There are few careers that offer virtually unlimited earning potential, and sales is one of them. And if you’re interested in the freedom that comes with a career as a freelancer, then you might be excited to hear that sales representatives can work as freelancers too.
Freedom and unlimited earning potential: those are just some of the pros of a freelance sales career. But there are, without a doubt, some cons too—quite a few of them, in fact.
Below, we’ll tell you all about the pros and cons of a freelance sales career so that you can decide whether or not this path is right for you.
How Does Freelance Sales Work?
There are a couple of differences between being a freelance sales rep and working in a more traditional sales role. As a freelance sales rep, you are independently in charge of your list of leads and closing rates. There are no team quotas, and you don’t get operational support from the company the same way an in-house salesperson would. You are also responsible for marketing efforts, account handling, and customer service for your products. And, as a freelance sales rep, you can work with numerous companies simultaneously.
What Does a Freelance Sales Representative Do?
Freelance sales representatives perform a wide range of tasks throughout the day. Here’s how that all breaks down.
Role and Responsibilities
Freelance sales represent and promote their clients’ products and services. They independently market the product and develop strong relations with customers and prospects. Another vital responsibility of a freelance sales rep is to stay in touch with the trends, industry knowledge, and sales vocabulary that’s relevant to the client’s niche.
Average Day in the Life
The day-to-day life of freelance sales agents will include:
- Following up on warm leads
- Cold-calling prospects
- Reaching out to previous buyers
- Setting monthly sales goals to meet your commission requirements
- Invoicing, client management, and prospecting for new clients
Career as a Freelance Sales Representative: Pros and Cons
You will experience some ups and downs as a freelance sales consultant or representative.
Pros
There’s no limit to the amount of money you can make as a freelance sales representative. You can work as much or as little as you wish to. With experience, you can command higher commissions while working a few hours a week. As is the case with all freelancer roles, you can choose where to work from and who to work for. That means no fixed schedule or daily quotas!
Another pro? You don’t have to fill out vacation request forms!
Cons
Working as a freelance sales rep can be a high-risk, high-reward situation. Most in-house sales reps have a base salary to fall back on if they have a slow year. You won’t have that as a freelance rep.
How To Get Started in Freelance Sales
This 7-step process will get you started in freelance sales:
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Get Familiar With the World of Freelance Sales, Ensure It’s the Right Path for You, and Make a Plan
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Invest Time in Education, Learning, and Training
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Hone the Requisite Skills
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Create a Portfolio That Appeals to Your Target Clients
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Landing Your First Freelance Sales Client
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Set Systems and Processes To Keep You Running Smoothly
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Keep Prospecting
Get Familiar With the World of Freelance Sales, Ensure It’s the Right Path for You, and Make a Plan
The allure of being your boss can make you rush into the process. Take a breath and first dive into research mode. Books, podcasts, and blogs about freelance sales as an industry will help you determine if this is a path you want to forge for yourself.
Invest Time in Education, Learning, and Training
A sales bootcamp is one of the best ways to learn about the sales industry. But your learning, education, and training shouldn’t stop there. Make sure that you continue learning about the industry you want to be working in.
Hone the Requisite Skills
These sales skills will help you seal the deal:
Technical Skills
Customer analytics is key to making it in sales, whether or not you’re going the freelance route. If you are making B2B sales, SaaS sales, or tech sales, then you’ll need the technical acumen to confidently sell the product.
Soft Skills
The following soft skills are instrumental for freelance sales reps:
- Communication skills. Strong communication skills, including active listening, will help you understand your client’s needs so that you can better tailor your pitches to them.
- Growth mindset. If you are an independent sales rep, then you are solely responsible for ensuring your sales go upwards. It helps to have a growth mindset.
- Resilience. Even though you are not tied to sales targets, you will face daily rejections. Sales professionals need to be willing to weather through these phases.
Create a Portfolio That Appeals to Your Target Clients
A strong sales portfolio and a sales resume are both great ways to show off your sales skills. It should include numbers regarding your performance over time, the number of deals you have closed, etc. If you have no work experience, focus on creating case studies on how you would approach the client’s customer base.
Landing Your First Freelance Sales Client
Once you have the right knowledge, skills, and portfolio, it’s time to land your first freelance sales client.
Marketplaces
Fiverr and Upwork are popular marketplaces for freelancers of all categories. You can also create your profile on specific marketplaces like Salesfolks, CommissionCrowd, and TryClosify. Invest some time in creating an impressive profile highlighting your skills on these platforms.
