Sales Representative (Personal and Household Goods)
A sales representative in the personal and household goods sector sells products such as furniture, homewares, appliances, clothing, or cosmetics to retail outlets, hospitality venues, or direct to consumers in Australian markets.
What this job is
A sales representative in the personal and household goods sector sells products such as furniture, homewares, appliances, clothing, or cosmetics to retail outlets, hospitality venues, or direct to consumers in Australian markets. They identify customer needs, present product features and pricing, negotiate orders, and maintain ongoing relationships with clients to meet sales targets and grow accounts.
Are employers advertising this role?
Falling, down 12.0% over 5 years
Counted across a group of similar roles. These are three-month rolling averages of online job advertisements, not filled positions.
Source: Jobs and Skills Australia, Internet Vacancy Index.
Day-to-day
Identify and qualify prospective clients in retail, hospitality, or wholesale sectors using customer databases and market research. Conduct product demonstrations and present features, benefits, and pricing of household goods, furniture, or personal care items to potential buyers. Negotiate order quantities, pricing, payment terms, and delivery schedules with customers to secure sales. Prepare and present formal quotes and sales proposals tailored to customer requirements. Process customer orders using company point-of-sale or sales management systems and confirm delivery details. Maintain accurate customer records, sales activity logs, and pipeline data in CRM or sales tracking software. Monitor competitor pricing, product availability, and market trends to inform sales strategy and customer conversations. Arrange product samples, literature, or trial stock for customers to evaluate before placing orders.
Who does this now
About 21,700 people worked in this occupation across Australia at the 2021 Census.
What this role asks for
Certificate II or III (ABS skill level 4)
Can employers fill these jobs
Employers hiring for this occupation were generally able to find suitable applicants in 2025. This measures how hard employers found it to fill jobs. It is not a count of jobs, and it does not say whether the occupation is growing.
Source: Jobs and Skills Australia, Training Occupation Pathways dataset, March 2026, version 1.0
Jobs and Skills Australia defines an occupation-ready qualification as:
Completing this qualification will provide the skills and knowledge to undertake this occupation. Further training and experience may be required to meet specific industry requirements including licensing and registration.
Jobs and Skills Australia, Training Occupation Pathways dataset, March 2026, version 1.0
Requirements
The standard entry pathway requires a Certificate II or III (ABS skill level 4). Specific qualification requirements vary by employer and state. Some employers may accept equivalent experience. Check yourcareer.gov.au for available courses and dewr.gov.au/skills-reform/free-tafe for subsidised training options.
The honest hard part
Your income hits a ceiling fast. Base salary growth is often limited, and commission depends entirely on hitting targets in a sector where retail is shrinking. You'll spend a lot of time driving between clients, attending early mornings or late nights for hospitality venues, and facing constant rejection. It's exhausting and the pay doesn't always match the effort, especially if your territory is quiet.
Where the jobs are
Regional areas have fewer positions. Practically speaking, you need to be in or near major metros. Remote work is rare: this job requires face-to-face demos and client visits.
Pay
Published for ANZSCO unit group 6113, the wider group this job sits in, not for this job on its own.
This is the median for full-time employees who are not managers and are paid at the adult rate, before tax and salary sacrifice. It is a guide to what the work pays, not a wage rate.
Source: ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2025, customised report.
Skills
- Achieve sales targetscore
- Active Listeningcore
- Carry out sales analysiscore
- Characteristics of productscore
- Characteristics of servicescore
- CRM System Operationcore
- Customer Complaint Resolutioncore
- Customer Needs Assessmentcore
- Empathy and Emotional Intelligencecore
- Goal Setting and Planningcore
- Negotiationcore
- Objection Handlingcore
- Outbound Customer Contactcore
- Time Management and Prioritisationcore
- Upselling and Cross-Sellingcore
- Verbal Communicationcore
- Adaptability and Flexibility
- Basic Arithmetic and Numerical Accuracy
- Customer Order Tracking
- Data Entry and Accuracy
- Email Management
- Feedback Collection and Actioning
- Invoicing and Billing Administration
- Telephone Etiquette
- Workload Self-Management
- Written Communication
Which of these do you have?
Tick the ones you haveCommon questions
Sources
- ABS OSCA 2024, occupation definition and task statements
- ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2025, customised report.
- ABS, 2021 Census of Population and Housing based on usual place of residence (Custom Report). OSCA Experimental Estimates.
Role data is drawn from official Australian Government sources, and each figure names where it comes from. Where a role is not in the ABS classification, the page shows no government figures for it. Data may not reflect every local variation.
Last updated: 30 October 2026
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