This is a continuation of my 2023 blog post on how to Hire a Remote Sales Rep
Recently, I hired an in-person sales rep in Dubai (who works from home the majority of the week) AND I’m simultaneously recruiting a remote sales rep for a London-based aesthetic clinic.
They have leads, we help turn them into treatments.
We’ve interviewed 30+ candidates on zoom to find the final 3 that we will present to our client next week. This remote sales rep will call over 100 patient leads and current patients a day, 5 days a week. The goal is to get the leads to schedule a consultation, and then get them to schedule their treatments. This results in a full calendar for the doctors and more revenue for the clinic.
Here are some key tips to share on everything I’ve learned:
Tip 1: Make sure the timezones work
Be very clear on the exact amount of hours, days and time zones you intend to have your remote sales rep work.
Don’t say “It’s flexible” or “hours range from 20-30 per week.”
Instead, be direct and upfront so everyone is on the same page.
For my client, we said that this position is 5 days a week, 40 hours a week from Monday-Friday 9:30am-6:30pm Uk time with a 1-hour break in the middle of the shift.
There might be slight flexibility, by plus or minus 30 minutes on the start and end time, but that’s it.
Also, don’t let people say “I’ll work 8 hours and not take a break.” This is ridiculous because no one can call for 8 hours straight and still maintain great rapport on the phone. I could reduce the break by 30 minutes, but no more.
Tip 2: List an “Hourly rate” but explain how it’s more about the base/commission structure
Typically, you have to share on websites the hourly rate of your pay. You can give a range, like $9-$12 per hour.
But that’s not the main hook for hiring a good remote sales rep.
Your goal is to share a base rate + commission structure, that divided by the amount of hours per month, yields an hourly rate that is exciting for your remote sales rep.
Let’s say that someone wants the full $12 per hour. I would structure it like this:
Your base rate is $1,600 per month (which is about $9 per hour)
Your commission is that if you book $10,000 in new treatments in a month, you’ll make $525 in commissions.
The total is $2,125 in a month…which divided by 172 working hours per month is $12.35 per hour.
There are other commission bonuses at $8,000 or $12,000, and the sky is truly the limit on how much a remote sales rep can earn in a month
Tip 3: Upwork is still the best platform for hiring remote sales reps
Here is a blog post I wrote about Upwork hiring tips. Here’s another blog post with more tips on using Upwork.
I tried to use Indeed to meet remote candidates, but it’s really only designed for in-person staff.
There is a “remote” worker option…but then another part of the job post FORCES you to pick a region to advertise your job..
It makes no sense…because we had to choose London for the job post even though we wanted to hire people from anywhere else in the world. Then all the candidates were…with no surprise…from the UK.
So we had to abandon Indeed and move to Upwork. Upwork has 5% fees for you and for your rep, but it’s quite easy to set up. I also like that it pays people very easily by credit card.
Typically we’ll start with Upwork for a few months and then, if both parties are open to it, we’ll move off of Upwork to direct deposit.
But you’ll find a lot of good talent there.
Tip 4: Screen remote sales reps with this ONE question
For those who are a bit older, you might remember how we used to apply for a job by writing a “cover letter” with your resume.
Now in 2025…resumes are barely used and cover letters don’t exist.
But do you know what the best part of a cover letter was for employers?
It was a chance to see how well a candidate could write, pitch themselves and showcase any research they did.
Now, I use the “Screening Question” tool on both Upwork and Indeed
It’s this: “Tell me in 2-3 sentences a time you closed a sale you were most proud of. Include what it was, the price and how you closed it.”
I can see if
- Someone takes the time to actually do this task
- How well they can write in English
- How well they can follow direction
- And much more!
If they pass this quick test we can then…
Tip 5: Check their resume and scan for recent sales experience
You’d be surprised how many people apply for a sales job and haven’t done a sales job in the past 2 years!
I’m sorry, but a “hospitality” job is not a sales job.
Even working at a call center servicing clients is not a sales job!
A sales job is something like a “Business Development Rep” or “Tele sales caller”
If my team doesn’t see a “sale” in a position that’s at least 6-12 months in duration, we won’t move forward.
Tip 6: Set KPI expectations from the beginning
The “Key Performance Indicators” are always going to be exact and clear from Day 1
For me, I like to clearly state how any remote sales rep will be in charge of 100 outbound contacts a day.
This is very doable because in an 8-hour shift, you can subtract 1 hour for admin or emails or quick meetings.
This leaves 7 hours of calling.
In 1 hour, a trained remote sales rep can make 15-20 outbound calls. This always includes an email (that is templated on Pipedrive so it takes one button to send) and updating the CRM.
The weekly metrics could be things like:
- Set 2 meetings per week, and confirm that 1 meeting happens
- Close $2,500 in new treatments
You gotta have clear targets, because as the great Peter Drucker says “What gets measured, improves.”
Tip 7: When interviewing a remote sales rep, follow my framework
My current favorite way to interview is:
- Group interview
- 1-on-1 interview with my assistant
- 1-on-1 interview with me
- Reference Check
- (If i’m hiring a sales rep for a client): Final interview with the client
The group interview takes about 20 minutes and I pack 20 people into a zoom room.
Then the top 3 from that batch will meet my assistant for a 1-on-1 interview the next day.
Then I’ll interview the candidates she likes for a 20 minute 1-on-1 interview.
Sometimes, they don’t show up to my interview! Other candidates will do a great job, or mess up the interview.
Then we do reference checks with their 2 most recent employers.
After that, we present the top candidates to clients and see who gets the job.
Tip 8: Start with a 2-week trial
Seth Godin, another fantastic business author, said “You don’t know what it’s like to work with someone, until you work with them.”
No matter how well we screen, we don’t know what it’s like until we start working together.
A 1 or 2 week trail is enough time to see if you like working with someone.
Be upfront and say it will be paid, but in 2 weeks we might part ways.
See if they’re punctual.
See if they learn the sales script well.
See if they are enjoyable to work with and train.
See how the chemistry is with you and your clients.
You’ll know within 2 weeks, and then you’ve got a remote sales rep!
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If you’re a clinic with leads. We help turn them into treatments