Sales Cover Letter Examples & Templates for 2025
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You have sales skills that could convince a fish that it needs a bicycle. But convincing a hiring manager that they need you on their team is a different story.
I might not know how to sell you a specific pen, but I do know how to write a job-winning sales cover letter that will make hiring managers eager to buy into your career potential. Let’s get to business.
This sales cover letter guide will show you:
- Sales cover letter example better than 9 out of 10 other cover letters.
- How to write a sales cover letter that will land you more interviews.
- Detailed instructions on highlighting your sales skills in a cover letter for sales jobs.
- How to sell your candidacy on a sales position cover letter to get any job you want.
Want to write your cover letter fast? Use our cover letter builder. Choose from 20+ professional cover letter templates that match your resume. See actionable examples and get expert tips along the way.
Sample cover letter for a resume—See more cover letter samples and create your cover letter here.
Need to get more specific? Check out these cover letter examples:
- Sales Associate Cover Letter
- Sales Representative Cover Letter
- Sales Manager Cover Letter
- Customer Success Manager Cover Letter
- Retail Cover Letter
- Retail Management Cover Letter
- Best Cover Letter Examples for All Professions
Sales Cover Letter Example
John Bushwick
Sales Assistant
18 Market Street
Brooklyn, NY 11201
555-143-4938
john.bushwick@email.com
January 26, 2025
Sarah Johnson
HR Manager
Sunrise Retail
789 Fifth Avenue
New York, NY 10001
Dear Ms. Johnson,
As a sales assistant with 3+ years of experience delivering exceptional customer service and driving sales growth, I am excited to apply for the Sales Assistant role at Sunrise Retail. Your reputation for providing a seamless customer experience aligns perfectly with my professional goals and expertise.
In my previous role at Midtown Fashion, I consistently exceeded sales targets by 15% through upselling techniques and building rapport with customers. I also contributed to a 20% improvement in store efficiency by reorganizing product displays and implementing streamlined inventory processes. Key highlights of my career include:
- Increased monthly sales by $10,000 through personalized product recommendations.
- Reduced customer complaints by 30% by introducing a proactive customer feedback system.
- Earned the “Employee of the Quarter” award three consecutive times for outstanding performance.
I take pride in understanding customer needs, maintaining an organized workspace, and working collaboratively with my team to meet and exceed business goals. I am particularly impressed by Sunrise Retail’s emphasis on sustainability, and I am eager to contribute to your mission while driving revenue growth.
I would love to discuss how my skills and experience can benefit your team. Could we schedule a call or meeting next week, perhaps Monday at noon in your HQ?
Thank you for considering my application, and I look forward to the possibility of joining Sunrise Retail.
Sincerely,
John Bushwick
555-143-4938
john.bushwick@email.com
PS, I would love to tell you more about using the client’s referral program to reduce customer complaints, as I believe it would work perfectly for Sunrise Retail!
Now that’s one of those candidate-selling sales cover letters. Time to find out how to write one that’s just as effective.
1. Use the Best Format for Your Sales Cover Letter
Your recruiter is your top priority client for selling yourself as a perfect candidate for the job. So don’t make them unhappy with the product from the top. Instead, wow them with how perfectly formatted a cover letter you can deliver.
Here’s the cover letter structure to work on:
Sales Job Cover Letter Template: Formatting Tips
- Cover letter header, including your contact details and job title
- The date of writing
- The company’s contact information
- Your addressee’s details (their name and job title)
- Professional salutation
- Introductory paragraph mentioning the company’s name
- Second paragraph explaining why you’re the perfect fit for the job (using your key strengths, top skills, and relevant achievements)
- More relevant achievements backed with impressive numbers
- Closing paragraph, including an explanation of why this job is perfect for you
- Professional sign-off
- Optionally: postscript with one more impressive achievement to convince the reader further into your candidacy
Now that you know what to include in a cover letter, let’s start writing!
Want to know more about the cover letter structure? Visit our guide: Cover Letter Outline for 2025
2. Start Your Sales Cover Letter Impressively
There are currently more than 31 million salespeople in the USA. That’s impressive, but it’s not surprising. However, to get your hands on the job you’re after, you need to impress your recruiters with your candidacy. And having a perfect opening line to your cover letter is one way to do it!
