How to hire a sales support specialist

How to hire a sales support specialist, step by step

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

What does a sales support specialist do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the sales support specialist you need to hire. Certain sales support specialist roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

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

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

   Type of Sales Support Specialist	Description	Hourly rate
   Sales Support Specialist	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.	$14-39
   Sales Coordinator	A sales coordinator is primarily responsible for managing a sales team, ensuring that all workforce members are functioning efficiently and are achieving the sales targets. For this, a sales coordinator must arrange strategic schedules, provide necessary support materials to each member, and devise plans that would help the team gain more sales... Show more	$14-24
   Support	A support employee is responsible for assisting the business operations and responding to customers' inquiries and concerns regarding its goods and services. Support logs all customers' interaction and escalates potential complaints to the appropriate department... Show more	$11-25

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Customer Service
   • Sales Support
   • PowerPoint
   • CRM
   • Salesforce
   • Excellent Interpersonal
   • Product Knowledge
   • Account Executives
   • Account Management
   • RFP
   • Data Entry
   • Work Ethic
   • Phone Calls
   • Excellent Organizational

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage planning parameters in ERP via the item master (lead times, min/max, safety stock, pay terms).
   • Position demand high degree of accuracy, product knowledge and math skills.
   • Act as liaison to sales organizations and attend sales calls as necessary to address RFP or project management type activities.
   • Assist AE/VP in maintaining pipeline/ forecast in SalesForce.
   • Assist outside sales personnel in HVAC job preparation.
   • Coordinate commercial loan process from application through booking, maintaining efficient workflow in fast pace environment.

   More sales support specialist duties

3. Make a budget

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

   Average sales support specialist salary

   $50,782yearly

   $24.41 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level sales support specialist salary

   $31,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 29, 2026

   Average sales support specialist salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	New Jersey	$81,440	$39
   2	California	$64,349	$31
   3	Massachusetts	$64,166	$31
   4	Pennsylvania	$63,835	$31
   5	New York	$63,492	$31
   6	Connecticut	$61,565	$30
   7	Indiana	$59,842	$29
   8	Virginia	$58,819	$28
   9	Georgia	$53,086	$26
   10	Maryland	$53,085	$26
   11	Kansas	$52,672	$25
   12	Texas	$51,084	$25
   13	Arizona	$50,555	$24
   14	Illinois	$50,031	$24
   15	North Carolina	$48,476	$23
   16	Ohio	$46,623	$22
   17	Minnesota	$45,234	$22
   18	Nevada	$43,732	$21
   19	Missouri	$43,096	$21
   20	Washington	$42,481	$20

   Average sales support specialist salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Microsoft	$110,860	$53.30	6
   2	Citi	$109,865	$52.82	17
   3	Supermicro	$104,132	$50.06	7
   4	Control4	$103,782	$49.90
   5	Synopsys	$103,292	$49.66	2
   6	SAP	$103,143	$49.59	3
   7	Baker Hughes	$102,282	$49.17	4
   8	Vista Equity Partners	$99,820	$47.99
   9	Lenovo	$97,345	$46.80	9
   10	Liebherr Group	$96,259	$46.28
   11	Dassault Systèmes	$91,794	$44.13
   12	Solectron Corp	$91,740	$44.11
   13	Continental Automotive Systems	$91,724	$44.10
   14	Deloitte	$91,610	$44.04	218
   15	Adobe	$90,209	$43.37	50
   16	Stripe	$88,545	$42.57	9
   17	Informa Plc	$86,788	$41.73	18
   18	Virginia Transformer	$85,656	$41.18
   19	Deutsche Bank	$85,212	$40.97	5
   20	Securonix	$84,735	$40.74

4. Writing a sales support specialist job description

   A sales support specialist 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 support specialist job description:

   Sales support specialist job description example

   About You
   You have a strong work ethic, are reliable and consider yourself a go-getter. You enjoy working both in an office setting and outdoors. You manage your time wisely and feel accomplished after a hard day's work. You are a swift decision maker can always be counted on to exercise sound judgement on and off the jobsite. You desire to learn new skills, be part of a team, and advance within a growing company.
   
   Position SnapshotSales Support Specialists at US Ecology provide high-level technical support to sales, customer service, and operations. Responsibilities include assisting with the development sales and business development leads and opportunities; support with the development of proposals, tenders, and presentations; contract administration; client meetings and visits; participating in marketing events and campaigns including industry conferences and government regulatory agency meetings.
   
   Day in the Life
   After grabbing your favorite morning beverage, you begin your day by booting up your computer and:
   Responding to inquiries regarding company's emergency response standby services Support for sales and business development projects Attend industry and agency meetings with the purpose of tracking trends, recommending business development opportunities, and advising our business unit about pending or proposed industry regulations Assisting in the collection, classification, and analysis of historical data Communicating and answering questions related to US Ecology's emergency response standby business Working closely with sales team to propose customer solutions compliant with appropriate local, state and federal regulations Coordinating communications to respond to customers' inquiries Assisting, advising, and training customer service representatives Working with the corporate marketing team to provide marketing support for sales efforts Working closely with sales team to identify new opportunities and retain existing business Assisting with the developing and maintaining customer pricing files Assisting customers with business needs and requests Support for Sales and BD projects, including proposals, tenders, and sales opportunities on deadlines
   
   What you need to apply
   Bachelor's degree and/or experience in the areas of Emergency Response, Environmental, Compliance, Training, Client Services, and business development is preferred.Familiarity with the oil spill response business Good communication and writing skills Develop and deliver professional response/exercise materials for clients Attend industry and agency meetings with the purpose of tracking trends, recommending business development opportunities, and advising NRC about any pending or proposed federal or state regulatory changes Moderate travel within continental USOffice location is Great River, Long Island, NYProficient in Microsoft Office SuiteWorking knowledge of regulations specific to the emergency oil spill response industry Ability to pass pre-employment background checks and drug screening
   
   US Ecology is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. We consider all qualified applicants without regard to race, religion, color, sex, gender, national origin, age, sexual orientation, disability or veteran status, among other factors.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right sales support specialist for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with sales support specialists they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit sales support specialists who meet your education requirements.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your sales support specialist job on Zippia to find and recruit sales support specialist candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting sales support 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.

   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 support specialist

   Once you have selected a candidate for the sales support specialist 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 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 support 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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