Job Boards
Indeed, Glassdoor and AngelList are generic job boards with many sales job openings. You can also look at sales job boards like BetterTeam, SalesHeads, and Rainmakers.
Tap Into Your Network
Even companies with in-house sales associates sometimes outsource sales to independent sales reps. Connecting with salespeople across your industry (not just companies or startups with no sales teams) can be fruitful.
Set Systems and Processes To Keep You Running Smoothly
Your system and processes will define your growth as a freelancer. You will hit commission targets and maximize efficiency only if you have a foolproof plan for your day-to-day and big-picture goals.
Create a Schedule for Your Workday
Just because you don’t have a manager to report to, don’t let time slip out of your hands. Create a schedule that works for you, and experiment with different kinds of schedules till something clicks.
Get a Tech Stack in Place
Project management tools like Notion and Asana can help you stay on top of tasks. CRMs from Monday.com or Hubspot tools for scheduling, email funnels, etc., can help with marketing. And Zoominfo is great for compiling a list of contacts.
Create a Standard Proposal, Onboarding Documents, Invoices, and Other Templates for New Clients
The end-of-the-month hurry to compile invoices or the process of drafting sales contracts can be easily streamlined. You can use websites like BetterProposals for quotes, contracts, and pitches. Invoicing software like Wise can help with payments. Create a standard “document stack” of everything you need.
Keep Prospecting
Reach your target client by experimenting with cold calling, LinkedIn outreach, webinars, and personalized email campaigns. Sometimes old-school prospecting through trade shows also helps land freelance sales jobs.
How Much Can You Earn as a Freelance Sales Representative?
Freelance sales representatives can earn as much as (if not more than) in-house sales reps. Here are a few things to consider:
How Is Pay Generally Structured?
Choosing the right payment structure can determine your success as a freelance sales rep. Some of your options include:
- Hourly rate/flat rate
- Base salary + commission percentage
- Revenue commission
- Straight commission
- Tiered commission
- Residual commission
Average Earnings
Independent sales reps earn an average salary of $82,461 per year. The number can be much higher depending on the commission percentage.
Your salary will be closer to the six-figure mark if you choose to specialize in healthcare, technology, or finance. And a strong portfolio will boost your commissions too.
Becoming a Freelance Sales Representative: Real-Life Examples To Inspire You
Many freelance sales representatives are thriving in their careers. Here are some examples to learn from:
Kevin M.
Kevin M. is an independent sales representative with his own B2B sales agency. His client base comprises sporting goods manufacturers. The agency’s customer base is sports apparel brands and corporate marketing agencies.
Kevin invests a significant part of his day-to-day in getting his clients’ products out there through physical meetings with brands. It is not prudent to expect the target customer base (not the end-user in this case) to buy the products online on their own.
Kevin leveraged his past network to catapult into freelance sales. He worked with sports goods manufacturers before becoming a freelance sales rep in this space. Kevin advises prioritizing network building with potential clients as the first step before committing to freelance sales.
Danny Gonzales
Danny Gonzales owns DMG Architectural Specialists, a sales agency in the manufacturing industry. They have 18 B2B industrial companies as clients. Danny worked in manufacturing, sales, and customer service positions before becoming an independent freelance sales rep.
He believes that for any sales rep to succeed, they must go beyond selling. The goal should not be to sell but to solve the customer’s problem, even if it means telling them to go with a competitor. He also recommends getting to know the client (and not just the client’s customers) inside out. Danny estimates that 30-40% of his time goes into asking his potential clients about their lives, families, preferences, etc.
Freelance Sales FAQs
We’ve got the answers to your most frequently asked questions.
What Are the Top Industries for Freelance Sales?
The top industries for freelance sales are logistics, healthcare, infrastructure maintenance, and commercial insurance. All of these industries have high volume orders, easy retention, and fewer chances of obsoletion.
Can You Become a Freelance Sales Representative Without Any Experience?
Yes, you can become a freelance sales representative without any sales experience, but it’ll be much harder than if you already have some experience in sales. Choose an industry you are familiar with or deeply interested in. Read about classic sales techniques from books and learn current sales trends through courses. Try networking with other freelance marketers in your field and get started!
How Much Do Freelance Sales Representatives Usually Work?
Like with most freelance positions, you can decide your hours as a freelance sales representative. It can range from 10 hours/week to the classic 40 hours/week or more. You can treat it like a full-time freelancing career or a side hustle along with a full-time job.
Do Freelance Sales Professionals Make a Decent Living?
Freelance sales professionals can make a decent living, but it’s entirely up to you. You must be willing to invest in yourself, set realistic goals, and build customer relationships.
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