How to hire a sales development

How to hire a sales development, step by step

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

What does a sales development do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The sales development 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

   A sales development's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, sales development 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 shows salaries for various types of sales development.

   Type of Sales Development	Description	Hourly rate
   Sales Development	Sales managers direct organizations' sales teams. They set sales goals, analyze data, and develop training programs for organizations’ sales representatives.	$32-56
   Territory Manager	A territory manager is responsible for monitoring the sales operations of the different sales team of an organization. One of the most crucial duties of a territory manager is to encourage the sales team to provide the best results for increasing the company's profitability... Show more	$22-56
   Regional Manager	A Regional Manager is responsible for a company's overall business operations within a particular area or region. Most of the duties will revolve around setting sales targets, creating strategies to boost financial gains, and maintaining an efficient workforce by having the right staff... Show more	$29-73

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Customer Service
   • Cloud
   • Workflow Rules
   • Custom Objects
   • Apex
   • Dashboards
   • Approval Processes
   • Salesforce CRM
   • Business Development
   • Data Manipulation
   • Eclipse
   • Web Services
   • HTML
   • SOQL

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage the submission of all RFP responses for body worn cameras, software and relate services.
   • Manage corporate accounts and generate revenue from sales of treasury management services.
   • Manage logistics for large and complex equipment deliveries, overseeing domestic and international traffic to ensure compliance with multiple government regulations.
   • Manage distributor accounts including inventory management, allocations, and communicating internally with purchasing, logistics, finance and shipping departments.
   • Deploy the SFDC data using eclipse IDE.
   • Set goals and coach regional sales managers to meet KPI's.

   More sales development duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the sales development job description is a good way to get more applicants. A sales development 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 development in Kansas may be lower than in Washington, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level sales development. Additionally, a sales development with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average sales development salary

   $89,435yearly

   $43.00 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level sales development salary

   $67,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 21, 2025

   Average sales development salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Washington	$105,992	$51
   2	Oregon	$104,552	$50
   3	California	$99,595	$48
   4	District of Columbia	$99,002	$48
   5	Missouri	$97,949	$47
   6	North Dakota	$97,176	$47
   7	New York	$96,981	$47
   8	Virginia	$95,840	$46
   9	Pennsylvania	$92,681	$45
   10	North Carolina	$90,845	$44
   11	Connecticut	$90,720	$44
   12	Ohio	$89,970	$43
   13	Tennessee	$88,397	$43
   14	Michigan	$88,246	$42
   15	Minnesota	$88,236	$42
   16	Wisconsin	$87,727	$42
   17	Texas	$87,452	$42
   18	Massachusetts	$86,028	$41
   19	Arizona	$84,456	$41
   20	Illinois	$83,340	$40

   Average sales development salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Microsoft	$118,527	$56.98	3
   2	Zerto	$105,826	$50.88
   3	Conga	$102,915	$49.48
   4	Workday	$102,628	$49.34	6
   5	BD	$102,318	$49.19	1
   6	LinkedIn	$101,875	$48.98	6
   7	Cadence Design Systems	$98,420	$47.32
   8	Capital Group	$96,342	$46.32
   9	VWR, Part of Avantor	$94,148	$45.26
   10	Amazon	$93,868	$45.13	183
   11	Ciena	$93,766	$45.08	2
   12	Oil States International	$92,969	$44.70
   13	Infoblox	$92,567	$44.50
   14	Hajoca	$92,487	$44.46
   15	Goodman Manufacturing	$92,171	$44.31	3
   16	Tek Leaders	$92,007	$44.23
   17	Insulet	$91,544	$44.01
   18	EPSoft	$91,050	$43.77
   19	Komodo Health	$90,864	$43.68	2
   20	Maganti IT Resources	$90,848	$43.68

4. Writing a sales development job description

   A job description for a sales development role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's a sales development job description:

   Sales development job description example

   Upstate New York - Northeast Region Precision. Performance. Pride. For more than 100 years, Snap-on Tools has made work easier for serious professionals performing critical tasks. We work hard together. We grow together. We are one Snap-on team. We are currently seeking a Sales Developer to join our regional sales team. Our field-based team members are rewarded with: •Unparalleled career advancement opportunities
   •Competitive pay, bonus opportunity, and benefits
   •Continuous coaching and development
   •Clear performance goals
   •Regular recognition for accomplishments We set you up for success! After completing comprehensive training, Sales Developers consult with franchisees and advise company store reps on implementing their sales strategies, including suggesting specific actions to help franchisees and sales reps meet their sales goals. Sales Developers also coach franchisees and advise company store reps on all aspects of selling, including uncovering customer needs, increasing collections, and learning product features and benefits. Sales Developers have the full support of the Snap-on management team, and are regularly reviewed for progression opportunities within the Franchise Performance Teams. With solid performance, they are typically progressed quickly through additional roles in the field sales organization. We value your education and experience, and consider candidates from diverse backgrounds. What You Bring to the Team: •High school diploma or GED (Bachelor's degree preferred)
   •Prior sales experience (Snap-on store experience preferred upon hire, but may be provided after hire to the right candidate)
   •Proven ability to learn and follow a process
   •Experience in collections, marketing, business operations, and asset management
   •Strong product knowledge, including features and benefits
   •Interest in developing and fostering ongoing relationships
   •Excellent customer service skills
   •Strong communication and interpersonal skills
   •Proficiency in Microsoft Office
   •Willingness to travel extensively
   •State driver's license that has been valid for the last 36 months, with no major violations, and no more than two minor violations in the three years prior to hire Snap-on continually strives to be an employer of choice and offers a Great Place to Work. Snap-on is an equal opportunity employer and complies with all applicable federal, state, and local fair employment practices and laws. Snap-on strictly prohibits, and does not tolerate, discrimination against applicants, associates or any other covered persons for any reason including race, ethnicity, religion, color, national origin, sex, age, physical or mental disability, veteran status, gender identity, sexual orientation or any other characteristic protected under applicable federal, state, or local law.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right sales development 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 development job on Zippia to find and recruit sales development candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit sales development, 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.

   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 sales development

   Once you've decided on a perfect sales development 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 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 a sales development?