Sales Executive Job Description Template (Copy and Customise)
Jatin Kashyap
Growth Lead, Acrapath
Copy this sales executive job description template with responsibilities, targets, KPIs, incentives and skills, plus tips to customise it in 10 minutes.
Key Takeaways
A sales executive job description works best with 5 parts: role summary, responsibilities, targets and KPIs, skills, and pay with incentives.
State the sales motion clearly: B2B or B2C, inbound or outbound, field or inside sales. It filters applicants faster than any requirement.
Show how targets and incentives work. Good salespeople look for the variable pay structure before anything else.
Ask for 0–2 years for junior roles and 2–5 years for experienced sales executives, and say which is acceptable.
Use the copy-ready template below and customise it in about 10 minutes.
Sales roles attract a lot of applicants. The hard part is getting the right ones: people who can actually prospect, handle objections and close in your market. A vague job post brings in hundreds of CVs and very few closers.
A sharp sales executive job description changes that. It tells candidates what they'll sell, to whom, how they'll be measured and how they'll be paid. The right people lean in, and the wrong ones self-select out.
Below is a template you can copy, plus guidance on responsibilities, targets, skills and the mistakes that cost you good candidates.
What Does a Sales Executive Do?
A sales executive finds, qualifies and converts prospects into paying customers, and keeps accounts growing after the first sale. Day to day, that means prospecting, calling or meeting leads, running demos or presentations, sending proposals, negotiating and updating the CRM, all against a monthly or quarterly target.
The job varies a lot by sales motion, so your job description should name yours:
Sales motion | What the role involves | Who it suits |
|---|---|---|
Inside sales (B2B) | Calls, emails and video demos to businesses | Strong communicators, CRM-disciplined |
Field sales | In-person visits to clients or retailers | Self-driven, comfortable travelling |
B2C or retail sales | Selling to individual customers, often high volume | Fast, persuasive, resilient |
Inbound sales | Converting leads who already showed interest | Good listeners, consultative |
Outbound sales | Cold prospecting and building pipeline | Persistent, thick-skinned |
Sales Executive Job Description Template
Copy this into your job post and replace the square brackets. It follows the structure in our guide on how to write a job description.
Job title: Sales Executive [Inside Sales / Field Sales]
Location: [City, territory, or remote with time zone]
Employment type: Full-time
Reports to: [Sales Manager / Founder]
About us: [Two or three sentences on what you sell, who buys it and why customers choose you.]
About the role: We're looking for a Sales Executive to sell [product or service] to [type of customer] in [territory]. You'll [prospect new accounts / convert inbound leads], run [demos / meetings], and close deals worth around [typical deal size]. Your target will be [monthly or quarterly target in revenue, deals or meetings], with a clear incentive plan on top of your fixed salary.
What you'll do:
Generate and qualify leads through [calls, email, LinkedIn, field visits, referrals]
Run discovery calls to understand customer needs and budget
Present and demo [product or service] and send clear proposals
Handle objections, negotiate terms and close deals
Meet or beat monthly and quarterly targets
Keep the CRM up to date with every lead, call and deal stage
Follow up with existing customers to drive renewals and upsells
Share customer feedback with product and marketing teams
What you'll bring:
[0–2 / 2–5] years in sales, ideally [B2B / B2C / your industry]
Clear spoken and written communication in [languages]
A track record of meeting targets, or strong evidence you can (for freshers: internships, college roles, part-time sales)
Comfort with a CRM such as [Zoho, HubSpot, Salesforce] and basic spreadsheets
Resilience: you can hear "no" and keep going
Nice to have:
Experience selling to [industry or buyer type]
Existing network in [region or sector]
[Two-wheeler and licence, for field roles]
What we offer:
Fixed salary: [range] plus incentives: [how they work, for example % of revenue above target, paid monthly]
Typical on-target earnings: [range]
[Travel allowance, phone reimbursement, health insurance]
Training, a clear lead flow and a path to [Senior Sales Executive / Key Account Manager]
How to apply: [Steps and timeline. For example: "Apply with your CV. Shortlisted candidates do a 20-minute role-play call."]
