by state