How to hire an outside sales

How to hire an outside sales, step by step

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

What does an outside sales do?

Post an outside sales job for free, promote it for a fee

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the outside sales you need to hire. Certain outside sales 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

   An outside sales's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, outside sales from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   This list presents outside sales salaries for various positions.

   Type of Outside Sales	Description	Hourly rate
   Outside Sales	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.	$26-50
   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 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
   • Product Knowledge
   • Ongoing Support
   • Work Ethic
   • CRM
   • Flyers
   • Cold Calls
   • HVAC
   • Sales Presentations
   • Business Development
   • Business Sales
   • Local Territory
   • General Contractors
   • Sales Process

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Plan logistical outside sales route, planned/schedule sales calls with web-base CRM program, manage various sales cycles.
   • Manage and create all content distribute via various social media outlets: Facebook, twitter, feedback blogs, etc.
   • Perfect the craft of upselling customers.
   • Prepare material estimates/bids for houses, windows, doors, trusses, etc.
   • Increase existing customer base and generate new dealer and customer relationships within the HVAC equipment and sales.
   • Estimate, price, bid and follow up to all mechanical HVAC and plumbing plan and spec projects.

   More outside sales duties

3. Make a budget

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

   • Location. For example, outside sales' average salary in hawaii is 49% less than in new hampshire.
   • Seniority. Entry-level outside sales earn 46% less than senior-level outside sales.
   • Certifications. An outside sales 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's salary.

   Average outside sales salary

   $77,292yearly

   $37.16 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level outside sales salary

   $56,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 30, 2026

   Average outside sales salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Virginia	$92,574	$45
   2	Massachusetts	$90,822	$44
   3	Pennsylvania	$90,683	$44
   4	North Carolina	$90,019	$43
   5	Washington	$86,481	$42
   6	Minnesota	$84,055	$40
   7	Indiana	$79,518	$38
   8	South Dakota	$77,833	$37
   9	Wisconsin	$77,729	$37
   10	Kansas	$77,323	$37
   11	New York	$76,925	$37
   12	Illinois	$76,566	$37
   13	Iowa	$76,397	$37
   14	Missouri	$75,092	$36
   15	Connecticut	$74,303	$36
   16	Nebraska	$73,857	$36
   17	Texas	$73,409	$35
   18	Colorado	$73,292	$35
   19	California	$72,340	$35
   20	Arizona	$72,217	$35

   Average outside sales salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Morgan Stanley	$100,959	$48.54	5
   2	Controlled Fluids	$94,973	$45.66
   3	Consolidated Supply Co.	$93,967	$45.18	24
   4	Beacon Building Products	$93,399	$44.90	1
   5	Fabick Cat	$91,599	$44.04	8
   6	First Supply	$91,428	$43.96	4
   7	Marjam Supply	$90,350	$43.44
   8	Wyndham Hotels & Resorts	$89,995	$43.27	39
   9	Baird	$89,548	$43.05	1
   10	Current TV	$88,305	$42.45	4
   11	Auto-Chlor Services	$87,505	$42.07
   12	Hi-Line	$87,393	$42.02	1
   13	Transwest	$87,305	$41.97	8
   14	Air Hydro Power	$87,151	$41.90
   15	Service Partners	$86,733	$41.70
   16	Ameris Bank	$86,650	$41.66
   17	Applied Industrial Technologies	$86,270	$41.48	52
   18	American Residential Services	$86,145	$41.42	65
   19	Granite City Electric Supply Co.	$85,867	$41.28	19
   20	Tacoma Screw Products	$85,173	$40.95	2

4. Writing an outside sales job description

   An outside sales 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 outside sales job description:

   Outside sales job description example

   Join our list of Top Sales / Design Consultants who make in excess of $125k of commission income per year.

   Closet Factory, Delaware Valley is currently looking for experienced salespeople with an interest in home organization.

   Looking for a flexible schedule, the ability to work from home and control your income? This opportunity is for you.

   Our national franchise organization has been rated #1 in our industry and has been in business for over 35 years. The brand has experienced substantial, long-term growth. As a result, we are searching for Sales / Design Associates to add to our professional team who are committed to sell and design our products directly to homeowners, builders, interior design firms, architects and engineers.

   Closet Factory (www.closetfactory.com) is the custom storage solution authority serving consumer home organizational needs from coast to coast.

   We design, locally manufacture, sell and install custom closets, home offices, garage cabinetry and flooring, home theaters, pantries, bookshelves, wall beds and more. We want Sales/Design Associates who are dedicated, creative, and committed to excellence and professional success. Our sales territory consists of the 8 southern counties of New Jersey, the 5 eastern counties of Pennsylvania and the northern county of Delaware.

   With our comprehensive and proven training program, those committed to the process will achieve substantial financial success and independence.

   Candidates must have and enjoy the following characteristics:

   * Excellent communication skills and consumer sales experience

   * Detail oriented with some concentration in design & space planning

   * Ability to work both independently and in teams

   * Develop and enjoy long term relationships with clients and the ability to solicit referrals

   * Effective in networking with Trade Associations and Charitable Groups

   * Develop your own portfolio of clients.

   If you embrace the above characteristics and wish to control your own schedule and income, please send your resume today since current positions are limited.

   Job Type: Full-time

   Compensation: $35,000.00 to $150,000.00 /year

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

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

   Recruiting outside sales 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 outside sales

   Once you've found the outside sales 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 equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been 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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How much does it cost to hire an outside sales?