Sales Representative Job Description (2026): Duties, Skills and Salary
A sales representative finds potential customers, starts conversations and moves them toward a purchase. Many B2B companies split the job: sales development reps (SDRs) or business development reps (BDRs) prospect and qualify, then book meetings for account executives, while other sales reps also run demos and close smaller deals themselves.
The work is high-volume and measurable: calls, emails and LinkedIn messages, meetings booked, pipeline created. Reps live in a CRM such as Salesforce or HubSpot and a sales engagement tool such as Outreach or Salesloft, and pay is usually a base salary plus commission or a bonus tied to targets. Field reps add territory travel and in-person visits.
Sales Representative job description template
Copy it, replace everything in [brackets] and cut what doesn't apply. Keep the requirements to what the job really needs.
Template · replace the [brackets]
Sales Representative
[Company] · [City and office days, or remote with the countries or time zones you hire in] · [Full-time]
About [Company]
[Two or three sentences on what your company does, who it serves and why this team matters now.]
About the role
[Company] is hiring a sales representative to start conversations with [target customers] and build pipeline for our sales team. You'll research accounts, reach out by phone, email and LinkedIn, qualify interest, and [book meetings for account executives / close smaller deals yourself].
What you'll do
- Prospect into [target accounts or territory] by phone, email and LinkedIn, around [number] touches a day.
- Follow up quickly on inbound leads from marketing and qualify their needs and timing.
- Book qualified meetings for account executives, or run first calls and demos for smaller deals.
- Research each account and tailor your outreach to its situation.
- Log every activity and lead status in [Salesforce / HubSpot].
- Hit weekly and monthly targets for meetings, pipeline or revenue.
- Pass what you hear from prospects back to marketing and sales to sharpen the message.
What you'll bring
- [0–2] years in sales, customer service, hospitality or another customer-facing job.
- Confidence on the phone and in writing, including cold outreach.
- Resilience: you hear no every day and keep going with a good attitude.
- The organization to manage many leads and follow-ups without dropping any.
- Curiosity about customers' businesses and problems.
- Coachability: you ask for feedback and act on it.
Nice to have
- Salesforce, HubSpot, Outreach or Salesloft.
- Experience selling [software / into our industry].
- Additional languages for [regions].
- A history of hitting activity or revenue targets.
What we offer
- [Pay range: e.g. $X–$Y base salary, plus bonus or equity if offered]
- [On-target earnings with uncapped commission, a clear path to account executive, structured sales training]
- [Health cover, retirement or pension plan, paid time off, parental leave]
- [Work authorization: whether you can sponsor a visa or hire through an employer of record]
[Our process: a short phone screen, a role-play cold call and email exercise, an interview with the sales manager, and a final meeting with the team.]
[Your equal opportunity statement, and how candidates can ask for adjustments during the process]
Put the pay range in the ad. Several US states, including California, Colorado, New York and Washington, require it in job postings, and the EU Pay Transparency Directive gives applicants the right to know the starting pay or its range before the interview.
What real sales representative job ads ask for
The skills named most often in the 476 newest sales representative job ads we analyzed (out of 4,630 live postings), as the share of ads that mention each. A skill most ads name is a fair must-have; one few ads name belongs under nice-to-have.
- 1CRM45%
- 2Prospecting44%
- 3Salesforce28%
- 4B2B27%
- 5Outbound prospecting26%
- 6Business development24%
- 7SaaS19%
- 8Cold calling18%
Degrees mentioned most: Bachelor's degree (22%).
From live job ads · computed November 2, 2026 · refreshed daily
Sales Representative duties by seniority
What the job usually looks like at each level. Pitch the ad at one level and say which in the title.
Junior
- Focuses on outreach volume while learning the pitch and the product.
- Qualifies inbound leads against set criteria.
- Reviews calls with a manager every week.
Mid-level
- Targets larger or strategic accounts with personalized campaigns.
- Hits targets consistently and helps refine messaging.
- May run first meetings or close smaller deals.
Senior
- Mentors new reps and leads team training sessions.
- Builds account plans with account executives for complex targets.
- Is ready for promotion to account executive or team lead.
Sales Representative career path
- Sales Representative or SDR
- Senior SDR or Team Lead
- Account Executive
- Sales Manager
Sales representative is a common first job, open to graduates and to career changers from retail, hospitality and customer service. In B2B companies, the usual next step is account executive within one to two years; others move into account management, partnerships, marketing or sales operations.
Advertised pay for sales representative jobs
Median advertised base salary in Sales Representative job ads in the United States: $76,500 (middle half: $61,000–$98,800), from 863 job ads with a published salary in the last 90 days.
This is advertised pay, not total compensation: bonuses, commission, equity and benefits aren't included, and many ads publish no pay at all. Sales ads often quote on-target earnings (base plus commission) as the range, so these figures can run above base pay alone.
- Sales Representative salary in the United States · median $76,500, 863 ads
- Remote Sales Representative salary · median $75,000, 381 ads
- Sales Representative salary in the United Kingdom · median £58,300, 30 ads
Similar roles
- Account Executive job description
Closes the deals sales reps source, and the usual next step.
- Account Manager job description
Grows existing customers rather than finding new ones.
- Customer Success Manager job description
Helps customers succeed after they buy.
- Marketing Manager job description
Generates the inbound leads sales reps follow up.
- Recruiter job description
Uses the same outreach and persuasion skills on candidates instead of buyers.
Sales Representative job description FAQ
What does a sales representative do?
Finds and contacts potential customers, qualifies their needs and moves them toward a purchase, either by booking meetings for account executives or by closing smaller deals directly. Most of the job is outreach, follow-up and keeping the CRM current.
What's the difference between an SDR and a sales representative?
An SDR (sales development representative) works the start of the sales process: prospecting and booking meetings. Sales representative is broader and can include running demos and closing deals, so say in the job description which you mean.
Can someone with no sales experience apply?
Often, yes. Entry-level sales teams regularly hire people from retail, hospitality and customer service and train them. Job descriptions that list behaviors such as resilience, curiosity and organization, instead of years of experience, attract them.