Targets, KPIs and Incentives to Spell Out
Sales candidates read the money section first. Be specific about how they'll be measured and paid.
Activity KPIs: calls, meetings or demos per week. Useful for junior roles.
Pipeline KPIs: qualified opportunities created, pipeline value.
Outcome KPIs: revenue closed, deals closed, conversion rate, average deal size.
Retention KPIs: renewals and upsells, where the role manages accounts.
For incentives, explain three things in plain words: what triggers a payout, how much it is and how often it is paid. "10% of revenue above your monthly target, paid with next month's salary" is far clearer than "attractive incentives".
Skills to Look For
Listening and discovery: asks good questions before pitching.
Clear communication: explains value simply, in writing and on calls.
Objection handling: stays calm and answers the real concern.
Discipline: follows up consistently and keeps the CRM clean.
Resilience: keeps going through rejection and slow months.
Product curiosity: learns the product well enough to sell it honestly.
Most of these are easier to see in a role-play than on a CV. Our list of sales interview questions to ask includes role-play prompts and what good answers sound like.
How to Customise the Template
Name the sales motion. Inside or field, B2B or B2C, inbound or outbound.
Describe the customer. Who buys, how big the deals are and how long the cycle is.
Add a real target. Even a range helps candidates judge the role.
Explain incentives. Trigger, amount and payment timing.
Set experience honestly. If freshers with the right attitude are welcome, say so. You'll widen your pool.
Describe the process. Include any role-play or assignment up front.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
"Attractive incentives" with no detail. Strong salespeople skip vague pay.
No product or customer described. Candidates can't tell if they can sell it.
Unrealistic targets. Inflated numbers attract the wrong people and cause early exits.
Copy-pasted requirements. An MBA requirement for an entry-level inside-sales role shrinks your pool for no reason.
Hiding field work. If the job needs daily travel, say so to avoid drop-offs after the offer.
After You Post: Screening Sales Candidates
Once applications arrive, shortlist on evidence: targets met, deal sizes, sales cycles and the industries they sold into. Our step-by-step guide to screening resumes fast shows how. Then use a short role-play call before the full interview. It reveals more about a salesperson in 15 minutes than an hour of general questions.
Want to see the role from the candidate's side? Our jobseeker guide on how to become a sales executive shows what applicants are told to look for, which helps you write a post that stands out. If you're hiring for marketing too, the digital marketing manager job description template uses the same format.
Conclusion
A strong sales executive job description names the sales motion, describes the customer, sets a clear target and explains exactly how incentives pay out. Copy the template, fill in those four things, and list your hiring steps.
You'll get fewer, better applications from people who know what they're signing up for.
Need sales talent quickly? Hire verified sales professionals through Acrapath and get a shortlist of candidates who match your market.
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Frequently asked questions
What should a sales executive job description include?
Include a short company intro, a role summary naming the sales motion and customer, 6–8 responsibilities, targets and KPIs, required skills and experience, fixed pay plus a clear incentive structure, and your hiring steps. Describing what is sold and to whom matters more than any single requirement.
How do I describe incentives in a sales job post?
State what triggers a payout, how much it is and how often it is paid, for example "10% of revenue above monthly target, paid with next month's salary". Adding typical on-target earnings helps candidates compare offers and attracts experienced salespeople.
How much experience should a sales executive have?
Junior or inside-sales executive roles often take 0–2 years, including freshers with strong communication skills. Experienced sales executive roles usually ask for 2–5 years with a record of meeting targets. Say clearly in the job description whether freshers are welcome.
What KPIs are used for sales executives?
Common KPIs include calls or meetings per week, qualified opportunities created, revenue closed, number of deals, conversion rate, average deal size and renewals or upsells. Junior roles lean on activity KPIs, while experienced roles are judged mainly on revenue and pipeline.
What is the difference between a sales executive and a business development executive?
The titles overlap and companies use them differently. Often a business development executive focuses more on finding new leads, partnerships and markets, while a sales executive focuses on converting and closing deals. Your job description should describe the actual work rather than rely on the title.
