Sales Executive
Business
Sell goods for wholesalers or manufacturers to businesses or groups of individuals. Work requires substantial knowledge of items sold.
You can enter this career straight after SPM. A degree is optional, not required.
What you'd do all day
The tasks that matter most in this job, most important first.
- 1Negotiate with retail merchants to improve product exposure, such as shelf positioning and advertising.
- 2Check stock levels and reorder merchandise as necessary.
- 3Plan, assemble, and stock product displays in retail stores, or make recommendations to retailers regarding product displays, promotional programs, and advertising.
- 4Answer customers' questions about products, prices, availability, product uses, and credit terms.
- 5Recommend products to customers, based on customers' needs and interests.
- 6Estimate or quote prices, credit or contract terms, warranties, and delivery dates.
- 7Consult with clients after sales or contract signings to resolve problems and to provide ongoing support.
- 8Negotiate details of contracts and payments.
- 9Prepare sales contracts and order forms.
- 10Provide customers with product samples and catalogs.
- 11Monitor market conditions, product innovations, and competitors' products, prices, and sales.
- 12Perform administrative duties, such as preparing sales budgets and reports, keeping sales records, and filing expense account reports.
- 13Prepare drawings, estimates, and bids that meet specific customer needs.
- 14Obtain credit information about prospective customers.
- 15Contact regular and prospective customers to demonstrate products, explain product features, and solicit orders.
- 16Forward orders to manufacturers.
- 17Identify prospective customers by using business directories, following leads from existing clients, participating in organizations and clubs, and attending trade shows and conferences.
- 18Arrange and direct delivery and installation of products and equipment.
Also known as
What this job is called on JobStreet, LinkedIn and in job ads. Search these too.
- KAM
- Exporter
- Importer
- Salesman
- Consignee
- Sales Rep
- Distributor
- Salesperson
- Metal Dealer
- Scrap Dealer
How far is this from you?
Roughly how much preparation this job usually takes. In Malaysia your UPU route and the programme's syarat still decide entry, so treat this as a guide, not a gate.
1
Entry straight after SPM
2
SPM + sijil / short TVET course
3
Diploma / TVET (sijil–diploma)
Typical entry
Degree (ijazah sarjana muda)
5
Postgrad (sarjana / PhD) or professional route
Subjects that matter here
The SPM subjects worth your effort for this career, with the reason for each.
What you'd need to know
The subject areas this job leans on most, and the SPM subjects that build them.
- Sales and Marketing98%
BusinessEconomics
- Customer and Personal Service97%
- English Language87%
English
- Mathematics79%
Additional MathematicsMathematics
- Transportation74%
- Computers and Electronics63%
Computer Science / ICTElectrical & Electronic Eng. Studies
Tools you'd use
Software and equipment that show up in this job, worth learning early.
What the work feels like
Day-to-day working conditions, so you can tell whether the job suits how you like to work.
- Face-to-face discussionsEvery day
- Contact with other peopleConstant contact
- Dealing with customers or the publicVery high
- Leading or coordinating othersVery high
- Indoors, air-conditionedEvery day
- Outdoors, in all weatherAlmost never
- Noisy environmentAlmost never
- Time spent sittingA little
AI and demand for this job
A few real, dated data points — not a single score. AI making some tasks faster usually means a job changes, not that it disappears.
Share of everyday tasks today's AI can already help with (2023)
This estimate is from 2023 — already out of date, since AI moves fast. Treat it as a rough, aging starting point, not the current picture.
Of Malaysian Claude conversations, about this kind of work
Measures how much people use Claude for this work, not how many Malaysians do this job — and more AI use can mean people relying on it, not that it's replacing them.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics data, not Malaysian. Shown because it's the only forward-looking demand estimate we have for this job.
Pay in Malaysia
We don't have a sourced Malaysian salary range for this job yet, and we'd rather show nothing than a number we can't stand behind.
Where to check:
- JobStreet and Hiredly job ads for this title
- DOSM Salaries & Wages Survey
- SSPA scheme tables, if you're aiming for a government post
Check what you may qualify for
Enter your SPM grades and see which routes and programmes you may qualify for. An estimate to plan with, not an offer.
How to get here
Post-SPM pathways with programmes in this career's fields. Tap one to see real programmes and entry requirements.
Related careers
If this interests you, these are worth a look too.
About this information
This describes what the job involves. Pay, demand and entry routes differ in Malaysia, so check the Pathways and Programmes pages for local requirements.
O*NET occupation: Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products
Job responsibilities, knowledge areas and work context from O*NET 30.3, US Department of Labor, used under CC BY 4.0. onetcenter.org