How to hire an outside sales manager

How to hire an outside sales manager, step by step

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

What does an outside sales manager do?

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

Post free

1. Identify your hiring needs

   The outside sales manager hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

   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 manager 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 manager that fits the bill.

   This list presents outside sales manager salaries for various positions.

   Type of Outside Sales Manager	Description	Hourly rate
   Outside Sales Manager	Sales managers direct organizations' sales teams. They set sales goals, analyze data, and develop training programs for organizations’ sales representatives.	$24-66
   Product Manager/Sales	A sales product manager is responsible for monitoring the sales performance of a specific product and ensuring that the marketing strategies adhere to market standards and client requirements. Sales product managers work closely with the marketing and public relations team to enhance the product's brand image on various market platforms to reach the target audience... Show more	$36-75
   Sales Development Manager	Sales Development Managers oversee a specific function in the sales department. They are in charge of creating sales pitches, communication tools, and strategies to boost the company's sales performance... Show more	$31-75

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Product Knowledge
   • CRM
   • Customer Service
   • Sales Territory
   • Sales Strategies
   • Sales Growth
   • Trade Shows
   • Sales Process
   • Business Development
   • Increase Sales
   • General Contractors
   • Cold Calls
   • Product Line
   • Sales Training

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage a team of sales executives to establish and maintain professional relationships with healthcare professionals in their prospective territories.
   • Develop a complete marketing program where none previously exist, now serves as CRM base for company.
   • Used CRM tools in order to provide current and detail information relate to activities, opportunity pipeline, and close business.
   • Channele marketing through the establishment of international distributors servicing Mexico (Hermosillo, Mexicali, and Tijuana) and Korea.
   • Plan and schedule work perform by HVAC technicians.
   • Educate and present new approach to facility managers and plant managers including ROI analysis.

   More outside sales manager duties

3. Make a budget

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

   • Location. For example, outside sales managers' average salary in missouri is 42% less than in hawaii.
   • Seniority. Entry-level outside sales managers 63% less than senior-level outside sales managers.
   • Certifications. An outside sales manager 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 outside sales manager's salary.

   Average outside sales manager salary

   $84,408yearly

   $40.58 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level outside sales manager salary

   $51,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 5, 2025

   Average outside sales manager salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	New York	$102,687	$49
   2	California	$100,034	$48
   3	Washington	$98,709	$47
   4	Delaware	$95,000	$46
   5	Oregon	$93,589	$45
   6	Louisiana	$89,889	$43
   7	Michigan	$89,098	$43
   8	Massachusetts	$88,489	$43
   9	Ohio	$87,636	$42
   10	Nevada	$85,122	$41
   11	Indiana	$84,883	$41
   12	Utah	$80,226	$39
   13	Maine	$78,245	$38
   14	New Jersey	$77,004	$37
   15	Georgia	$76,171	$37
   16	Illinois	$73,598	$35
   17	Texas	$73,583	$35
   18	Wisconsin	$73,108	$35
   19	Arizona	$72,301	$35
   20	Colorado	$70,556	$34

   Average outside sales manager salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Dominion Enterprises	$89,764	$43.16	18
   2	Finance of America	$88,993	$42.79
   3	Everstream	$82,742	$39.78	1
   4	Heartland Payment Systems	$82,424	$39.63
   5	Beta	$81,413	$39.14	3
   6	Windings	$80,795	$38.84
   7	Ems-Chemie	$77,583	$37.30
   8	Wyndham Hotels & Resorts	$76,510	$36.78	28
   9	Waste Management	$74,919	$36.02	6
   10	American Welding & Gas	$74,833	$35.98	5
   11	DSV Panalpina	$70,971	$34.12	15
   12	Privia Health	$69,653	$33.49	2
   13	Momentum Solar	$69,400	$33.37	5
   14	Almo	$69,388	$33.36	3
   15	Aerotek	$67,844	$32.62	5
   16	New South Construction Supply	$67,645	$32.52
   17	Mixbook	$67,474	$32.44
   18	Safway Group Holding LLC	$67,148	$32.28	25
   19	Master Halco	$66,044	$31.75	3
   20	Phoenix American Financial Services	$64,817	$31.16	102

4. Writing an outside sales manager job description

   A good outside sales manager job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of an outside sales manager job description:

   Outside sales manager job description example

   We heard you knock!
   
   New Business Development
   Identify and actively prospect for potential new clients: sign them up, train and teach them to use our new on-line technology platform, retain them and encourage them to become an extension of our sales force. When done well our direct customers will become our best ambassadors.Work with our customers to make them more successful; build lasting relationships.Coordinate with inside business development specialists to maximize client touches (face to face interactions, appointments, sign ups, training sessions and retention).Learn and become an expert with our full product offering and technology platforms that drive profitable solutions for our clients and Masonite.
   
   Client Experience
   Construct, document, and craft material customer journey improvements.Present new products and services and enhance existing relationships.Work with internal colleagues to define and meet customer needs.Arrange and participate in internal and external client interactions.Educate direct and indirect customers by regular training sessions to introduce new products and programs.Develop master process to link consumers with qualified and preferred contractors to provide total opening solutions.Teach contractors how to perfect the in-home experience for consumers with our product by embracing technology and understanding range of solutions.
   
   Channel Marketing
   Architect and implement reoccurring channel relationship touch-points through both structured professional relationships and informal educational venues.Attend industry functions, such as association events and conferences, and provide feedback and information on market and creative trends.Identify opportunities for campaigns, services, and distribution channels that will lead to an increase in sales.
   
   Qualifications
   5+ years of professional work experience, including experience in a B2B disruptive company, startup experience preferred.Keen ability to extract customer insights and inherent understanding of target audiences, channel marketing and brand.Proven self-starter who thrives in a fast paced, unstructured environment with tremendous opportunity ahead.Tech interest and savvy and business acumen are important attributes - need to learn and then teach clients to utilize on-line trading platform.Intuitive organizational skills required to effectively manage through and above the sea of sameness.Ability to drive to results through excellent communication skills, streamlined decision making, and out of the box, solution oriented thinking.Experience with millwork and/or building products preferred but not required.Experience with CRM's and automated marketing tools, i.e. Salesforce.com, Marketo, etc. helpful.BS required; MBA preferred.
   #LI-BB1
   
   Open to extraordinary!

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find outside sales managers 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 managers they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level outside sales managers 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 outside sales manager job on Zippia to find and recruit outside sales manager candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   During your first interview to recruit outside sales managers, 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.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   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 manager

   Once you have selected a candidate for the outside sales manager 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 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.)

   Sign up to download full list

   Sign up

How much does it cost to hire an outside sales manager?