How To Write an Outside Sales Resume
To write an outside sales resume, you must highlight your track record of using consultative selling techniques to close deals and drive revenue growth. Incorporate monetary figures, sales metrics, and quotas to establish a scope for your achievements. Showcase your ability to nurture customer relationships and educate prospects on the value of your products and services. This guide provides expert tips to help you craft an accomplishment-driven resume and land your next big job opportunity.
- Entry-level
- Mid-career
- Senior-level
1. Write a dynamic profile summarizing your outside sales qualifications
A strong opening summary often makes all the difference during the job search. Create a compelling snapshot of your career that emphasizes sales techniques and industry knowledge. Start with a sentence detailing your job title, years of experience, and three to four specializations that align with the job posting. Emphasize your background in delivering product demonstrations, nurturing client relationships, and expanding revenue growth. Illustrate your value to customers, team members, and organizations by featuring your sales expertise and leadership capabilities.
Senior-Level Professional Profile Example:
A senior sales professional with over 10 years of medical sales experience specializing in strategic selling, territory management, account management, and consultative sales. A strong history of leading high-performance sales teams to grow territories and achieve revenue goals. Adept at driving pipeline development and improving penetration across untapped markets.
Entry-Level Professional Profile Example:
A sales professional with entry-level experience specializing in client relations, communication, customer success, and cold calling. A strong background in building rapport with sales prospects and upselling products and services to drive revenue growth.
2. Showcase your outside sales experience
Craft an accomplishment-driven professional experience section that features the strongest aspects of your sales experience. Showcase your track record of delivering effective product demonstrations and building customer relationships. Incorporate monetary figures, metrics, and numbers into your resume. Hiring managers are drawn to candidates who generate results, and you’ll need to highlight specific achievements from your career to generate interviews during your job hunt.
To maximize the impact of your bullet points, think through how to present your data effectively. For example, if you grew a large client account but only include a percentage on your resume, you won’t establish a sense of scope for the reader. Conversely, if the accounts were small, you may be better off drawing attention to your ability to exceed sales quotas rather than featuring a monetary figure. Integrate hard numbers and sales metrics strategically to grab the attention of prospective employers and accelerate your job search.
Senior-Level Professional Experience Example:
Sales Manager
Medical Solutions Inc., New York, NY | May 2016 – present
- Manage a team of over 20 inside and outside sales representatives generating sales for a $3 million territory, oversee lead generation and pipeline development efforts, and support representatives during sales consultations with high-value accounts
- Lead initiatives to improve territory growth and enhance sales performance, resulting in a 30% increase in conversions and over $600,000 in new business for 2020
- Field escalated issues for large client accounts valued at up to $700,000 and maintain relationships by providing solutions and products to meet customer business needs
Entry-Level Professional Experience Example:
Outside Sales Representative
Medical Solutions Inc., New York, NY | May 2021 – present
- Execute sales consultations with up to 30 prospects a week to drive HVAC sales, interface with potential customers to identify appropriate products based on business needs, and close over $120,000 in new business for Q3 and Q4 of 2021
- Support lead generation activities, conduct cold calling, and travel to and from customer sites to attend sales meetings with prospects
- Utilize Salesforce customer relationship management (CRM) to manage leads, coordinate consultations, and schedule follow-up calls with high-value clients
3. Include outside sales-related education and certifications
Feature relevant education and certifications to demonstrate your qualifications for outside sales positions. Always include the title, issuing organization, and data of graduation or completion. In addition to a college degree, outside sales professionals stand to benefit by pursuing certifications to bolster their resumes. For example, a Salesforce certification shows prospective employers that you can leverage CRM tools effectively to drive sales growth. Alternatively, a Certified Strategic Selling Professional (CSSP) highlights your ability to develop sales strategies and position products based on customer needs.
Education
Template
- [Degree Name]
- [School Name], [City, State Abbreviation] – [Graduation Month and Year]
Example
- Bachelor of Science (B.S.) Marketing
- Temple University, Philadelphia, PA – June 2016
Certifications
Template
- [Certification Name], [Awarding Organization] – [Completion Year]
Example
- Salesforce Certification, Salesforce.com, 2020
- CSSP, Coursera, 2019
4. List outside sales-related skills and proficiencies
Listing relevant skills and proficiencies is an essential part of the resume-building process. Incorporate key terms from the job description to achieve applicant tracking systems (ATS) compliance and illustrate your qualifications for prospective employers. Highlight sales techniques and leadership-oriented skills to show hiring managers you’re a versatile, well-rounded candidate. Below, you’ll find a list of potential keywords you may encounter while pursuing outside sales representative jobs:
| Key Skills and Proficiencies | |
|---|---|
| Account management | Business-to-business (B2B) sales |
| Business development | Client relations |
| Consultative selling | Customer education |
| Cross-functional leadership | Cross-selling |
| Deal closing | Outside sales |
| Lead generation | Negotiations |
| Pipeline development | Product demonstrations |
| Salesforce | Sales presentations |
| Sales strategy | Solution selling |
| Strategic selling | Upselling |
5. Highlight your sales leadership capabilities
As a sales professional, demonstrate your communication and leadership skills on your resume. Your ability to interface effectively with cross-functional teams, clients, and prospects is essential for success as an outside sales representative. Showcase specific examples of you successfully doing this throughout your career. Rather than simply stating you communicated with clients, provide insights into how you developed relationships and facilitated account growth. If you were training team members, highlight your ability to provide coaching and mentorship to drive professional development.
