Sales representative job description template

What a sales representative does

Sales representatives find new customers and win business. The best candidates read a sales posting looking for one thing first: how they'll get paid. Spell out base salary, commission structure, on-target earnings, and quota. Then describe the territory, deal size, and sales cycle. Reps who know what they're walking into ramp faster and stay longer, and those two numbers drive the return on every sales hire.

Sales representative job description template

Copy the description, replace everything in [brackets], and cut any line that isn't true for your job. The duties and requirements are a starting point written by HR practitioners, not a legal standard, so edit them to match the real work.

Sales representative

Details
- Department: [Department]
- Reports to: [Manager title]
- Location: [City, State, or remote]
- Employment type: [Full-time, part-time, or seasonal]
- FLSA status: [Exempt or nonexempt]
- Pay range: [$X to $Y per year]

About [Company]
[Two or three sentences about what your company does, who it serves, and why people like working here.]

Job summary
We're hiring a sales representative to build a pipeline, win new customers in [territory or segment], and grow revenue for our [product or service].

What you'll do
- Prospect and generate new business through calls, email, social, and in-person visits.
- Qualify leads and understand each prospect's needs and buying process.
- Run product demonstrations and presentations.
- Prepare proposals and quotes, and negotiate terms.
- Close new business and meet or exceed quota.
- Keep pipeline and activity records current in [CRM].
- Work with marketing, customer success, and operations on smooth handoffs.
- Attend trade shows and industry events as needed.

What you'll need
- [Two] or more years of B2B sales experience.
- Track record of meeting or beating quota.
- Strong communication, listening, and negotiation skills.
- Valid driver's license for outside roles.

Nice to have
- Bachelor's degree.
- Experience selling into [industry or buyer].
- Experience with [Salesforce, HubSpot, or another CRM].

Skills
Prospecting, Discovery, Negotiation, Pipeline management, Resilience, Presentation.

Physical demands and work environment
Field or office setting. Outside roles require regular travel within the territory.

Pay and benefits
[$X to $Y per year], based on experience and location. [List benefits, such as health insurance, retirement plan match, paid time off, and training.]

Equal opportunity
[Company] is an equal opportunity employer. We consider all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, or any other status protected by law. If you need a reasonable accommodation to apply or interview, contact [name] at [email or phone].

How to customize it for your job

• State base, commission rate, and on-target earnings.
• Describe the quota and how it's set.
• Name the territory, deal size, and sales cycle.
• Say whether leads are provided or self-sourced.

Then check it against the HRTally job description standard, our 10-point checklist, and run it through the inclusive language swap list. Both take about five minutes.

How much to pay a sales representative

Half of US sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, except technical and scientific products earned more than $34.65 an hour in May 2025, and half earned less, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That national figure is a starting point, not a pay range. Pay for the same job can differ by 30 percent or more between metro areas, so check the BLS occupation profile for state and metro data before you set your range.

To convert between hourly and annual pay, use our salary to hourly calculator. If you hire in a state or city with a pay transparency law, the range must appear in the posting itself. Our pay transparency laws guide lists where, and our guide to salary bands explains how to set ranges you can defend.

Exempt status, licenses, and legal notes

FLSA status: Depends on duties. Job titles don't decide overtime eligibility. Duties and pay do. Our guide to exempt vs non-exempt employees walks through each test, and the overtime calculator shows what a nonexempt employee is owed.

Outside sales employees who customarily work away from the employer's place of business and whose primary duty is making sales are exempt from minimum wage and overtime, with no salary test required. Inside sales representatives who work from the office or from home are generally not outside salespeople, so they need to meet another exemption or be paid overtime. Many states, including California and New York, require written commission agreements.

This is general information for US employers, not legal advice. Laws change and vary by state and city, so confirm the current rules or talk to employment counsel before you rely on them.

Interview questions to ask

Ask every candidate the same core questions and score answers against the same criteria. Structured interviews are fairer and predict job performance better than open conversation.

1. Walk me through a deal you lost and what you'd do differently.
2. How do you build a pipeline in a new territory?
3. Sell me something you use every day.
4. How do you handle a prospect who says your price is too high?

When you're ready to schedule, use our interview invitation email template. For a full hiring process, read the recruitment process guide.

Frequently asked questions