How to Hire Wholesale Sales Representatives: The Full Process

Hiring a wholesale sales rep is less like filling a job and more like signing a partner. The good ones already have buyer relationships, already carry other lines, and are deciding whether you’re worth their time as much as you’re deciding whether they’re worth your commission. That changes how you run the process.

This guide covers the mechanics end to end: where to find candidates, how to write the role so the right people answer, what to ask in an interview, how to set commission, what to put in the agreement, and how to onboard someone so they’re productive in weeks rather than quarters. It assumes you’ve already decided to hire. If you’re still weighing it, start with whether and when you should hire wholesale sales representatives, because the decision has prerequisites that are expensive to skip.

Key Takeaways

• Independent reps typically take 5% to 15% of closed deal value for manufactured goods, or 20% to 40% of gross margin.
• Write the job description from what your best selling weeks actually involve, including the delivery and service reality.
• Independent reps evaluate you on product fit, support and reputation as much as on commission rate.
• Test selling ability in the room with a role-play; a CV cannot show you whether someone can handle a buyer’s objection.
• Give a new rep a defined territory, a written line sheet and a 90-day target, because vague briefs are why rep hires fail.

Step 1: Decide which kind of rep you are hiring

The process differs enough that you need to settle this before you write anything.

An independent or manufacturer’s rep is a contractor carrying several non-competing lines into a territory they already work. You pay commission only, you get speed into a new market, and you accept that you’re one line in their bag. This is the right first hire for most small producers.

An employed rep is on payroll, sells only your line, and takes direction. You get focus and control; you take on a fixed cost from day one. The US median annual wage for sales reps in wholesale and manufacturing was $72,080 in May 2025 (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics), before payroll taxes and a vehicle.

A commission-only employee or 1099 closer sits between the two and is the hardest to fill well, because experienced salespeople with their own networks usually prefer the independent structure where they can carry multiple lines.

The rest of this guide is written for the independent rep hire, with notes where an employed hire differs.

Step 2: Write a job description from what the work actually is

The standard advice (observe your top performers and describe what they really do) is hard to apply when the top performer is you. So write it from your own last three months of selling.

A wholesale rep job description that attracts the right people includes:

• Territory and account type. “Independent cafés and delis in greater Boston” tells a rep whether they already have the relationships. “Nationwide” tells them nothing.
• The line. Products, pack sizes, price points, what makes buyers say yes.
• The actual activity mix. Cold visits, sample drops, trade shows, reorder calls, and how much of each.
• Commission structure, stated plainly. Rate, what it’s paid on, when it’s paid, whether reorders keep paying.
• What you provide. Samples, line sheets, lead lists, delivery, a named contact for problems.
• Realistic earnings. Based on your actual average order value and a plausible account count.
• The service reality. Lead times, minimums, delivery days. A rep who finds out later that you can only deliver Tuesdays will have sold Wednesdays.

Be honest about the hard parts. A listing for commission-only work that communicates the difficulty alongside the upside converts better than one that only sells the upside, because it filters out people who’d quit in month two.

Step 3: Where to find wholesale sales representatives

The best candidates are rarely on general job boards, because they’re not unemployed.

• Rep-matching networks. Services built specifically for connecting manufacturers with independent sales reps are the most direct route, and the reps there are self-selected for this model.
• Trade associations in your category. Food, gift, floral and beverage associations all have rep directories or member networks.
• Trade shows. Reps walk shows looking for lines. Being exhibitable is itself a sourcing strategy.
• Your buyers. Ask the buyers you already supply who the good reps in their category are. They see every rep in the market and have opinions.
• LinkedIn, searched by territory. Look for “manufacturer’s representative” or “independent sales representative” plus your category and region.
• General job boards. Fine for an employed rep, weak for independents.

Referrals from existing buyers are the highest-signal channel available to a small producer and almost nobody uses it. A rep your buyer already likes arrives with trust you didn’t have to build.

Step 4: Screen for the right experience, not the most experience

Three things matter more than years in sales.

Relevant category experience. A rep who sells specialty food into independent retail will outperform a more senior rep from a different category, because the buyers and the buying rhythm are different.

Existing relationships in your territory. Ask directly which accounts they currently call on. A rep who already walks into fifteen of your target accounts every month is worth more than one with a better CV and no doors.

A track record in commission-only work, if that’s the structure. Someone who has only ever had a base salary may not have the self-direction the model requires.

Ask for their current line card. It tells you their category, their territory, whether anything they carry competes with you, and how much attention is realistically left for a new line.

Step 5: Interview questions that reveal selling ability

Keep the conversation on specifics rather than philosophy.

On their book of business:

• Which accounts in this territory do you call on now, and how often?
• What else is in your bag, and where would my line sit in it?
• Which of your lines sells best, and why that one?

On process:

• Walk me through the last new account you opened, start to finish.
• How do you generate new prospects when your existing list is covered?
• How do you handle a buyer who says the price is too high?

On fit:

• What would make you drop a line?
• What do you need from a supplier to sell well?
• What’s a realistic account count for this territory in 90 days?

On the hard conversations:

• Tell me about a time a supplier let your buyer down. What did you do?
• What’s your approach when a buyer stops reordering?