How To Pick the Best Outside Sales Representative Resume Template
Selecting the right template can be challenging for job seekers. Finding an option that captures your personal brand can take time. Because hiring managers often have their preferences, opt for a traditional template focused on structure and readability. Flashy colors and graphics have visual appeal but can distract from your content. When in doubt, select a basic template that keeps the reader’s eye on your qualifications and achievements.
Outside Sales Text-Only Resume Templates and Examples
- Entry-level
- Mid-career
- Senior-level
Allyse Robinson
(123) 456-7890
[email protected]
123 Your Street, San Francisco, CA 12345
Profile
An Outside Sales Representative with five years of experience within the technology sales space, specializing in consultative selling, lead generation, and sales strategy. A proven track record of building relationships with client accounts to pitch value-added services, drive customer success, and improve sales conversions.
Professional Experience
Outside Sales Representative, Westline Technology Solutions, San Francisco, CA
May 2018 – Present
- Conduct consultative sales meetings with 15+ high-value prospects per week, travel across California, New York, and Washington to meet with potential customers, and generate over $700K in new business YOY
- Achieve 130% of quota in 2018, 120% in 2019, 140% in 2020, and 135% in 2021 by identifying opportunities to develop accounts and provide value-added services
- Deliver training to a team of 20 inside and outside sales representatives on technology sales techniques and upselling tactics, resulting in a 15% increase in conversions
Outside Sales Representative, Sunnyvale Technology Inc., Sunnyvale, CA
May 2016 – May 2018
- Drove the development of new business and upsold products and services to improve the profitability of existing accounts by up to 20%
- Attended meetings with at-risk accounts to resolve issues and retain customers within territory, which prevented $300K in lost business
Education
Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) Marketing
University of San Francisco, San Francisco, CA September 2012 – May 2016
Key Skills
- Account Management
- Consultative Selling
- Technology Sales
- Account Development
- Customer Success
Certifications
- Salesforce Certification, Udemy, 2017
Frequently Asked Questions: Outside Sales Resume Examples and Advice
What are common action verbs for outside sales representative resumes?-
When building your professional experience section, start each bullet point with a powerful action verb. Active language infuses an engaging element into your writing that frames your sales experience as accomplishments. Differentiating your usage of action verbs can sometimes be challenging; avoid overuse and repetition to keep your content fresh and compelling. We’ve compiled a list of verbs you can use to craft your outside sales representative resume:
| Action Verbs | |
|---|---|
| Achieved | Built |
| Cross-sold | Conducted |
| Collaborated | Developed |
| Drove | Enhanced |
| Generated | Identified |
| Improved | Implemented |
| Increased | Led |
| Liaised | Managed |
| Qualified | Sold |
| Spearheaded | Upsold |
How do you align your resume with an outside sales representative job description?-
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, average salaries for sales representatives in the wholesale, manufacturing, and technology industries was $109,950 in 2023. Sales representatives of services, excluding advertising, insurance, and financial services, generated annual incomes of $77,390. However, it’s important to remember these figures can be much higher or lower depending on the products or services you’re selling. To maximize your chances of landing the most lucrative opportunities, align your resume with the job description.
For example, if a company is looking for a candidate who excels in cross-selling, you’d highlight your ability to recommend additional products and services based on individual customer needs. If an organization is seeking a sales professional with a background in technology sales, emphasize your product and industry knowledge in addition to your sales expertise. By tailoring your resume to the job description, you’ll maximize your odds of landing the interview.
What is the best outside sales representative resume format?-
Reverse chronological is the ideal format for outside sales representative resumes. This approach places your most recent experience first while showing your career progression. Functional resumes are generally considered outdated by hiring managers and recruiters, even at the entry level, as they don’t have a framework for you to create detailed bullet points. In this situation, you can consider placing your skills section above your professional experience but highlight achievements for your previous roles, even if they weren’t explicitly sales-related.
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