How to hire a sales agent

How to hire a sales agent, step by step

Here's a step-by-step sales agent hiring guide:

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

What does a sales agent do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a sales agent, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

   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 a sales agent 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 a sales agent that fits the bill.

   Here's a comparison of sales agent salaries for various roles:

   Type of Sales Agent	Description	Hourly rate
   Sales Agent	Securities, commodities, and financial services sales agents connect buyers and sellers in financial markets. They sell securities to individuals, advise companies in search of investors, and conduct trades.	$10-45
   Adviser Sales	Adviser sales are responsible for reaching out to clients through calls and correspondence to promote and sell products or services. With a sales target to reach, they must secure sales by prioritizing customer satisfaction... Show more	$14-45
   Insurance Sales Representative	An insurance sales representative is primarily responsible for securing insurance sales by reaching out to clients through calls, correspondence, and even appointments. They are also responsible for gathering client information, discussing and recommending suitable terms, and even providing advice to meet their needs, all while building rapport to ensure customer satisfaction... Show more	$18-46

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Customer Service
   • Customer Satisfaction
   • Life Insurance
   • Insurance Products
   • Work Ethic
   • Cold Calls
   • Business Relationships
   • Develop Leads
   • Outbound Calls
   • Inbound Calls
   • Customer Issues
   • Health Insurance
   • Product Knowledge
   • Real Estate

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage a CRM pipeline of hundreds of leads with different needs and qualifications.
   • Generate fresh leads through outbound telemarketing.
   • Achieve sales standards set for department by effectively communicating Humana campaigns to customers.
   • Increase customer understanding of Comcast products and pricing models as well as competitive advantage over other service providers.
   • Schedule and meet individuals\groups for assign or self-generate leads, assist and enroll eligible individuals in suitable Medicare product.
   • Adhere to all CMS, company, and carrier relate policies and procedures while growing sales.

   More sales agent duties

3. Make a budget

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

   • Location. For example, sales agents' average salary in idaho is 64% less than in new york.
   • Seniority. Entry-level sales agents earn 78% less than senior-level sales agents.
   • Certifications. A sales agent 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 sales agent's salary.

   Average sales agent salary

   $45,217yearly

   $21.74 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level sales agent salary

   $21,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 25, 2025

   Average sales agent salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	New York	$90,873	$44
   2	Kansas	$70,655	$34
   3	Missouri	$58,002	$28
   4	Massachusetts	$56,969	$27
   5	Maine	$51,333	$25
   6	Texas	$51,290	$25
   7	California	$50,103	$24
   8	North Carolina	$48,741	$23
   9	Pennsylvania	$48,600	$23
   10	Maryland	$48,014	$23
   11	Washington	$47,928	$23
   12	Arkansas	$47,733	$23
   13	Indiana	$47,536	$23
   14	Virginia	$47,421	$23
   15	Illinois	$46,573	$22
   16	Ohio	$45,798	$22
   17	Colorado	$43,345	$21
   18	Tennessee	$41,997	$20
   19	Oregon	$41,990	$20
   20	Arizona	$41,985	$20

   Average sales agent salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Goldman Sachs	$113,761	$54.69	2
   2	Tru Realty	$106,736	$51.32
   3	XP Securities	$103,604	$49.81
   4	Credit Suisse	$99,559	$47.86
   5	Marcus & Millichap	$95,122	$45.73	134
   6	CNO Financial Group	$90,448	$43.48
   7	Keller Williams Realty Diamond Partners	$86,890	$41.77
   8	Devoted Health	$83,726	$40.25
   9	NetWorth USA	$79,381	$38.16	87
   10	Kentucky Bankers Association	$78,061	$37.53
   11	Family First Life	$77,316	$37.17
   12	SG Americas Securities Holdings, LLC	$76,236	$36.65
   13	Aetna	$75,757	$36.42
   14	Homesite Services Inc.	$74,758	$35.94
   15	Allianz of America, Inc.	$74,062	$35.61
   16	Symmetry Financial Group	$74,018	$35.59	12
   17	Keller Williams Realty	$73,565	$35.37	84
   18	Realty ONE Group	$73,562	$35.37	16
   19	Swift Denim Services Inc	$72,725	$34.96
   20	The Loken Group	$72,705	$34.95

4. Writing a sales agent job description

   A sales agent 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 a sales agent job description:

   Sales agent job description example

   • $2000 Sign on Bonus
   • $100k earning potential & paid training

   Sales Agents professionally represent and sell AAA Northern New England's

   memberships and insurance products in our local branch offices.

   Our door is open to talented sales professionals with the ambition, initiative, self-determination, strong work ethic, career dedication, and winning attitude.

   Your success will require you to :

   
   · Source, develop leads, prospect and continually network
   · Possess a competitive sales drive to meet and exceed monthly goals
   · Be an effective communicator both written and verbal
   · Provide excellent customer service and maintain retention
   · Be self-motivated and fully committed to building a profitable business

   Qualifications:
   · Sales experience highly preferred
   · Have computer experience and good organization skills
   · High school diploma required, college degree preferred
   · Successful completion of background check and drug screen

   Remarkable benefits:
   • Health coverage for medical, dental, vision
   • 401(K) saving plan with company match AND Pension
   • Tuition assistance
   • PTO for community volunteer programs
   • Wellness program
   • Employee discounts

   AAA Northern New England is part of the largest federation of AAA clubs in the nation. We have 14,000 employees in 21 states helping 17 million members. The strength of our organization is our employees. Bringing together and supporting different cultures, backgrounds, personalities, and strengths creates a team capable of delivering legendary, lifetime service to our members. When we embrace our diversity - we win. All of Us! With our national brand recognition, long-standing reputation since 1902, and constantly growing membership, we are seeking career-minded, service-driven professionals to join our team.

   “Through dedicated employees we proudly deliver legendary service and beneficial products that provide members peace of mind and value.”

   AAA is an Equal Opportunity Employer

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right sales agent for your business:

   • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

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

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit sales agents, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   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 sales agent

   Once you've decided on a perfect sales agent candidate, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, it should include benefits and perks available to the employee. Qualified candidates may be considered for other positions, so make sure your offer is competitive. Candidates may wish to negotiate. Once you've settled on the details, formalize your 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.

   To prepare for the new sales agent 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 sales agent?