NextChapter

Entry-level sales associate jobs: what the job is, skills and open roles

A sales associate or representative sells products or services to other businesses and often does a bit of everything: prospecting, quoting, order follow-up and customer calls. It is a broad entry title; the posting says which parts matter most. Right now 5,594 entry-level sales associate jobs are open on employers’ own career sites.

What a sales associate does

In the sales family of jobs. Roles that start conversations with buyers, qualify them and close deals.

A typical day

  1. 1. Respond to customer inquiries
  2. 2. Prepare quotes and orders
  3. 3. Call on accounts
  4. 4. Update the CRM
  5. 5. Support the senior sales team

Do you need experience?

316 of the 5,594 open entry-level sales associate jobs say in their own text that no experience is required. 174 say they provide training. The figures are counted from the posting text and change as jobs open and close.

Open entry-level sales associate jobs

Taken from employers’ own career sites and checked to still be open within the last week.

Showing the newest 15 of about 5,594 verified open jobs here. Search all jobs

Search all sales associate jobs

Skills for sales associate jobs

The skills this job uses, most important first. Most can be learned or shown before the first day.

Skills to build or show

  1. 1. Communication
  2. 2. Product knowledge
  3. 3. CRM software
  4. 4. Quoting
  5. 5. Organization
  6. 6. Coachability

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The market for sales associate work

Every figure names its source.

Open entry-level sales associate jobs
5,594

Source: NextChapter, checked against employer career sites, last 7 days.

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Openings that say no experience is required
316

Source: The posting’s own text, counted by NextChapter.

See the detail →
Openings that say they provide training
174

Source: The posting’s own text, counted by NextChapter.

Median pay in listings that state it
$77,500

Source: NextChapter verified openings (2,118 with pay).

See the detail →

Across 2,118 open entry-level sales associate listings that state an annual pay figure, the middle half run from $70,000 to $92,500, with a median of $77,500. Listings that state pay are not every listing, and some roles add commission or bonus on top.

Where entry-level sales associate jobs are

Between jobs? Unemployment benefits and severance rules in these states, or in every state.

Employers hiring sales associates now

  • Cintas 362
  • Charter Communications 239
  • Builders FirstSource 184
  • Orkin 184
  • Rollins 159
  • Hibu 130
  • Unifirst 107
  • Wooten-Rich 96
  • Whittingham 95
  • Alpha Agency 91

More jobs like sales associate

Roles that use the same skills, and where this job commonly leads.

Where it can lead

Similar entry-level jobs

All entry-level sales jobs · Sales Associate jobs at every level

Questions about sales associate jobs

What does a sales associate do?
A sales associate or representative sells products or services to other businesses and often does a bit of everything: prospecting, quoting, order follow-up and customer calls. It is a broad entry title; the posting says which parts matter most. A typical day includes: respond to customer inquiries; prepare quotes and orders; call on accounts; update the CRM; support the senior sales team.
Can I get an entry-level sales associate job with no experience?
316 of the 5,594 open entry-level sales associate jobs say in their own text that no experience is required. 174 say they provide training. The figures are counted from the posting text and change as jobs open and close.
What skills do you need to be a sales associate?
The skills this job uses most are communication, product knowledge, CRM software, quoting, organization, coachability. Most can be learned before the first day through coursework, short courses, practice or a related job.
How much does an entry-level sales associate make?
Across 2,118 open entry-level sales associate listings that state an annual pay figure, the middle half run from $70,000 to $92,500, with a median of $77,500. Listings that state pay are not every listing, and some roles add commission or bonus on top.
Where can a sales associate job lead?
People in this job commonly move to account executive, inside sales representative, account manager, sales operations analyst. The link between jobs is the shared skills; the path is not guaranteed and depends on the employer.

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