How to craft an impressive sales cover letter
Sales professionals work in all industries helping to boost profits, spread product awareness, and more. To earn your ideal role in sales, you need a well-written cover letter that describes your top qualifications, skills, and accomplishments as effectively and concisely as possible.
In this 5-step guide, we teach you everything you need to know about writing a great sales cover letter. Keep reading to learn about:
- Creating your sales cover letter header and headline
- Including personalized information in your sales cover letter
- Writing a strong sales cover letter introduction to impress employers
- Showcasing your top skills and accomplishments as a sales professional
- Encouraging employers to contact you in your cover letter conclusion
1. Create an effective sales cover letter header and headline
Writing a cover letter as a sales professional requires more than just eloquence — it also requires you to have a strong understanding of how to give a letter visual flow and appeal.
As a sales professional, you know that to win a sale, you must first hook the customer’s attention. The same goes for applying for a sales job. You must give your cover letter a strong structure, making it easy for employers to find the most important and relevant information that will convince them to hire you.
This task is achieved through the use of a cover letter header and cover letter headline.
Your header comes first, placed at the top of the document, and lists your name, contact information, and other key details the employer needs to know.
Here is an example of a well-formatted sales cover letter header
Mary Allen, Sales Professional
(123) 456-7890 | maryallen@email.com | linkedin.com/in/mary-allen
To: Logans Window Manufacturing, Inc.
Sales Department
1234 Street Address
Savannah, GA 31302
After you have completed your header, you will then write your cover letter headline.
A headline can serve many purposes, including:
- Hooking the reader’s attention
- Highlighting the most important points of the letter
- Creating separation between the header and main body text
No matter how you decide to word your headline, make sure it is highly relevant to the information found within your cover letter — no one likes a misleading title!
Here is an example of a well-written sales cover letter headline
How I Became an Award-Winning Sales Professional & Why My Skills Will Benefit You and Your Clients
2. Include personalized information in your sales cover letter
Think about the last time you received a letter. More than likely, the words contained in that letter were highly specific to your life and the relationship between you and the person who wrote it.
The same should go for your professional cover letters. Writing cover letters that are generic and non-specific will not impress employers enough to land you your ideal job. Instead, you should research the employer thoroughly to find exact details, such as company goals or values, that you can reference.
Moreover, you should always try to discover who at a company will read and review your cover letter. Once you have determined this, address your letter to this person directly in a personalized greeting.
Here are 3 examples of personalized sales cover letter greetings
- Dear Ms. Jane Doe,
- Dear Head of Sales Jane Doe,
- Dear Ms. Jane Doe & the Sales Team,
3. Write a strong sales cover letter introduction to impress employers
If you have ever taken a writing class, you have likely heard how crucial it is to write a strong introduction. Whether it’s a book, a short story, an essay, or — in this case — a cover letter, the introduction can make the difference in whether or not a person continues reading onward.
To make a cover letter introduction strong and compelling, it is essential to include:
- A concise summary of your professional history (always include specializations when possible!)
- A clear statement on why you are applying for this position
- A mutual acquaintance or reputable professional reference (mutual acquaintances make the best professional references, as the employer already knows and trusts them)
Here is an example of a strong introduction from a sales cover letter
Dear Head of Sales Jane Doe,
I am a sales professional with 5 years of specialized experience selling used and new automobile components to dealerships and auto mechanics. My mentor, Mr. John Johnson, is a dealership owner in your city and is a longtime client of your company. Mr. Johnson let me know about this opening at your company and strongly recommended I apply due to my highly relevant skill set.
4. Showcase your top skills and accomplishments as a sales professional
Hooking the employer’s attention in your introduction is only the beginning. From here, you must write concise body paragraphs that delve into your top skills and accomplishments as a sales professional.
To keep your body paragraphs well-organized, make sure to use short sentences that are easily skimmable by the employer. Additionally, you can also organize some information with bullet points, such as a list of your most notable accomplishments in a sales role, to make it more readable and scannable.
As you describe your skills and accomplishments, make sure to include enough detail to make it clear why these specific qualifications are included.
For example, do not just say you have great customer service skills. Instead, explain what kind of communication style you possess and how it has benefited customers in your previous positions. Your goal is to show employers the value you can bring to their company.
Here are 6 skills to describe in a sales cover letter
- Sales account management
- Sales tactics
- Product and inventory management
- Communication (describe your exact communication style)
- Customer service
- Marketing
Here is an example of how to describe an accomplishment in a sales cover letter
As a sales professional at [Former Employer], I achieved the highest number of closed deals in the department, meeting my sales goals for each quarter by 125%. Additionally, I helped onboard 5 major new clients, increasing overall revenues by 30% annually.
5. Encourage employers to contact you in your sales cover letter conclusion
Your last key step in writing a sales cover letter is to encourage the employer to contact you quickly in your conclusion. While you don’t want to make the employer feel rushed, reiterating that you are excited to hear from them and how they can best reach you will help persuade them to contact you promptly.
Always include a formal sign-off in your conclusion to show respect and appreciation to the employer!
Here is an example of a good conclusion from a sales cover letter
It brings me great excitement to be considered for this position on your team and I look forward to hearing from you soon. The best time to reach me is between the hours of 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. any day of the week. As I am eager to speak with you further about this opportunity, I plan to reach out next Wednesday afternoon if I have not yet heard back.
Kind Regards,
[Applicant Name]
If you have ever wondered how a cover letter differs from a resume, this article will tell you everything about the key differences between the two.
