How to hire a direct sales representative

How to hire a direct sales representative, step by step

Here's a step-by-step direct 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 a direct sales representative job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new direct sales representative
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a direct sales representative do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your direct sales representative job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find a direct sales representative for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

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

   Yes

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   Hiring the perfect direct 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 direct sales representative salaries for various positions.

   Type of Direct Sales Representative	Description	Hourly rate
   Direct 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.	$12-33
   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
   Sales Representative Internship	In a sales representative internship, an intern's duties depend on the directives of a supervising staff or manager. Typically, they are responsible for gaining industry insights while performing clerical tasks such as preparing and processing documents, greeting visitors, disseminating and organizing files, and running errands as needed... Show more	$12-20

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Customer Service
   • Direct Sales
   • TV
   • Work Ethic
   • Technical Troubleshooting
   • Door-To-Door Sales
   • Customer Issues
   • Smartphones
   • Sales Quota
   • Trade Shows
   • Sales Process
   • Customer Relationships
   • Mobile Phones
   • Broadband

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage accounts and create invoices via QuickBooks.
   • Achieve and maintain high-volume sales output, for cell phones and broadband products to stay employ with company.
   • Contact medicare eligible recipients to sell medicare advantage plans through in-home meetings, community seminars and direct telesales.
   • Canvass assigned sales territory and solicit orders for new or upgrade cable, broadband and digital phone services.
   • Generate revenue by selling and upselling services while developing client base throughout territory.
   • Prospect and generate sales revenue by adding new program residential customers and cross selling and upselling current residential customers.

   More direct sales representative duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the direct sales representative job description is a good way to get more applicants. A direct 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 a direct sales representative in South Carolina may be lower than in Maine, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level direct sales representative. Additionally, a direct sales representative with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average direct sales representative salary

   $43,527yearly

   $20.93 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level direct sales representative salary

   $27,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 15, 2025

   Average direct sales representative salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Oregon	$61,034	$29
   2	Illinois	$59,532	$29
   3	Indiana	$58,211	$28
   4	New York	$57,220	$28
   5	Texas	$56,382	$27
   6	Massachusetts	$56,339	$27
   7	District of Columbia	$56,072	$27
   8	California	$55,922	$27
   9	Ohio	$53,637	$26
   10	South Dakota	$53,260	$26
   11	Georgia	$53,231	$26
   12	New Jersey	$53,139	$26
   13	North Carolina	$52,330	$25
   14	New Hampshire	$52,264	$25
   15	Nevada	$52,058	$25
   16	Kansas	$51,797	$25
   17	Colorado	$50,705	$24
   18	Florida	$50,468	$24
   19	Missouri	$49,686	$24
   20	Pennsylvania	$49,302	$24

   Average direct sales representative salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Google	$96,265	$46.28	50
   2	Altice USA	$78,455	$37.72	37
   3	BNP Paribas	$71,378	$34.32
   4	RemX	$59,003	$28.37
   5	Alere	$56,475	$27.15
   6	Vivint Smart Home	$55,705	$26.78	13
   7	BCforward	$55,353	$26.61	3
   8	Systems	$53,597	$25.77
   9	Centurum	$50,295	$24.18	13
   10	Dynamic Systems	$48,997	$23.56
   11	Time Warner Cable Enterprises LLC	$48,228	$23.19	1
   12	Abbott	$47,895	$23.03	60
   13	Mediacom Communications	$47,828	$22.99	4
   14	Americare Senior Living	$45,581	$21.91
   15	Spectrum	$44,444	$21.37	3
   16	UMS Banking	$43,692	$21.01	11
   17	Clearwave	$43,675	$21.00	13
   18	Solvay America Inc	$43,350	$20.84
   19	Sail Internet	$43,227	$20.78
   20	Grande Communications ClearSource, Inc.	$43,208	$20.77

4. Writing a direct sales representative job description

   A direct 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 a direct sales representative job description:

   Direct sales representative job description example

   Mantrell Lewis Independent Seacret Direct Agent is looking for Leads to join our team. The Seacret Agent is responsible for prospecting sales and qualifying leads for new and existing accounts.
   
   This person will act as a liaison between our marketing and sales teams. He/she will be naturally curious, results-driven, and eager to bring our product/services to new markets.
   Responsibilities: Contact and qualify leads - Connect with as many leads as possible to encourage the purchase of the product offered. Be the point person for your team's sales lead qualification process. Manage current accounts – Stay in close contact with existing Agents or leads and create brand awareness, educational opportunities, and request referrals. Coordinate in-person meetings and calls between the new clients and new Agents. Customer support – Answer calls and emails from clients, identify the issue and make suggestions for future or new products or services. Requirements: Understanding Multi level marketing Become an Agent & Stay Active To be considered Active, an Agent must either maintain 100 Total Personal Qualifying Volume (TPQV) every 4 weeks or have an active Club Seacret Membership To access some commissions an Agent must maintain Qualified Status. About Mantrell Lewis Independent Seacret Direct Team: Seacret Direct is a Multi level marketing organization dedicated to you living your best life. Our team enjoy a culture that promotes Health and Travel. Seacret Direct benefits include All the benefits of a Customer PLUS the ability to earn commissions in the Seacret Compensation Plan and with other business promotions.
   FLEXIBLE SCHEDULING
   Seacret Agents can work where they want, when they want and as little or as much as they want.
   BUSINESS TOOLS
   Seacret provides tools, including a Virtual Back Office, to leverage business activities. When you become a Seacret Agent you get:
   • Seacret products at special Agent pricing
   • Online Welcome Kit with links to all your Business Tools and resources • your own Seacret Website
   • Back Office with digital Tools
   • Access to Seacret direct App (fees may apply)
   • Access to Exclusive Sales, Offers and Incentives
   • Opportunities to qualify for reward Trips around the world
   • Ongoing Training and recognition Club Seacret membership benefits include:
   • Tailored Adventures
   • Travel Booking Portal
   • Exclusive Offers and Member Only Programs such as a Club Seacret member, access to quality healthcare is now available through Seacret Be Well, our dedicated virtual healthcare program. Be Well is available 24/7, 365 and accessible through both the website and app allowing members coverage on their terms.
   • VIP Treatment for Services • Access to Signature Seacret • And so much more Powered by JazzHR 6rLNuPHm8C

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right direct sales representative for your business:

   • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your direct sales representative job on Zippia to find and attract quality direct sales representative candidates.
   • Use niche websites such as salesjobs, salesheads, allretailjobs.com, sales trax.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   During your first interview to recruit direct sales representatives, engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. During the following interview, you'll be able to go into more detail about the company, the position, and the responsibilities.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   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 direct sales representative

   Once you've decided on a perfect direct sales representative candidate, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, it should include benefits and perks available to the employee. Qualified candidates may be considered for other positions, so make sure your offer is competitive. Candidates may wish to negotiate. Once you've settled on the details, formalize your agreement with a contract.

   It's also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new direct sales representative. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are 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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How much does it cost to hire a direct sales representative?