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How to hire a product specialist/sales specialist

Product specialist/sales specialist hiring summary. Here are some key points about hiring product specialists/sales specialists in the United States:

  • HR departments typically spend 15% of their expenses on recruitment.
  • It usually takes about 12 weeks for a new employee to reach full productivity levels.
  • It typically takes 36-42 days to fill a job opening.
  • The median cost to hire a product specialist/sales specialist is $1,633.
  • Small businesses spend an average of $1,105 per product specialist/sales specialist on training each year, while large companies spend $658.
  • There are currently 73,847 product specialists/sales specialists in the US and 163,634 job openings.
  • San Francisco, CA, has the highest demand for product specialists/sales specialists, with 14 job openings.
  • New York, NY has the highest concentration of product specialists/sales specialists.

How to hire a product specialist/sales specialist, step by step

To hire a product specialist/sales specialist, you should clearly understand the skills and experience you are looking for in a candidate, and allocate a budget for the position. You will also need to post and promote the job opening to reach potential candidates. Here's a step-by-step guide on how to hire a product specialist/sales specialist:

Here's a step-by-step product specialist/sales specialist hiring guide:

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

What does a product specialist/sales specialist do?

A product specialist/sales specialist is responsible for developing sales strategies, ensuring to reach sales targets and customer satisfaction. They typically offer products and services to walk-in clients or reach out to them through calls or correspondence, discuss product specifications, answer inquiries, conduct demonstrations, process payments, and handle issues and concerns, resolving them promptly and efficiently. Furthermore, a product specialist/ sales specialist must conduct research and analysis to identify new marketing opportunities, develop business plans, and plan sales events in adherence to the company's policies and regulations, including its vision and mission.

Learn more about the specifics of what a product specialist/sales specialist does
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  1. Identify your hiring needs

    Before you post your product specialist/sales specialist 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 a product specialist/sales specialist 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?

    A product specialist/sales specialist's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, product specialists/sales specialists 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.

    Here's a comparison of product specialist/sales specialist salaries for various roles:

    Type of Product Specialist/Sales SpecialistDescriptionHourly rate
    Product Specialist/Sales SpecialistMarket research analysts study market conditions to examine potential sales of a product or service. They help companies understand what products people want, who will buy them, and at what price.$24-56
    Sales CoachThe sales coaches observe and come up with better strategies and plan to solve training needs. A sales coach is an expert in sales and hence helps companies to develop and train sales members in the best trends and possible strategies to ensure success... Show more$17-39
    Sales ConsultantSales consultants are employees who work in the sales department of a company. They are usually more skilled than usual sales employees... Show more$17-46
  2. Create an ideal candidate profile

    Common skills:
    • Customer Satisfaction
    • Product Knowledge
    • Product Sales
    • POS
    • Sales Floor
    • Sales Process
    • CRM
    • Sales Support
    • Business Relationships
    • Trade Shows
    • Excellent Organizational
    • Business Development
    • Product Demonstrations
    • Sales Strategies
    Check all skills
    Responsibilities:
    • Manage telephone relationships with senior management of client companies to troubleshoot and develop product.
    • Establish and maintain relationships with clients acquire via walk in or phone contact, and while using CRM software.
    • Utilize a comprehensive CRM system to drive sales through the creation of campaigns, and events to increase repeat customer rate.
    • Perform inside sales, including telemarketing, prospecting, account penetration and product application, consulting and delivery of customer service.
    • Process paperwork associate with retail automobile sales including credit applications, payoff information, titles and other relate materials.
    • Recognize for recommending and delivering quality service and products, and for developing loyal customers resulting in impressive sales.
    More product specialist/sales specialist duties
  3. Make a budget

    Including a salary range in your product specialist/sales specialist job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A product specialist/sales specialist salary can vary based on several factors:
    • Location. For example, product specialists/sales specialists' average salary in mississippi is 66% less than in washington.
    • Seniority. Entry-level product specialists/sales specialists earn 57% less than senior-level product specialists/sales specialists.
    • Certifications. A product specialist/sales specialist 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 a product specialist/sales specialist's salary.

    Average product specialist/sales specialist salary

    $76,743yearly

    $36.90 hourly rate

    Entry-level product specialist/sales specialist salary
    $50,000 yearly salary
    Updated January 20, 2026

    Average product specialist/sales specialist salary by state

    RankStateAvg. salaryHourly rate
    1California$136,504$66
    2Washington$122,830$59
    3Alaska$105,090$51
    4New York$103,847$50
    5New Jersey$100,852$48
    6District of Columbia$89,381$43
    7Massachusetts$82,513$40
    8Hawaii$81,052$39
    9Rhode Island$80,661$39
    10New Hampshire$77,373$37
    11Virginia$75,940$37
    12Arizona$74,419$36
    13Pennsylvania$71,128$34
    14Illinois$70,948$34
    15Maryland$68,474$33
    16Utah$67,464$32
    17North Carolina$64,261$31
    18Texas$61,891$30
    19Colorado$59,139$28
    20Tennessee$56,780$27

