How to hire a sales contractor

How to hire a sales contractor, step by step

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

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your sales contractor 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 sales contractor 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?

   Yes

   No

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

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

   Type of Sales Contractor	Description	Hourly rate
   Sales Contractor	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.	$29-42
   Sales/Marketing	Among the responsibilities of working in sales and marketing is to reach out to clients to achieve sales targets and secure customer satisfaction. It is also essential to come up and develop strategies to obtain sales and find new opportunities that will strengthen the client base and improve the company's brand and image... Show more	$11-33
   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

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Product Knowledge
   • Customer Service
   • Sales Support
   • Sales Contracts
   • Door Sales
   • Customer Satisfaction
   • Cold Calls
   • Repeat Business
   • Primary Care
   • Building Relationships
   • Sales Presentations
   • Customer Relations
   • Trade Shows
   • Real Estate

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Utilize CRM systems to effectively manage accounts; leverage competitor and market intelligence to drive offer posture and capture competitor accounts.
   • Perform inside sales, including telemarketing, prospecting, account penetration and product application, consulting and delivery of customer service.
   • Assist MRO organizations in composite shop design and organization.

   More sales contractor duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the sales contractor job description is a good way to get more applicants. A sales contractor salary can be affected by several factors, such as the location of the job, the level of experience, education, certifications, and the employer's prestige.

   For example, the average salary for a sales contractor in Illinois may be lower than in New Jersey, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level sales contractor. Additionally, a sales contractor with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average sales contractor salary

   $74,050yearly

   $35.60 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level sales contractor salary

   $61,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 17, 2025

   Average sales contractor salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Kansas	$90,103	$43
   2	Pennsylvania	$84,140	$40
   3	Washington	$83,434	$40
   4	Alabama	$82,845	$40
   5	Nevada	$79,927	$38
   6	Massachusetts	$79,264	$38
   7	Arizona	$79,042	$38
   8	Arkansas	$77,737	$37
   9	Oregon	$77,158	$37
   10	New Mexico	$76,322	$37
   11	Ohio	$75,629	$36
   12	Utah	$75,097	$36
   13	Texas	$74,414	$36
   14	New York	$74,333	$36
   15	Colorado	$73,072	$35
   16	South Dakota	$71,327	$34
   17	Florida	$70,782	$34
   18	Virginia	$69,759	$34
   19	Louisiana	$68,488	$33
   20	North Carolina	$68,229	$33

   Average sales contractor salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Staffing.com	$88,376	$42.49	1
   2	Curtis Lumber	$81,858	$39.35	8
   3	US LBM	$81,309	$39.09	99
   4	Smart City Networks	$79,267	$38.11
   5	Scott Electric Co.	$74,705	$35.92	8
   6	Legalmatch.com	$73,856	$35.51	6
   7	NorthStar Memorial Group	$72,615	$34.91	14
   8	Builders FirstSource	$71,908	$34.57	210
   9	Paul Davis USA	$71,546	$34.40	44
   10	Terraboost Media	$71,177	$34.22	27
   11	Aventure Staffing	$66,185	$31.82

4. Writing a sales contractor job description

   A sales contractor 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 contractor job description:

   Sales contractor job description example

   Xero is a beautiful, easy-to-use platform that helps small businesses and their accounting and bookkeeping advisors grow and thrive.
   
   At Xero, our purpose is to make life better for people in small business, their advisors, and communities around the world. This purpose sits at the centre of everything we do. We support our people to do the best work of their lives so that they can help small businesses succeed through better tools, information and connections. Because when they succeed they make a difference, and when millions of small businesses are making a difference, the world is a more beautiful place.
   4-6 month paid work opportunity.
   Returner/Relauncher, BIPOC, 2SLGBTQ+, Indigenous/Métis/Inuit, new to Canada, Latinx friendly employer.
   You do not have to be a student to apply for this opportunity.
   
   How you'll make an impact
   
   As the Sales Operations Coop you will play a supporting role as you learn from members of the Xero Canada Ops team. The Ops team is tasked with generating data-driven insights designed to help the business make informed decisions across functions (particularly Sales and Marketing). In this role you will work closely with Sales and Marketing to conduct analyses and generate data driven insights.
   
   In addition to this, you will work closely with the Ops team to make our operational process better. This includes improving data integrity within Xero's CRM (Salesforce). You will play a role in these activities which are key to maintaining high data quality and providing exceptional service to our partners and customers.
   What you'll do Conduct data analysis and generate data-driven insights to help the business grow Create models using key business metrics to forecast future trends and performance Identify gaps in processes and suggest improvements and ways to automate Work closely with the Senior Operations Analysts and support their day to day workload Support in maintaining accurate reporting and dashboards that measure key metrics Build relationships with stakeholders across the Canada team and handle their requests efficiently Other important tasks as guided by the Sales Operations Manager
   What you'll need to bring with you Ability to identify trends and explain their significance using visualizations or presentation tools Great attention to detail Self-reflective, willing to learn, and ready to try something new
   What you'll bring with you - ExperienceExperience with data analysis using tools like Google Sheets and ExcelAny basic experience with SQL programming a plus
   What we value Challenge: Xeros dream big, lead and embrace change Beautiful: Xeros create experiences that people love Team: Xeros are great team players Ownership: Xeros deliver on our commitments Human: Xeros are authentic, inclusive and really care
   This is what our past co-ops had to say about their internship experience with Xero
   
   “Xero fosters a great environment for growth and self-development. I had the chance to meet many talented coworkers of whom many I now consider friends. Having a startup environment at a large company such as Xero, really puts you in the position to enhance your career at an early stage!” - Abhi Paudel, Summer 2021 Co-op
   
   Why Xero?
   
   At Xero, we are empowered to bring our ‘whole self' to work. Our collaborative and inclusive culture is one we're immensely proud of. We know that a diverse workforce is a strength that enables businesses, including ours, to better understand and serve customers, attract top talent and innovate. We care about learning together and celebrate our teams' continuous improvement and career development.
   
   Want to read more about inclusivity at Xero? Learn a little more about it here.
   
   We offer a great remuneration package, including compelling benefits and perks, like Xero shares and great parental leave policies. We also support flexible working arrangements that allow you to balance your work, your life and your passions. Our Canadian Xero family includes Hubdoc and TaxCycle and we have offices in Toronto, Calgary, and Vancouver. From the moment you step through our doors, you'll feel welcome and supported to do the best work of your life.
   
   At Xero we embrace diversity and inclusion and value a #challenge mindset. Research has shown that women and underrepresented groups are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every single competency or experience . If you are excited about this role, but your past experience doesn't align perfectly, we encourage you to apply anyway. You could be just the right person for this role and Xero. If you have any support or access requirements, we encourage you to advise us at time of application and throughout the interview process.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right sales contractor 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.

   To find sales contractor 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 sales contractors 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.

   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 contractor

   Once you have selected a candidate for the sales contractor 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.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

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