How to hire an internal sales representative

How to hire an internal sales representative, step by step

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

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your internal 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 an internal 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

   No

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

   Type of Internal Sales Representative	Description	Hourly rate
   Internal 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.	$13-32
   Sales Internship	Sales internship is a program that requires work in the business and sales development. Sales interns work as assistants to managers and senior staff... Show more	$12-21
   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:

   • Phone Calls
   • Internal Sales
   • Product Knowledge
   • CRM
   • Sales Process
   • Insurance Products
   • Inbound Calls
   • Sales Support
   • Outbound Sales
   • Sales Territory
   • Outbound Calls
   • Investment Strategies
   • Customer Orders
   • Client Relationships

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Accomplish tasks in a timely manner.Skills UsedComputer, math, reading wiring schematics.
   • Provide merchandising assistance to customers by building displays, negotiating placement, replenishing permanent secondary displays and using POS materials effectively.
   • Learned how to ask proper questions and communicate MetLife's product differentiators against competition

3. Make a budget

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

   • Location. For example, internal sales representatives' average salary in hawaii is 56% less than in alaska.
   • Seniority. Entry-level internal sales representatives earn 57% less than senior-level internal sales representatives.
   • Certifications. An internal 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 internal sales representative's salary.

   Average internal sales representative salary

   $44,872yearly

   $21.57 hourly rate

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   Entry-level internal sales representative salary

   $29,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 20, 2025

4. Writing an internal sales representative job description

   An internal 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 internal sales representative job description:

   Internal sales representative job description example

   Inside Sales Representative || Level -1 || 8AM-5PM, Monday - Friday

   Inside Sales Rep will convert pre-qualified sales leads and generates new business with pre-existing customers collaborating with outside sales team. This position will use up-selling tactics to secure the best possible deal and follow up with clients to ensure an excellent customer service experience. Up-sell of new products through email communication and phone. Advanced sales, customer service and technical background. Responsible for region per as assigned by ISM.

   IDEAL CANDIDATE MUST:

   HAVE SALES EXPERIENCE

   BE CUSTOMER SERVICE ORIENTED

   BE TECH SAVY

   ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS

   • Process emails that come into company website respond or distribute to appropriate dept. Use Fresh Desk ticketing system to log in calls
   • Maintain sales data base CRM acquired from call list provided by field sales team or marketing
   • Add or update CRM with HDP request provided by outside sales
   • Determine customer requirements and expectations in order to recommend specific products and solutions during inbound/outbound calls.
   • Proactively recommend items needed by customers to increase customer satisfaction and improve transaction profitability using the monthly Marketing Promotions.
   • Increase sales by means of cross-selling and up-selling products.
   • Educate customers about terminology, features and benefits of products in order to improve product related sales and customer satisfaction
   • Contact customers to build relationships, discuss projects and new products with support and direction from outside sales team.
   • Remain current on consumer preferences, changes in local codes and product developments by attending sales meetings, vendor training and trade shows.
   • Identify trends in customer satisfaction or dissatisfaction using a metric evaluation form once a year.
   • Develop and maintain sales data base acquired from prospecting through outbound calls and trade show leads
   • Assist outside sales in generating quotations for future project bids- minimum 12 per week
   • Conducts outbound calls to re-establish relationships with specific accounts and generate new leads. 70-80 Calls per week, 8-10 calls a day total of 12-13 hours a week.
   • Assists outside sales with flyers for counter days or shows through Marketing formats
   • Communicates HDP Benefits Program and assists with the agreement process
   • Promotes key products, services and trends for assigned region providing referrals- 8 per week
   • Cooperating with Sales Director and Inside Sales Mgr to determine essential strategic approaches for sales.
   • Qualify prospective leads expressing interest via email, inbound calls, social media and other marketing events
   • Log sales activities in CRM
   • Review sales reports in Sales Dashboard to effectively make outbound calls
   • Occasional travel to assist with Counter Day and Shows
   • Other Duties as required to support IS team

   ESSENTIAL CORE COMPETENCIES

   • Able to maintain metrics 3 months consecutively
   • 3-6 months in role with skill set score of 86% and above including technical knowledge, Sales, Customer Service Skills
   • Able to effectively communicate and collaborate with internal and external teams
   • Able to multitask and problem solve at an intermediate level
   • Business acumen, knowledge and professionalism
   • Intermediate technical knowledge
   • Excellent verbal and written communication skills required. Must be able to speak, read and write the English language.
   • Proficient with Outlook, Word, Excel and PPT
   • Able to work effectively with minimal supervision and able to take direction
   • Able to sit 8 hrs a day and occasional lifting 5-10lbs

   TRAINING REQUIRED

   • Able to train on company systems (CRM, Five9, Fresh Desk, Outlook Emails, OA, Sales Dashboard)
   • Product Training via LMS videos monthly
   • Quarterly Product Training with Sales Engineer or Tech Support Leads
   • Training in the field at Counter Days
   • Dept and Company Policies

   EDUCATION

   • Desired Associate in Business or Technical Degree
   • Minimum 2+ years’ experience in sales or customer service with technical background skills at intermediate level

   Company DescriptionStaffing Company - Direct Hire, Temp-to-Hire, Temporary work.

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5. Post your job

   To find internal sales representatives for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any internal sales representatives they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level internal sales representatives with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

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

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting internal sales representatives 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.

   You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete 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 internal sales representative

   Once you've found the internal sales representative 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.

   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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