    Average product specialist/sales specialist salary by company

    RankCompanyAverage salaryHourly rateJob openings
    1Bloomberg$126,566$60.8514
    2Citi$112,306$53.9914
    3Dell$108,417$52.1215
    4Infoblox$107,613$51.742
    5Informatica$106,329$51.12
    6Cisco$105,606$50.77217
    7Jm$104,569$50.2764
    8Amazon$103,559$49.79165
    9Carl Zeiss Meditec, Inc.$94,927$45.64
    10Verizon Communications$91,008$43.751
    11Henry Schein$89,500$43.0333
    12JPMorgan Chase & Co.$86,586$41.63405
    13General Electric$85,400$41.06105
    14NetApp$82,704$39.7637
    15Teradyne$81,222$39.0522
    16Briggs & Stratton$79,916$38.42
    17UBS$78,592$37.786
    18Alstom$77,702$37.361
    19Casella Waste Systems$75,950$36.514
    20J.P. Morgan$75,282$36.19
  4. Writing a product specialist/sales specialist job description

    A good product specialist/sales specialist 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 a product specialist/sales specialist job description:

    Product specialist/sales specialist job description example

    Product Sales Specialist – 80/20

    Mission of the Role

    The Mission of this role is to market and sell t-slotted aluminum structural framing to customers in a variety of industries. In doing so, create Auto CAD drawings for mechanical structures to support pneumatic and motion control system designs. This includes modifying current designs and creating new designs, ultimately preparing customer quotes for product.

    Education/Experience

    The ideal candidate will have an Associate’s degree in Mechanical Design/Drafting or equivalent technical work experience. Two years or more of AutoCAD software and mechanical design experience preferred. Experience working with SolidWorks or equivalent software like AutoCAD, ProE, or Unigraphics.

    Product Sales Specialist – 80/20 Designer Accountabilities

    • Build rapport and trust based relationship with customers by asking the right questions and digging to clarify the need. This includes providing high level customer care consistent with Hartfiel’s values and consultative sales style.
    • Provide creative designs and solutions that will integrate with existing customer machinery and improve or enhance customers’ mechanical operations.
    • After understanding a customer’s needs, must be able to clearly describe products and parts, mechanical processes, and technical product features as they relate to the customer’s situation.
    • Utilizes 80/20 product vehicle extensively. Visiting existing and potential customer sites, demonstrating and informing others about product capabilities, benefits, and features. The goal is to be out 70% of the week demonstrating the products with the van.
    • Contribute to design concepts, complete general layouts, and produce drawings using 2D & 3D CAD programs.
    • Be an active part of all 80/20 visits.
    • Maintain projects in an active project folder.
    • Maintain all contacts and leads in TDF. Add them when not present, and include at a minimum name, phone, address and email, factory.
    • Suggest all salespeople include all opportunities in the funnel.
    • Maintain current next action steps and dates in the funnel.
    • Drive sales people through TDF funnel and major project checkmark.
    • Other miscellaneous duties as assigned by supervisor.

    This is a sales oriented position consisting of work at customer locations as much or more that work in Hartfiel’s office. This role will consist of auto travel, sitting or standing at a work station, and utilizing a telephone and personal computer. Incumbent will need a valid driver’s license, proper auto insurance and be able to lift over 10 pounds infrequently to a maximum of 25 pounds.

  5. Post your job

    To find product specialists/sales specialists 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 product specialists/sales specialists they would recommend.
    • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level product specialists/sales specialists 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 product specialist/sales specialist job on Zippia to find and attract quality product specialist/sales specialist candidates.
    • Use niche websites such as swipe files, exit five, marketinghire, american marketing association.
    • Post a job on free websites.
  6. Interview candidates

    Recruiting product specialists/sales specialists 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 product specialist/sales specialist

    Once you've found the product specialist/sales specialist 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 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.

    To prepare for the new product specialist/sales specialist first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

  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 a product specialist/sales specialist?

Hiring a product specialist/sales specialist comes with both the one-time cost per hire and ongoing costs. The cost of recruiting product specialists/sales specialists involves promoting the job and spending time conducting interviews. Ongoing costs include employee salary, training, benefits, insurance, and equipment. It is essential to consider the cost of product specialist/sales specialist recruiting as well the ongoing costs of maintaining the new employee.

You can expect to pay around $76,743 per year for a product specialist/sales specialist, as this is the median yearly salary nationally. This can vary depending on what state or city you're hiring in. If you're hiring for contract work or on a per-project basis, hourly rates for product specialists/sales specialists in the US typically range between $24 and $56 an hour.

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