Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Business Sales Representative

🎯 Role Definition

The Business Sales Representative drives new customer acquisition and revenue growth by actively prospecting, qualifying leads, conducting product demonstrations, negotiating contracts, and closing deals. This role requires a consultative selling mindset, strong CRM discipline (Salesforce, HubSpot, etc.), and the ability to manage a full sales cycle while collaborating with marketing, product, operations, and customer success to deliver value and meet or exceed sales targets.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Sales Development Representative (SDR) / Business Development Representative (BDR)
Inside Sales Representative
Account Coordinator / Junior Account Manager

Advancement To:

Senior Business Sales Representative / Account Executive
Strategic Account Manager / Enterprise Sales Representative
Sales Manager / Regional Sales Manager
Director of Sales or Head of Business Development

Lateral Moves:

Customer Success Manager
Product Specialist / Solutions Consultant
Marketing / Demand Generation Specialist

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Prospect, research, and identify new business opportunities through outbound outreach (cold calling, email campaigns, social selling) and inbound lead qualification to grow a targeted B2B pipeline and consistently achieve monthly and quarterly sales quotas.
Manage the full sales cycle from initial prospect engagement to contract signature: qualify needs, conduct discovery calls, present tailored solutions, negotiate pricing and terms, and close deals while maintaining high conversion rates.
Conduct consultative product demonstrations and tailored presentations—online or in-person—to clearly articulate product value propositions, ROI, and competitive differentiation for mid-market and enterprise buyers.
Develop and execute strategic territory and account plans that prioritize high-potential prospects, identify upsell/cross-sell opportunities, and map decision-makers to accelerate sales cycles and increase average deal size.
Maintain an accurate, up-to-date sales pipeline and forecast in the CRM (Salesforce, HubSpot or equivalent), ensuring weekly and monthly forecast accuracy and transparency for sales leadership.
Drive new client acquisition through targeted outbound initiatives (prospecting cadences, account-based marketing alignment) and nurture inbound leads from marketing programs to convert qualified opportunities.
Negotiate commercial terms and contracts in partnership with legal and finance, ensuring compliance with company pricing policies and margin targets while closing deals efficiently.
Build and maintain strong, long-term relationships with key stakeholders and decision-makers (C-level, VPs, directors) to secure renewals, expansions, and long-term strategic partnerships.
Collaborate with marketing to provide account feedback, refine messaging, and develop tailored content (case studies, customer references, tailored decks) to accelerate deal velocity and close rates.
Execute demo environments, proof-of-value or pilot programs, and coordinate technical resources or solutions consultants to validate product fit and remove technical objections.
Utilize sales enablement tools and playbooks to continuously improve discovery, objection handling, and closing techniques; document and share best practices with the team.
Track and report competitor activity, market trends, pricing shifts, and customer feedback to influence product roadmap and inform strategic positioning.
Perform accurate pricing calculations, prepare proposals and quotes, and manage approvals processes to maintain deal momentum and ensure profitability.
Participate in weekly pipeline reviews, quota planning, and sales meetings; proactively identify at-risk deals and implement mitigation strategies to protect revenue attainment.
Handle complex RFPs and tender processes—coordinate internal stakeholders, assemble proposals, and present responses aligned to client evaluation criteria and deadlines.
Maintain CRM hygiene by logging calls, activities, meeting notes, proposals, and next steps to ensure transparency across the sales organization and enable handoffs to implementation and customer success teams.
Achieve and consistently exceed individual sales targets and KPIs: quota attainment, pipeline coverage, average deal size, win rate, and sales cycle time.
Prepare account reviews and executive summaries for senior leadership outlining progress against targets, pipeline health, and strategic opportunities for cross-functional investment.
Represent the company at industry events, trade shows, webinars, and customer forums to generate leads, build brand awareness, and deepen relationships with prospects and partners.
Coach and mentor junior sales team members or SDRs by participating in training on discovery techniques, objection handling, and CRM best practices to scale high-quality selling behaviors.
Collaborate with product and operations teams to ensure smooth handoff from sales to implementation, escalate client concerns, and ensure timely onboarding and customer satisfaction.
Execute targeted upsell and cross-sell campaigns within assigned accounts by mapping client needs, identifying new use cases, and coordinating multi-stakeholder engagements to grow account revenue.
Manage post-sale follow-up including onboarding check-ins, contract renewals, and escalation handling to drive retention and lifetime customer value.
Maintain professional knowledge of industry regulations, compliance requirements, and data privacy considerations relevant to client engagements and contracts.

