How to hire an outside sales consultant

How to hire an outside sales consultant, step by step

Here's a step-by-step outside sales consultant hiring guide:

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

What does an outside sales consultant do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the outside sales consultant you need to hire. Certain outside sales consultant roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

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

   Yes

   No

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them an outside sales consultant to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire an outside sales consultant that fits the bill.

   The following list breaks down different types of outside sales consultants and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Outside Sales Consultant	Description	Hourly rate
   Outside Sales Consultant	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.	$23-57
   Consultant And Sales Representative	A consultant and sales representative's role is to perform research and analysis to devise strategies for reaching sales targets and optimal services. Aside from providing consultations and business plans, they may also represent the company by reaching out to clients through calls and correspondence... Show more	$68-171
   Sales Professional	A sales professional is an employee who is responsible for the management and assessment of the effectiveness of a company's sales representatives and sales team. By setting sales goals, sales professionals work with other departments to learn more about the company's products and services while developing strategies for acquiring new clients... Show more	$20-52

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Customer Service
   • In-Home
   • CRM
   • Sales Presentations
   • Lead Generation
   • Excellent Presentation
   • Strong Customer Service
   • Email Marketing
   • Sales Contracts
   • Upselling
   • Search Engine
   • Commercial Cleaning
   • Sales Consultants
   • Customer Relationships

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Utilize CRM data to deliver critical insights into product trends and manage leads for new product offerings.
   • Manage individual sales activities by developing highly effective, communications focuse relationship with multiple sales channels.
   • Perform data entry or require customer information into company CRM system in order to create and maintain an ongoing sales base.
   • Develop special reports, publications, spreadsheets and PowerPoint presentations.
   • Cultivate strategic relationships and maximize sales volume by identifying fast ROI projects, seizing market opportunities and aggressively pursuing new business.
   • Create a zip code analysis tool to identify Medicaid recipients' target areas for strategic marketing penetration.

   More outside sales consultant duties

3. Make a budget

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

   • Location. For example, outside sales consultants' average salary in hawaii is 62% less than in delaware.
   • Seniority. Entry-level outside sales consultants earn 60% less than senior-level outside sales consultants.
   • Certifications. An outside sales consultant 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 outside sales consultant's salary.

   Average outside sales consultant salary

   $76,601yearly

   $36.83 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level outside sales consultant salary

   $48,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 20, 2026

   Average outside sales consultant salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$79,881	$38
   2	Massachusetts	$79,752	$38
   3	Virginia	$76,887	$37
   4	Nevada	$75,760	$36
   5	Maryland	$71,695	$34
   6	Texas	$70,282	$34
   7	Utah	$70,018	$34
   8	Georgia	$69,320	$33
   9	Florida	$67,606	$33
   10	New York	$67,020	$32
   11	Tennessee	$66,299	$32
   12	Arizona	$65,586	$32
   13	Kansas	$64,237	$31
   14	Washington	$63,885	$31
   15	Colorado	$63,272	$30
   16	North Carolina	$63,019	$30
   17	Minnesota	$62,895	$30
   18	Indiana	$61,308	$29
   19	Pennsylvania	$61,102	$29
   20	South Carolina	$57,523	$28

   Average outside sales consultant salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Current TV	$141,255	$67.91	3
   2	Fiserv	$89,335	$42.95	39
   3	Insperity	$81,293	$39.08	33
   4	American Residential Services	$81,130	$39.00	63
   5	HomePro	$79,246	$38.10	1
   6	Sysco	$78,359	$37.67	538
   7	Alsco, Inc.	$75,115	$36.11	33
   8	Heartland Payment Systems	$74,821	$35.97	1
   9	Momentum Solar	$74,052	$35.60	126
   10	Coverall	$73,766	$35.46	41
   11	AAA Northern California, Nevada & Utah	$73,699	$35.43	18
   12	System Pavers	$72,493	$34.85	11
   13	Resource Label Group	$70,987	$34.13
   14	Hattori Hanzo Shears	$70,044	$33.67	228
   15	Ace Mart Restaurant Supply	$69,895	$33.60	2
   16	Western Paper Distributors, Inc.	$69,808	$33.56
   17	Klingspor Abrasives	$68,777	$33.07
   18	Service Experts Heating & Air Conditioning	$68,099	$32.74	29
   19	NorthStar Memorial Group	$67,576	$32.49	15
   20	NCW	$64,529	$31.02	2

4. Writing an outside sales consultant job description

   A job description for an outside sales consultant role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's an outside sales consultant job description:

   Outside sales consultant job description example

   Service Corporation International/Dignity Memorial is the largest American provider of funeral, cemetery, & cremation services. We are a Certified Best Place to Work! 90% of the employees surveyed said "My work has special meaning: This is not just a job."

   This is not just a job. It is a meaningful career in sales that make a difference in the lives of people we serve while providing you an opportunity you will love.

   This opportunity represents unlimited potential for income, leads, and career advancement! We are looking for Bilingual (Vietnamese or Spanish - preferred NOT required) Inside Sales Professionals to join our team ! We provide excellent structured training in the classroom, in the field, and on-line through our award winning Dignity University . Your responsibilities will include making sales presentations, networking, getting referrals, and presenting group informational seminars.

   We Offer:

   • Unlimited Income Potential via a commissioned incentive package
   • Stability – SCI* (www.sci-corp.com) is the nation’s LARGEST provider of funeral, cremation and cemetery services
   • Full benefits available (Including Medical, Dental and Vision Insurance, Tuition Assistance Program, PLUS a 401K with a GENEROUS company match)
   • Best in class ~ Professional Training
   • State of the Art Electronic Contract Hardware & Software
   • Best in Class ~ Technology and Sales Operating Systems
   • Career Advancement Opportunities

   Company DescriptionWho we are. What we do.
   
   We’re more than North America’s largest provider of funeral, cremation and cemetery services. We are mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, sons and daughters who are devoted to the communities where we live and work. We are more than 20,000 dedicated individuals who provide caring assistance to families in need, honor veterans and public servants and deliver lifesaving programs to help keep children and seniors safe.
   
   We operate under the umbrella of the Dignity Memorial network of 1,800 funeral homes and cemeteries. Dignity Memorial providers care for more than 300,000 families each year and understand the importance of thoughtful, personalized arrangements. We believe creating meaningful ways to pay tribute to a loved one begins with compassion and is shaped by the understanding that each life is truly unique. For us, there is no greater responsibility than honoring and preserving the story of one’s life.
   
   SCI offers advanced on-line training resources, career advancement opportunities in the largest organization in the industry, attractive benefits, and a wonderful community to serve with plenty of culture and personality. For additional information regarding our company, please visit our corporate site at www.sci-corp.com.
   
   As used herein, “SCI” refers to Service Corporation International and its affiliated companies.
   
   Equal Opportunity Employer, M/F/D/V

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5. Post your job

   To find outside sales consultants 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 outside sales consultants they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level outside sales consultants 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.

   To find outside sales consultant candidates, you can consider the following options:

   • Post your job opening on Zippia or other job search websites.
   • Use niche websites that focus on engineering and technology jobs, such as salesjobs, salesheads, allretailjobs.com, sales trax.
   • Post your job on free job posting websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with outside sales consultant 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 outside sales consultant

   Once you have selected a candidate for the outside sales consultant 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.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new outside sales consultant. 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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