How to hire an executive sales representative

How to hire an executive sales representative, step by step

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

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring an executive 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 executive 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 shows salaries for various types of executive sales representatives.

   Type of Executive Sales Representative	Description	Hourly rate
   Executive 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.	$23-61
   Professional Healthcare Representative	Professional Healthcare representatives are sales employees who manage the company's healthcare products and healthcare client accounts. They are in charge of achieving the sales targets of the company... Show more	$10-28
   Territory Representative	A territory representative is responsible for selling the company's goods and services within a designated area, negotiating offers with potential clients, and identifying business opportunities according to market trends and customer demands. Territory representatives analyze the sales performance and strategize techniques to reach sales targets by coordinating with the whole sales team... Show more	$14-24

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Patients
   • Product Knowledge
   • Oncology
   • Account Management
   • Territory Management
   • Customer Satisfaction
   • Sales Growth
   • Neurology
   • Sales Strategies
   • Call Planning
   • Sales Results
   • Healthcare Professionals
   • Market Share Growth
   • Disease State

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Position products above the competition, utilizing data, manage care information and patient benefit to promote the Novartis brands.
   • Achieve sales growth objectives by incorporating product/technical knowledge, teamwork, customer and multi-product focus, innovation and creativity.
   • Call on customers in oncology, pulmonology urology, cardiology, neurology, OB/GYN, psychiatry, gastroenterology and primary care.
   • Promote diabetes medications to family practice, general practice, internal medicine physicians and diabetic educators.
   • Track and create territory reports and spreadsheets with action items and a pod business plan.
   • Target specialty sales to neurology, psychiatry, pain management and high target primary care physicians.

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your executive sales representative job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. An executive sales representative salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, executive sales representatives' average salary in montana is 60% less than in new jersey.
   • Seniority. Entry-level executive sales representatives earn 63% less than senior-level executive sales representatives.
   • Certifications. An executive sales representative with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in an executive sales representative's salary.

   Average executive sales representative salary

   $78,858yearly

   $37.91 hourly rate

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   Entry-level executive sales representative salary

   $48,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 3, 2026

4. Writing an executive sales representative job description

   An executive 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 executive sales representative job description:

   Executive sales representative job description example

   Title: Professional / Executive Sales Representative, Anesthesia
   
   Reports To: Regional Sales Director, Anesthesia
   
   Job Classification: Exempt
   
   About the Role:Are you looking to make a difference in your career and become part of an innovative, global medical device company? Ambu is the industry leader in single-use endoscopy, and we develop, produce, and sell medical devices that enable physicians and medical professionals to save lives on a daily basis. We are led by our values of Results with Speed, Integrity, and Collaboration. If you are excited by the idea of contributing in a fast-paced, fast-growing, international organization where your work can make a real difference, we want you to join our team.
   
   We are currently seeking a Sales Representative who will be responsible for selling Ambu Anesthesia products in the assigned regional territory. You will be responsible for driving revenue and market share growth through converting new and/or competitive accounts while expanding utilization in current accounts. This position is ideal for a resilient and persistent individual with a proven entrepreneurial skillset to drive growth.
   
   Essential Functions and Responsibilities:
   
   * Call on accounts in assigned territory to sell Ambu Anesthesia and one lung ventilation products
   * Manage a sales pipeline to maximize revenue and achieve revenue targets. Utilize and import data into CRM (Salesforce) daily
   * Demonstrate expertise in the Ambu sales process to move opportunities to close
   * Review assigned technical publications, articles, and abstracts to stay abreast of developments in industry
   * Demonstrate proficiency in Health Economic Impact Reports. Utilize cost calculators to drive product conversions
   * Collaborate with counterparts from all Ambu business units
   * Travel daily in your territory to client locations; maximize potential of full territory while operating efficiently
   * Overnight travel, as needed
   * Additional responsibilities, as assigned
   
   Qualifications, Skills, and Experience:
   
   * Bachelor's Degree in a related field preferred, or equivalent work experience
   * Experience with selling in a complex sales environment (i.e., B2B), preferred
   * Excellent verbal and written communication skills
   * Self-starter, persistent, resilient, and highly self-motivated to pursue new business
   * Must role model the Ambu values (Results with Speed, Collaboration, and Integrity) at all times
   * Must reside within assigned territory
   * Valid driver's license, in good standing
   * Must be able to meet vendor credentialing requirements for all healthcare systems
   
   Employment at Ambu is contingent upon being fully vaccinated for COVID-19. Documentation will be required. Requests for a religious or medical exemption from mandatory vaccination may be granted, if applicable, and subject to reasonable accommodation(s).
   
   AAP/EEO Statement
   
   Ambu provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.

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5. Post your job

   To find the right executive 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 executive sales representatives they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit executive 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 executive sales representative job on Zippia to find and recruit executive 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

   During your first interview to recruit executive 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.

   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 executive sales representative

   Once you've selected the best executive sales representative candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the 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 executive 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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