How to hire an inside sales person

How to hire an inside sales person, step by step

Here's a step-by-step inside sales person hiring guide:

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

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your inside sales person 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 an inside sales person 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

   No

   Hiring the perfect inside sales person 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.

   The following list breaks down different types of inside sales people and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Inside Sales Person	Description	Hourly rate
   Inside Sales Person	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.	$11-45
   Sales Support Representative	A sales support representative is responsible for assisting the complex operations of sales departments, performing administrative duties under the supervision of a direct manager. Sales support representatives' tasks include acknowledging and encoding customers' orders in the system, processing payments, responding to the customers' inquiries and concerns about the products, writing sales reports, and updating the customer of the shipment details... Show more	$14-23
   Sales Coordinator	A sales coordinator is primarily responsible for managing a sales team, ensuring that all workforce members are functioning efficiently and are achieving the sales targets. For this, a sales coordinator must arrange strategic schedules, provide necessary support materials to each member, and devise plans that would help the team gain more sales... Show more	$14-24

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Customer Inquiries
   • Strong Customer Service
   • Product Knowledge
   • Customer Accounts
   • Delivery Dates
   • Inventory Control
   • Order Entry
   • Salesperson
   • Credit Terms
   • HVAC
   • Outbound Calls
   • Sales Orders
   • Inbound Calls
   • Customer Satisfaction

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage inbound domestic and international logistics and domestic shipping with respect to carrier selection, forwarding, brokering and expediting.
   • Process orders and handle customer service for wholesale commercial HVAC company.
   • Manage inbound domestic and international logistics and domestic shipping with respect to carrier selection, forwarding, brokering and expediting.
   • Communicate ongoing contact activity utilizing Salesforce.com.

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your inside sales person job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. An inside sales person can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, inside sales people' average salary in hawaii is 60% less than in new york.
   • Seniority. Entry-level inside sales people 76% less than senior-level inside sales people.
   • Certifications. An inside sales person with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in an inside sales person's salary.

   Average inside sales person salary

   $47,610yearly

   $22.89 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level inside sales person salary

   $23,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 16, 2025

4. Writing an inside sales person job description

   An inside sales person 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. Below, you can find an example of an inside sales person job description:

   Inside sales person job description example

   Do you have passion and energy? Do you have experience working with lumber and building materials (that's a plus)? Do you enjoy working with customers?
   
   Do you want to be part of a company culture of high performing, motivated people working together in a safe and healthy environment where leadership, personal development and teamwork is recognized, valued and rewarded?
   If yes, then we want to hear from you. This is truly an exciting time to be part of a family owned business since 1931 that offers job stability and a complete line of building products and services with competitive pricing, quality products, and reliable service.
   
   If you are interested in being part of our outstanding team, we encourage you to apply. ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS: Prepares the store for daily business (opening and closing). Assists customers (in person or on the phone) with purchases and questions. Maintains records of all sales promotions, informs customers of current promotions and specials. Quotes and produces estimates for customers. Takes special orders and follows-up with customers. Schedules deliveries with customer and shipping department. Handles all job responsibilities to ensure a high level of customer satisfaction. Develops and increases sales revenue to meet assigned targets/goals. Maintains store stock to desired level. Writes transfers to other locations when requested. Assists with inventory. Other duties as requested directed or assigned.
   Requirements: QUALIFICATIONS: Previous lumber or building supplies experience strongly desired. Work experience of at least one year in sales, sales support, or customer service preferred. Excellent communication skills are required. Proficiency using a computer. Experience using various third party building supplier system applications desired. PHYSICAL DEMANDS: The position is located in a store and could involve sitting, standing, walking, reaching and lifting for long periods of time throughout the day. Must be able to lift up to 50 pounds.
   BGS is an Equal Opportunity Employer and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any kind: BGS is committed to the principle of equal employment opportunity for all employees and to providing employees with a work environment free of discrimination and harassment. All employment decisions at BGS are based on business needs, job requirements and individual qualifications, without regard to race, color, religion or belief, family or parental status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran or disability status or any other status protected by the laws or regulations in the locations where we operate. BGS will not tolerate discrimination or harassment based on any of these characteristics. BGS encourages applicants of all ages.
   
   
   
   PI194569153

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find inside sales people for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your inside sales person job on Zippia to find and recruit inside sales person 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

   Recruiting inside sales people requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   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 inside sales person

   Once you've found the inside sales person candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   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 inside sales person. 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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