Knowing how to hire a salesperson comes down to two questions: when the timing is right, and how to set the person up to succeed. For most remodeling owners, the right time to hire your first sales rep is when you have become the bottleneck, when you have more qualified leads than you can personally work and selling is crowding out actually running the business.
Most remodeling company owners are the main salesperson, at least at first. Adding a dedicated rep is one of the highest-leverage hires you will make, and one of the riskiest, because selling is a different animal than a production or office role. This guide covers when to hire, how to hire, what to pay, and what to expect once they start.
This guide expands on our PowerTips TV episode with Victoria Downing. You can also watch the related PowerTips TV episode referenced in the video.
When to hire a remodeling salesperson
The clearest signal is simple: you have become the sales bottleneck. Watch for these signs:
- Leads are going unworked or your follow-up has slipped. Real opportunities are slipping through because you cannot get to them fast enough.
- You are turning away or losing work you could have won with more attention.
- Revenue has plateaued because your personal selling capacity is the ceiling on growth.
- Selling is crowding out the rest of the business, so production, finances, and leadership all suffer when you are chasing deals.
One caution before you post a job. Do not hire a salesperson to escape selling if you do not have the lead flow to feed them. A new rep with no leads will fail no matter how good they are. If your pipeline is thin, fix lead generation first. A strong website that shares pricing and captures qualified leads is a good place to start. You also need enough cash to fund a ramp period of several months before the hire pays for themselves.
How to hire a remodeling salesperson
Define the role and a scorecard
Before you write a job post, define what success looks like. Spell out the outcomes you expect (revenue sold, close rate, lead response time, margin held), not just a list of duties. A simple scorecard keeps you honest in the interview and gives the new hire a clear target.
Decide how you’ll pay them
Compensation is where many first-time sales hires go wrong. A few common structures in residential remodeling:
- Base salary plus commission. The most common and usually the best choice for a first hire. A guaranteed base gives a ramping rep stability through the long remodeling sales cycle, while commission rewards results. Commission on residential remodeling work commonly runs in the range of about 3% to 6% of sold project revenue, or a share of the gross profit on jobs they sell. Tying payout to project payment milestones keeps the rep paid roughly as you get paid.
- Draw against commission. A set weekly or monthly amount the rep later repays out of commissions. It bridges the learning curve while keeping them on a performance plan.
- Commission only. Higher percentages to offset no base, but a poor fit for a first hire (see the FAQ below).
Whatever you choose, protect your margin. If you let a rep earn full commission on discounted work, they can give away your profit to close a deal. A sliding scale that pays full commission only at proper pricing keeps the rep aligned with your bottom line. The same benchmarking discipline you apply to your own owner pay applies here.
Recruit and run a real interview
The best remodeling salespeople are consultative, not high-pressure closers. Homeowners are inviting someone into their home for a months-long project, so trust matters more than a slick pitch. Source candidates through referrals, industry networks, and your own past clients, then run a structured interview that asks every candidate the same core questions so you can compare fairly. Pay attention to how a candidate would read and adapt to different buyers, which is exactly what the DISC buying styles framework helps you evaluate.
10 interview questions for remodeling salespeople
- Walk me through a remodeling or home-improvement sale you closed, from the first call to the signed contract.
- A homeowner says your price is too high and a competitor came in cheaper. How do you respond?
- How do you build trust with a homeowner who is inviting you into their home for a major project?
- How do you qualify whether a lead is a real budget fit before you invest hours in it?
- Tell me about a deal you lost. What happened, and what would you do differently?
- Remodeling sales cycles can run weeks or months. How do you keep a deal moving without being pushy?
- How comfortable are you reading plans and talking a client through scope, timeline, and change orders?
- How do you organize your pipeline and follow-ups? What tools do you use?
- How do you adjust your approach for a fast, decisive buyer versus a cautious couple who need to think it over?
- Why sales, and why remodeling? What does success look like for you a year from now?
Onboard and ramp them
Plan for a real ramp. In the first month or two, a new rep should learn your process and product, shadow you on sales calls, and study your won and lost jobs. Expect first solo leads in the first couple of months, first closed jobs somewhere around months three to six, and full productivity anywhere from six to twelve months in, because remodeling sales cycles are long. Give them leads, give them support, and hold them to the scorecard you defined.
Frequently asked questions
When should I hire a sales rep?
When you have become the sales bottleneck: you have more qualified leads than you can work well, your follow-up is slipping, and you are turning away or losing jobs you could have won. You also need consistent lead flow to feed the rep and enough cash to fund a ramp of six to twelve months. If leads are thin, fix lead generation before you hire.
How much do remodeling salespeople make?
It varies widely by market, deal size, and pay structure. A common setup is a base salary plus commission, with commission on residential remodeling work often running about 3% to 6% of sold revenue or a share of gross profit. Strong reps on good volume can reach six figures in total earnings, while commission-only reps earn a higher percentage to make up for having no base. Because the right number depends on your margins and average project size, sanity-check any plan against your own financials before you commit.
Should my first sales hire be commission-only?
Usually not. Remodeling sales cycles are long, so a new rep can go months before closing anything, and commission-only tends to attract independent reps who may not commit to your process or who push underpriced deals just to get paid. Base plus commission, or a draw against commission during the ramp, gives a new hire stability and keeps them aligned with your standards and your margins. Save commission-only for proven, self-sourcing closers.
Build the team that grows your business
Your first sales hire is a turning point: done well, it lifts the revenue ceiling that your own time was setting. Done poorly, it costs you months and real money. Working through decisions like this with other owners who have already made the hire is a big part of what happens inside Roundtables.