Sales Executive job description
A Sales Executive finds buyers, presents the product, handles objections and closes orders. The role turns leads and walk-ins into revenue and keeps customers coming back.
Why the role exists
Every growing business needs someone who speaks to buyers daily. A Sales Executive works from leads, visits or calls, follows a pipeline and reports to a sales manager or the founder. In India the role may involve shop floors, distributors, field visits or phone and WhatsApp selling.
What the person does
- Contact new leads by phone, WhatsApp, email or visit within the agreed response time.
- Understand the buyer's need and present the product or service in simple terms.
- Prepare and send quotations, proposals and follow-up messages on the same day.
- Handle price and delivery objections and escalate special requests to the manager.
- Close orders and hand over clear details to operations, billing or the delivery team.
- Update the CRM or lead sheet after every call so the pipeline stays accurate.
- Follow up on payments with customers until the amount is received.
- Share market feedback on competitors, demand and common objections each week.
Skills and tools
- Product knowledge and the ability to explain it in plain language
- Phone, WhatsApp and email communication in English and local languages
- Lead tracking in a CRM such as Zoho CRM, LeadSquared or a shared sheet
- Objection handling and negotiation within company limits
- Basic quotations and invoicing knowledge, including tax invoice details
- Time planning for calls, visits and follow-ups
- Reading and following a sales process and pricing guidelines
- Basic Excel or Google Sheets for daily and monthly reports
Education and experience
Preferred, never a bar: equivalent experience counts.
- Graduation in commerce, business or any stream preferred, or equivalent experience in sales
- Preferred: prior experience selling a similar product or to a similar customer type
- Preferred: comfort with the local language of the territory and with Hindi or English
- Willingness to travel within the territory if the role includes field visits
How the work is judged
- Number of qualified opportunities moved forward from the leads assigned
- Conversion of enquiries into confirmed orders over the review period
- Revenue closed against the target set by the company for the period
- Accuracy and timeliness of CRM updates and daily reports
- Customer feedback on honesty, follow-up and after-sales handover
Where the role can lead
- Senior Sales Executive or Team Lead managing a small group
- Area Sales Manager or Sales Manager owning a territory and a team
- Moving into key accounts, business development or customer success
Interview questions to ask
Ask every candidate the same questions in the same order and score them against written anchors, so the decision rests on the work and not the impression.
- Describe a deal you almost lost. What did you change to win it back?
- A customer asks for a discount you cannot approve. How do you handle the call?
- How do you plan your day when you have twenty leads and only a few hours to call?
- Tell us how you qualify a lead before spending time on a visit or demo.
- What do you record in the CRM after a call, and why does it matter?
- A buyer agrees verbally but stops responding. What are your next three steps?
Hiring tips for this role
- Test with a live role play. Give a product sheet and a difficult buyer, and watch how the candidate asks questions before pitching.
- Ask for verifiable sales history with product type and selling method. Different models, such as field, inside or retail, need different habits.
- Avoid hiring only for talk. Check follow-up discipline and honest reporting, since weak data hides weak pipelines.
- Be clear on incentive design in the offer discussion. Confusing or shifting incentives are a common reason good sellers leave.
Questions about hiring a sales executive
A Sales Executive usually works leads and closes orders for a defined product or territory. A Business Development Manager looks for new markets, partners and larger accounts, and often works with longer sales cycles.
Freshers learn your product and process without old habits and cost less to start. Experienced sellers ramp faster if they sold similar products. Match the choice to how much training your team can give.
Set a probation long enough to cover at least one full sales cycle for your product. Agree clear activity and result expectations in writing at joining so both sides can judge fairly.
GullyHR agrees the job description with you, including territory, product and incentive structure. We then find and screen candidates, check selling experience and support the offer for a permanent hire.
Hiring a sales executive?
GullyHR runs talent acquisition for permanent roles. We agree the job description with you, find and screen candidates against it, and support the offer through to joining. We recruit permanent employees. We do not supply contract or temporary staff.