What Does a Salesperson Do? Duties, Must-Have Skills, and How to Measure Performance
A salesperson is the front line of a company's sales. Learn a salesperson's duties, the types of salespeople, must-have skills, and the KPIs to measure them.
By Tim Advotics · · Updated · 2 min read
Key takeaways
- A salesperson offers, sells, and maintains customer relationships on behalf of the company — the front line that meets the market directly.
- The job goes beyond selling: opening new markets, handling customer administration, gathering market information, and protecting the company's reputation.
- Must-have skills: communication, interpersonal skills, negotiation, product knowledge, time management, and closing.
- Performance is measured with KPIs such as target achievement, visits, effective calls, and active stores.
A salesperson offers and sells a company's products to customers and maintains the relationship with them after the sale. In distribution, salespeople are the front line that meets stores and the market directly — their performance drives sales.
What types of salespeople are there?
| Type | How they work | Common in |
|---|---|---|
| Order taking | Collects orders at the store; goods delivered later | FMCG distribution to general trade |
| Van sales (canvasser) | Carries stock in a vehicle; sells and delivers on the spot | Small stores in scattered areas |
| Key account | Handles large customers such as modern retail chains | Modern trade |
| Merchandiser | Arranges displays and ensures planogram compliance | Modern retail and large stores |
What are a salesperson's duties?
- Selling to target. The sales target is the main KPI; salespeople also make sure customers are satisfied after buying.
- Learning the products so they can answer questions and explain benefits convincingly.
- Opening new markets — finding and winning new stores or customers in the right segments.
- Handling customer administration — orders, proof of purchase, collections, and sales reports.
- Gathering market information — in-store stock, competitor prices, and customer complaints.
- Protecting the company's reputation as its face to customers.
What skills does a salesperson need?
- Communication — presenting offers clearly and persuasively.
- Interpersonal skills — listening to customer needs and complaints, not just talking.
- Negotiation — reaching deals that work for both sides.
- Product knowledge — the better they know the product, the more credible they are.
- Time management — organizing visits to hit the daily store target.
- Closing — turning conversations into transactions.
- Data and app literacy — recording visits, orders, and store stock digitally.
How do you measure a salesperson's performance?
| KPI | Measures |
|---|---|
| Target achievement | Actual sales versus target |
| Visits versus plan | Stores actually visited versus the visit plan |
| Effective call | Visits that result in a transaction |
| Active stores | Stores that ordered within a period |
| Average order value | Average transaction value per visit |
| Collection rate | Invoices collected versus invoices due |
How does technology help salespeople?
With Advotics Field Team, salespeople check in at stores with geo-tagging and record orders, stock, market prices, and collections in the app, while managers see every salesperson's performance on one dashboard. Daily visit routes can be generated automatically with Advotics Route Plan.
Learn how to turn more visits into transactions in What Is an Effective Call?. Want a more measurable sales team? Contact the Advotics team.
Frequently asked questions
What is a salesperson?
A salesperson offers and sells a company's products or services to prospective buyers and maintains the relationship with customers after the sale.
What are a salesperson's duties?
The main duties are selling to target, learning the products, opening new markets and customers, handling customer administration such as orders and collections, gathering market information, and protecting the company's reputation.
What is the difference between order-taking sales and van sales?
An order-taking salesperson collects orders at the store and the goods are delivered later by the delivery team. A van salesperson carries stock in a vehicle and sells and hands over goods on the spot.
How do you measure a salesperson's performance?
With KPIs such as sales target achievement, visits completed versus plan, effective calls, active stores, average order value, and collection rate.
