How to hire an associate sales representative

How to hire an associate sales representative, step by step

Here's a step-by-step associate sales representative hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write an associate sales representative job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new associate sales representative
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does an associate sales representative do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring an associate sales representative, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   Hiring the perfect associate sales representative also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

   This list presents associate sales representative salaries for various positions.

   Type of Associate Sales Representative	Description	Hourly rate
   Associate Sales Representative	Wholesale and manufacturing sales representatives sell goods for wholesalers or manufacturers to businesses, government agencies, and other organizations. They contact customers, explain product features, answer any questions that their customers may have, and negotiate prices.	$17-32
   Business Development Representative	A business development representative's role is to find new business and client opportunities through market research and networking. They are primarily responsible for participating in creating strategies to enhance client relations, improve sales, and reach out to potential clients through calls, correspondence, and meetings... Show more	$12-39
   Sales Development Representative	A sales development representative qualifies leads at the sales funnel's initial stages. Sales development representatives need to conduct research for prospective clients and qualify the leads before handing them to the sales team... Show more	$16-37

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Work Ethic
   • Patients
   • Product Knowledge
   • Excellent Interpersonal
   • Excellent Organizational
   • Sales Techniques
   • Customer Satisfaction
   • Product Line
   • PowerPoint
   • Sales Strategies
   • Trade Shows
   • Excellent Time Management
   • Customer Service
   • Customer Complaints

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage organization website and Facebook page; writing articles for websites and newsletters.
   • Perform inside sales, including telemarketing, prospecting, account penetration and product application, consulting and delivery of customer service.
   • Learned how to ask proper questions and communicate MetLife's product differentiators against competition

   More associate sales representative duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the associate sales representative job description is a good way to get more applicants. An associate sales representative salary can be affected by several factors, such as the location of the job, the level of experience, education, certifications, and the employer's prestige.

   For example, the average salary for an associate sales representative in Kentucky may be lower than in Massachusetts, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level associate sales representative. Additionally, an associate sales representative with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average associate sales representative salary

   $51,007yearly

   $24.52 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level associate sales representative salary

   $37,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 13, 2025

   Average associate sales representative salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Massachusetts	$64,794	$31
   2	Washington	$59,479	$29
   3	Minnesota	$57,778	$28
   4	Michigan	$57,068	$27
   5	Oregon	$56,084	$27
   6	Connecticut	$55,816	$27
   7	Virginia	$55,501	$27
   8	California	$54,191	$26
   9	New Jersey	$52,827	$25
   10	New York	$51,563	$25
   11	Pennsylvania	$51,521	$25
   12	South Carolina	$51,458	$25
   13	Colorado	$50,264	$24
   14	New Mexico	$49,687	$24
   15	Ohio	$48,624	$23
   16	Illinois	$48,621	$23
   17	Maryland	$46,371	$22
   18	Texas	$45,086	$22
   19	Oklahoma	$45,053	$22
   20	Florida	$44,610	$21

   Average associate sales representative salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Verint	$72,527	$34.87
   2	Globus Medical	$65,714	$31.59	1
   3	General Electric	$63,560	$30.56	17
   4	Stryker	$60,913	$29.29	678
   5	Intertek	$60,561	$29.12	11
   6	Integra LifeSciences	$57,507	$27.65	1
   7	Steris	$56,694	$27.26	6
   8	Applied Medical Technology Inc.	$56,607	$27.21	1
   9	Smith & Nephew	$55,995	$26.92	24
   10	Lockheed Martin	$55,367	$26.62	11
   11	Medtronic	$54,951	$26.42	124
   12	Cardiovascular Systems	$54,385	$26.15
   13	Eversource Energy	$54,277	$26.09	2
   14	Peco Foods	$54,183	$26.05	4
   15	American Electric Power	$53,568	$25.75	4
   16	Baxter International	$53,445	$25.69	6
   17	Danaher	$53,049	$25.50	124
   18	Myriad Genetics	$52,052	$25.02	8
   19	Bioventus	$52,039	$25.02
   20	Pearl Insurance	$52,000	$25.00

4. Writing an associate sales representative job description

   An associate sales representative job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. To help get you started, here's an example of an associate sales representative job description:

   Associate sales representative job description example

   Associate Sales Representative is a sales department role intended to build the knowledge and skills required to effectively manage a field territory or other similar opportunities in the future. The Associate Sales Representative manages existing accounts as well as supporting the business's regional sales efforts by facilitating and communicating special pricing support, product information, and implementing strategies to positively impact financial results. The role conducts training and development efforts for our broader customer base and participates in the development of these programs. The Associate Sales Representative will engage with vendors, estimators and service groups within the business to best support Builder success. The Associate Sales Representative fosters a culture of high performance, trust, and business excellence to strengthen the bond between Butler and our customers. This role is expected to lead to future opportunities within the organization and may likely result in relocation.
   Key responsibilities include.
   
   Drive the development of a high-performance customer / Builder organization focused on achieving product, market share and sales goals (margin and revenue dollars) across multiple areas of the business through frequent contact with Builders, market research, networking, etc.
   
   Increase customer / Builder performance by reviewing competencies, determining training needs in areas such as sales, product, software, pricing or procedures and implementing necessary programs. Execute various customer training and information programs intended to develop customer skills, enhancing our Builder network's capability to promote and sell the Butler difference. 20% of job
   
   Support existing customer relationships to foster a strong, mutually beneficial Builder partnership. 40% of job
   
   Engage in customer meetings and project development with select clients to support the broader sales team's efforts in securing key business. 15% of job
   
   Participate in regional review of quote requests to better coordinate projects that need pricing and design recommendations and assistance. 15% of job
   
   Assist customers/Builders as the technical expert for optimization and pricing of buildings. 10% of job

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right associate sales representative for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with associate sales representatives they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit associate sales representatives who meet your education requirements.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your associate sales representative job on Zippia to find and recruit associate sales representative candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites such as salesjobs, salesheads, allretailjobs.com, sales trax.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with associate sales representative candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of interviews.

   Remember to include a few questions that allow candidates to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their unique skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, good candidates can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new associate sales representative

   Once you have selected a candidate for the associate sales representative position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize the agreement with a contract.

   It's also good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   To prepare for the new employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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