TL;DR
- A sales representative sells a company's products or services to customers, often by travelling to meet them. In the UK the same job is usually titled sales executive. The rep plans their sales activity, leads the whole sales conversation from first contact to close, and keeps and grows the accounts they win.
- The job has six duties: plan and prospect, qualify the opportunity, understand needs and present the solution, negotiate and close, keep and grow the accounts, and record and report. Outside sales reps do this in the field, at the customer's premises; inside sales reps do it by phone, video and email from the office.
- Employers look for product and market knowledge, questioning and listening, persuasion and negotiation, resilience and organisation. No qualification is required; in England the level 4 sales executive apprenticeship describes the occupation.
The sales representative is the person the customer meets. Marketing found them, a lead generator may have qualified them, but the conversation that turns interest into an order, and an order into a relationship, is the rep's. Everything else in the company is paid for by the results of that conversation.
This sales representative job description explains what the job involves, sets out six duties, separates outside sales from inside sales, describes the UK sales executive standard that defines the occupation, lists the skills and qualifications employers ask for, gives a template that you can adapt and suggests how to describe the work on a CV.
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What is a sales representative?
The Cambridge Dictionary defines a sales representative, short form sales rep, as “someone whose job is to sell a company's products, often by traveling to different places”. The definition is American in origin; in the UK the usual title is sales executive, and Skills England's sales executive apprenticeship standard, a level 4 standard typically taking 18 months, lists sales representative among its typical job titles alongside sales consultant, sales specialist, sales advisor, business development executive and field sales executive.
The standard's definition is the best public description of the job: “A Sales Executive is a sales person working in either the Business to Business or Business to Consumer markets with responsibility to sell a specific product line or service. They plan their sales activities, lead the end-to-end sales interaction with the customer and manage their sales internally within their organisation.” It adds that they are “responsible for retaining and growing a number of existing customer accounts, and generating new business by contacting prospective customers, qualifying opportunities and bringing the sales process to a mutually acceptable close”.
Two phrases carry the job. End to end: the rep owns the whole conversation, not one stage of it. Mutually acceptable close: the sale is one the customer is glad they made.
Sales representative duties: six responsibilities
- Plan and prospect. Turn the sales strategy into a plan for the territory or the product line, and find new prospects through research, networking, referrals, events and cold contact. Prospects, the UK graduate careers service, lists identifying and approaching new customers “through cold calling, networking or referrals” in its sales executive job profile.
- Qualify the opportunity. Establish whether there is a need, a budget, a decision maker and a timescale before investing time, and be honest about the ones that will not close.
- Understand needs and present the solution. Meet the customer, understand their requirements, and present the product or service “in a structured and professional way, tailored to the client”, in Prospects' words, linking features and benefits to what the customer needs.
- Negotiate and close. Prepare quotations and proposals, negotiate price, delivery and specification, handle objections and bring the sale to a close that both sides accept.
- Keep and grow the accounts. Look after the customers you have won, secure repeat business, spot new needs and grow the account, because retention is cheaper than acquisition.
- Record and report. Keep the CRM current, forecast the pipeline, report against target and feed market and competitor information back to marketing and product.
Outside sales and inside sales
The distinction is where the selling happens, and it shapes the whole job.
| Type | Where the work happens | Typical products and customers | What the job description must say |
|---|---|---|---|
| Outside sales | In the field: at the customer's premises, at sites, at trade shows | Higher-value, more complex sales with longer cycles; territories | The territory, the travel, the car or expenses, the nights away |
| Inside sales | From the office or home: phone, video, email, online demonstrations | Higher-volume, lower-value or renewals; inbound and outbound | The channels, the call and demo volumes, the hours |
An outside sales rep, also called a field sales rep or field sales executive, travels to meet customers, works a territory, and often manages a day of visits without a manager in sight. Prospects notes that sales executives travel to meet clients, sometimes with overnight stays, and that where travel is often required, many employers provide a company car, mobile phone, fuel allowance or subsidised mileage. An inside sales rep sells the same products from a desk, at higher volume, often taking the leads that a lead generator has qualified.
Many companies now combine the two: a rep who prospects and closes by video, and visits the customers whose size justifies the journey. The job description should say which the job is, or how the mix works. For the retail version of selling, see our sales associate job description.
Skills employers ask for
The Skills England standard sets out the knowledge a sales executive needs: the organisation's strategy and its sales and marketing objectives; the features and advantages of the products and how they compare with competitors'; the sector and the changes coming to it; the legal, regulatory and ethical frameworks of the sector; how the market is segmented; and how customers make decisions. Employers translate that into:
- Product and market knowledge. Enough to be credible with a customer who knows their own business.
- Questioning and listening. Finding the real need before presenting anything.
- Presentation and persuasion. Prospects lists presenting products and services in a structured, tailored way.
- Negotiation. Price, delivery and specification, without giving away the margin.
- Resilience. Most conversations do not end in a sale. The job is the next one.