Secondary Functions

Provide competitive intelligence and voice-of-customer insights to product and marketing teams to shape future features and go-to-market strategies.
Assist marketing with case studies, testimonials, and referenceable customer stories to support demand generation and credibility in the market.
Support ad-hoc reporting requests and contribute to sales analytics by supplying qualitative deal context and customer feedback.
Participate in pilot programs and feedback sessions to help design product enhancements based on customer needs and field testing.
Help prepare training materials and sales collateral for new product launches or promotional campaigns.
Coordinate with finance and legal on billing, invoicing, contract amendments, and compliance-related items to expedite deal closure.
Facilitate cross-functional workshops with customer success and implementation teams to ensure seamless client onboarding and reduce time-to-value.
Take part in internal process improvement initiatives to streamline quoting, approvals, and contract management workflows.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Proven proficiency with CRM systems (Salesforce, HubSpot, Microsoft Dynamics) for pipeline management, forecasting, and activity tracking.
Strong prospecting and lead generation skills including cold calling, cold emailing, account-based selling, and social selling (LinkedIn Sales Navigator).
Experience preparing and delivering product demos, solution presentations, and tailored proposals to C-level and senior stakeholders.
Contract negotiation and commercial terms structuring experience, including working knowledge of NDAs, SOWs, and standard commercial agreements.
Solid financial acumen: ability to calculate ROI, prepare pricing proposals, and model deal economics to justify investment.
Familiarity with sales enablement and outreach platforms (Outreach, SalesLoft, Gong, ZoomInfo) and lead enrichment tools.
Data-driven pipeline and forecasting skills using Excel, Google Sheets, or BI tools (Looker, Tableau) to analyze trends and manage quotas.
Experience responding to RFPs, RFIs, and managing competitive procurement processes.
Comfortable using virtual presentation and demo platforms (Zoom, Teams, Webex) plus basic technical troubleshooting for demo setups.
Knowledge of CRM hygiene best practices, sales cadence design, and playbook execution for repeatable selling motions.

Soft Skills

Exceptional written and verbal communication skills with strong presentation and storytelling ability to convey business value and ROI.
Consultative selling mentality: active listening, needs analysis, and problem-solving to align solutions to customer objectives.
Strong negotiation, persuasion, and closing skills with composure under pricing or contract pressure.
Relationship-building and stakeholder management with the ability to influence across multiple organizational levels.
Self-motivated, target-driven, and resilient with a proven track record of meeting or exceeding sales quotas.
Time management and prioritization skills to manage multiple opportunities and long sales cycles effectively.
Strategic thinking and commercial awareness to identify high-value accounts and craft account expansion plans.
Adaptability to changing product offerings, market conditions, and customer priorities.
Team collaboration mindset; works cross-functionally to remove blockers and accelerate deal progress.
Customer-centric orientation with a focus on long-term relationships, retention, and customer lifetime value.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

High school diploma or equivalent; relevant sales certifications or demonstrated selling experience accepted in lieu of a degree.

Preferred Education:

Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Marketing, Sales, Communications, Economics, or a related field.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Business Administration
Marketing
Communications
Economics
Sales Management
Information Systems (for technical product sales)

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

2 to 5 years of professional B2B sales experience, or equivalent quota-carrying experience in a related field.

Preferred:

3 to 7+ years of quota-carrying B2B sales experience, preferably selling SaaS, technology, professional services, or complex solutions to mid-market or enterprise customers.
Demonstrated history of consistently meeting or exceeding sales targets, experience with territory management, and familiarity with consultative/solution selling methodologies.