If you’re seeking a career in marketing, you can choose from a variety of career paths and positions. One of the important roles you can fill in a company is a marketing representative. Before you decide on this career path, learn what the role of a marketing representative is, what the job outlook for the marketing industry is and what your potential income may be.

Significance

A marketing representative is the liaison between a company and its current and prospective clients. In essence, the marketing representative performs promotion and marketing activities to meet and land new clients for the company the representative works for. For example, a marketing representative for a mutual fund company visits the offices of financial firms and meets with financial advisers to try to get them to invest in mutual fund investments for their clients. A marketing representative can work for almost any type of company in almost any industry.

Education

Companies that employ marketing representatives tend to prefer candidates with a bachelor’s degree in marketing or business. Some companies, however, allow a candidate’s experience in sales and marketing take the place of a formal education and the earning of a college degree. If the position is for a company in highly specialized industries such as aerospace or technology, the company may also prefer someone with education or experience in the industry.

Qualifications

Some of the qualifications for marketing representatives include outgoing personalities, computer skills and advanced communication skills. Most marketing representatives travel outside of the office either locally, regionally or long distance to meet with clients and make sales. This requires good time management skills and self-motivation because the representative may spend one day a week in the office completing reports and paperwork and the remaining four days traveling to client meetings and fulfilling sales orders.

Income

The income for a marketing representative can vary greatly. Most marketing representatives work on a salary and commission basis. Many have a base salary, which is generally low, and they are paid a percentage of their sales. Commission percentages can be as low as 2 percent of the sales amount for large-volume items and go up from there for smaller volume items.

Outlook

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, a 13 percent increase in marketing job positions is expected by the year 2018. The increase is expected as the competitive environment and the number of products and services available increases. Marketing professionals are also required to handle the changing landscape of the advertising and marketing world, so an ability to uncover and develop new and better ways to promote products and services is always important.