Then run a role-play. Hand them the product, tell them you’re a café owner who already stocks a competitor, and let them sell. Fifteen minutes of that reveals more than an hour of questions. You’re watching for whether they ask about the buyer’s business before pitching, and whether an objection makes them adjust or repeat themselves.

Step 6: Set a commission rate that both sides can live with

Commission rates for independent reps cluster in predictable bands:

Independent rates run higher than employed-rep commission rates because the rep carries their own costs and you carry no salary risk.

Four decisions to make explicitly:

1. Revenue or margin? Margin-based commission means a rep who discounts to close a deal shares the cost of that discount. It’s harder to administer and much better aligned.
2. Do reorders keep paying? Most structures pay a reduced ongoing rate. If reorders pay nothing, your rep has no reason to service the account, and wholesale lives on reorders.
3. When does commission pay? On invoice or on payment received. On payment received is standard and protects you from paying out on a bad debt.
4. Is there a house-account exclusion? Accounts you already had should not generate commission. Write the list down on day one.

Research what the standard is for businesses of your size in your category and region, and aim to meet or beat it. Underpaying is how you end up re-running this whole process in six months. And be aware that reps weigh more than the rate: your reputation, your reliability and the support you give all factor into whether they take the line.

Step 7: Put the agreement in writing

A short written agreement prevents almost every dispute that ends a rep relationship. Cover:

• Territory, defined geographically or by account list, and whether it’s exclusive.
• Products covered, and what happens when you launch something new.
• Commission rate, basis, payment timing and reorder treatment.
• House accounts excluded, listed by name.
• Expectations — contact cadence, reporting, a 90-day account target.
• Who owns the account if the relationship ends, and how long commission tails on accounts they opened.
• Notice period on both sides.
• Non-compete scope, kept narrow enough to be reasonable — directly competing lines only.

That last clause about account ownership is the one producers forget and regret. Settle it while everyone is optimistic.

Step 8: Onboard the rep like a new stockist

A rep who doesn’t understand your product and your limits will sell things you can’t deliver. Spend the first two weeks properly.

• Day one: the product. Let them taste it, handle it, see it made. Reps sell what they understand.
• Day one: the limits. Lead times, delivery days, minimum order, what’s seasonal, what sells out.
• Week one: ride along. Take them on a delivery run and let them watch you sell to two existing accounts.
• Week one: the kit. Line sheet, price tiers, samples, order forms, your mobile number.
• Week two: their first solo calls, with a debrief after each one.
• Ongoing: a fixed weekly check-in for the first quarter, then monthly.

Set a 90-day target with a number: accounts opened, or revenue, or both. Review it on the date. Reps respect specific targets and quietly disengage from vague ones.

Make sure your fulfilment can take what they sell. New accounts a rep opens are the accounts most likely to churn on a bad first delivery, and wholesale already runs around 56% B2B churn. If you need the levers for keeping and growing what they bring in, the seven ways to increase wholesale sales covers account management, and the wholesale channel guide covers the pricing and terms a rep will be quoting.

Frequently asked questions

How do you find independent wholesale sales reps?

Rep-matching networks and trade association directories are the most direct routes, because independent reps actively list themselves there. Trade shows work well if you exhibit. The highest-signal and most overlooked source is asking the buyers you already supply which reps in their category they’d recommend.

What commission should I pay a wholesale sales rep?

For manufactured goods, 7% to 15% of closed sales is the standard band for independent reps, or 20% to 40% of gross margin if you structure it that way. Pay a reduced rate on reorders rather than nothing, so the rep has a reason to service the accounts they open, and pay on payment received rather than on invoice.

Should a wholesale sales rep be an employee or a contractor?

Most small producers should start with an independent contractor. It adds selling capacity without a fixed salary, which matches the risk profile of a business hiring because it’s growing. Move to an employee when volume and margin are strong enough to want exclusivity and control.

What should be in a wholesale sales rep agreement?

Territory, products, commission rate and basis, payment timing, reorder treatment, a named list of excluded house accounts, expectations and a 90-day target, who owns accounts if the relationship ends, notice period, and a narrowly drawn non-compete covering directly competing lines only.

How long before a new wholesale sales rep is productive?

Expect first orders within four to six weeks if the rep already has relationships in the territory, and a meaningful account base by 90 days. A rep starting cold in a new territory takes longer, closer to a quarter before the first orders, which is why existing relationships in your specific territory are worth more than general seniority.

Getting the hire right

Hiring wholesale sales representatives comes down to five things done carefully: a job description written from the real work, sourcing through rep networks and your own buyers rather than general job boards, a role-play in the interview, a commission structure that pays on reorders and settles account ownership in writing, and two weeks of real onboarding with a 90-day number attached.

Get those right and a rep opens doors you couldn’t. Get them wrong and you’ll spend a quarter finding out, then do it again.

Sources

• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Wholesale and Manufacturing Sales Representatives
• Salesmate — Manufacturers Sales Rep Commission Rates: How to Calculate
• RepHunter — Determining Commissions for Independent Sales Reps
• CommissionCrowd — How To Hire B2B Commission-Only Sales Reps
• Elogic — Repeat Purchase Rate Benchmarks 2026: B2C and B2B