- Organisation and self-management. A territory or a pipeline run without daily supervision.
- Ethics. Selling within the law and the rules of the sector, and closing sales the customer will not regret.
Qualifications
No qualification is required. Prospects says the area of work is open to all graduates, that a degree in business management or marketing may be useful, and that certain sectors may want a specific subject, such as computing, engineering or technology for technical sales. Employers hire on evidence: targets met, accounts grown, customers kept. In England the level 4 sales executive apprenticeship offers a work-based route and a recognised standard, and the standard notes that sales executives work across sectors including technology, media, pharmaceuticals, recruitment, consumer goods, utilities and automotive. The step from selling to leading sellers is a different job; our sales manager job description sets it out.
Sales representative job description template
Adapt the product, the market, the type of selling and the measures.
Job title: Sales representative (sales executive)
Reports to: Sales manager
Type: [Outside sales, territory: region] / [Inside sales, office-based or hybrid]
Purpose of the role: To sell [product or service] to [business or consumer] customers in [territory or segment], winning new accounts and retaining and growing existing ones, to an agreed target.
Main duties:
- Plan sales activity for the territory or segment and prospect for new customers
- Qualify opportunities and manage a pipeline in the CRM
- Meet customers [in person or by video], understand their needs and present tailored solutions
- Prepare quotations and proposals, negotiate terms and close sales
- Retain and grow existing accounts and secure repeat business
- Forecast and report against target and feed back market and competitor information
Skills and experience:
- A record of meeting sales targets in [business-to-business or consumer] sales [or, for entry level, evidence of customer-facing achievement]
- Strong questioning, presentation and negotiation skills
- Organised and self-managing, with CRM discipline
- Resilient, ethical and honest with customers
- [Full driving licence, for outside sales]
Measures: Revenue and margin against target, new accounts won, retention and growth of existing accounts, pipeline accuracy. [State the target and the commission scheme.]
We provide: Product and sales training, support for the level 4 sales executive apprenticeship, a written commission scheme, [car or expenses], and a route to senior sales and sales management roles.
For the layout of the whole document, use our job description template.
How to describe sales work on a CV
Employers want the product, the market, the numbers and the accounts. The lines below are invented examples, to show the form.
- Show the market. “Sold industrial cleaning contracts to facilities managers across the Midlands.”
- Show the numbers. “Achieved 112% of a £900,000 annual target for two consecutive years.”
- Show new business. “Won 18 new accounts in a year, including two of the region's five largest hospitals.”
- Show retention. “Retained 95% of accounts and grew existing revenue by 20%.”
- Show the method. “Ran the full cycle from prospecting to close, with a 30-day average sales cycle.”
Common mistakes in sales representative adverts
Outside or inside unstated. Travel, territory and hours are the first things a candidate needs to know.
Target and commission hidden. If pay depends on results, say what the target is and how the scheme works.
Product vague. Name what is being sold and to whom. Selling software to hospitals and selling vans to builders are different jobs.
Closers only. An advert that asks only for hunger attracts people who sell things customers regret. Ask for ethics and retention too.
Frequently asked questions
What are the duties and responsibilities of a sales representative?
A sales representative plans sales activity and prospects for customers, qualifies opportunities, understands customers' needs and presents solutions, negotiates and closes sales, retains and grows existing accounts, and records and reports in the CRM. The UK standard describes it as leading the end-to-end sales interaction with the customer.
What is an outside sales rep?
An outside sales rep, or field sales rep, sells by visiting customers at their premises or sites, usually across a territory, and typically handles higher-value, more complex sales with longer cycles. The job involves travel, days without direct supervision and often a company car or expenses.
What does outside sales mean?
Outside sales means selling in the field, face to face at the customer's location, as opposed to inside sales, which means selling from an office by phone, video and email. The distinction shapes the products sold, the sales cycle, the hours and the pay.
What is the difference between a sales representative and a sales executive?
Usually only the country. Sales representative is the American title and sales executive the British one; Skills England's sales executive standard lists sales representative among its typical job titles. Both describe the person who leads the sale from first contact to close.
What skills does a sales representative need?
Product and market knowledge, questioning and listening, presentation and persuasion, negotiation, resilience, organisation and self-management, CRM discipline and the ethics to sell within the rules and close sales customers will not regret.
What qualifications does a sales representative need?
None are required. Employers hire on evidence of results and on the qualities above. In England the level 4 sales executive apprenticeship, typically 18 months, describes the occupation and offers a work-based route.
Your next step: write the job around the sale, not the personality
- State the product, the market and whether the job is outside or inside sales.
- Put the target and the commission scheme in writing.
- List the six duties, with retention alongside new business.
- Interview for questioning, negotiation and honesty, with examples.
To set sales targets that reward the right behaviour, read and download our OKR guide. The guide is free to read, and the PDF uses our short download form.
Want sales targets, pipeline goals and coaching notes visible to every rep and manager? Book a New Dynamics demo and bring your current targets. You can also email contact@new-dynamics.com.