Here’s how to begin a cover letter for sales jobs:
- Start with a professional cover letter header that includes your and your recipients' information. This will ensure that your cover letter is not yet another copy-paste generic letter.
- Keep personalizing it. Don’t address the reader “Dear Sir or Madame”. Don’t use a generic “To Whom It May Concern” line. Instead, find out the name of your recipient and create an instant connection by addressing them directly.
- Wow them from the very first line. Talk briefly about your most impressive (and relevant!) accomplishment, prove your key strength, or mention a connection in the company, as that’s what 20% of recruiters expect to see in a cover letter.
- Use the company’s name in the first paragraph. That’s yet another way of showing you don’t want any sales job, you want this one.
Time to see that advice in action:
Sales Cover Letter Examples: Opening Lines
| Right |
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John Bushwick Sales Assistant 18 Market Street Brooklyn, NY 11201 555-143-4938 john.bushwick@email.com January 26, 2025 Sarah Johnson HR Manager Sunrise Retail 789 Fifth Avenue New York, NY 10001 Dear Ms. Johnson, As a sales assistant with 3+ years of experience delivering exceptional customer service and driving sales growth, I am excited to apply for the Sales Assistant role at Sunrise Retail. Your reputation for providing a seamless customer experience aligns perfectly with my professional goals and expertise. |
| Wrong |
|---|
To whom it may concern, My name is John Bushwick, and I am a sales assistant. When I saw that you’re looking for a salesperson, I was thrilled, as I always wanted to work for your company, which shares the same values as me. |
You can easily spot the difference. The first one is direct, personalized, and sincere. The second one is just a generic cover letter that was written once and sent to tens of different companies. It’s obvious to say which one would convince the recruiter to keep on reading.
Time to prove why you’re the perfect fit.
As you can see, addressing your cover incorrectly is very impactful. Make sure to know how to do it right: How to Address a Cover Letter in 2025
3. Continue Your Sales Cover Letter With a Solid Middle Part
You’ve got their attention already, and they read on. Now it’s time to gain their interest. But don’t just talk about yourself. Remember, from their perspective, you’re there to improve the company, not the other way around.
Here’s how to keep impressing your readers with your sales cover letter:
- Search what exactly the company does, what challenges is it currently facing, and what it is planning for the future. Researching social media and websites and googling them would do the trick. Prove that you’re the solution they seek.
- Show your achievements, skills, and strengths to prove you fit perfectly. List them using bullet points to boost the readability of your document.
- Quantify your accomplishments. That’s what makes them specific and unique, and that’s what makes your cover letter stand out more.
Let’s see some examples:
Cover Letter Examples for Sales: Middle Paragraphs
| Right |
|---|
In my previous role at Midtown Fashion, I consistently exceeded sales targets by 15% through upselling techniques and building rapport with customers. I also contributed to a 20% improvement in store efficiency by reorganizing product displays and implementing streamlined inventory processes. Key highlights of my career include:
I take pride in understanding customer needs, maintaining an organized workspace, and working collaboratively with my team to meet and exceed business goals. I am particularly impressed by Sunrise Retail’s emphasis on sustainability, and I am eager to contribute to your mission while driving revenue growth. |
| Wrong |
|---|
| In my previous jobs, I gained experience as a sales associate, using my hard and soft skills to deliver the best results for companies. I was considered one of the top salespeople in my branch, increasing monthly sales, reducing customer complaints, and earning in-house awards for my outstanding work. |
Take a look at these two examples, as they perfectly show why being specific matters. The second candidate might have even better numbers, but they haven’t mentioned them, so they lost to the first candidate.
But what if you don’t have that much relevant experience?
A sales cover letter without any experience can still sell you as a great candidate. Here’s how to do it:
- Focus not on your achievements but on your transferable skills, such as impressive communication, active listening, computer use, and problem-solving abilities. These soft skills (and one hard skill) are all great foundations for being an outstanding salesperson.
- Think about past job achievements that align well with the responsibilities of a sales specialist. Emphasizing your past duties and achievements. Did any of them align with the responsibilities of a salesperson? If so, mention them in your cover letter.
- Describe how your college experience prepared you for a successful career in sales.
- Speak passionately about the position or the company, or even better: both! Enthusiasm is always welcome, and in sales, it’s an irreplaceable asset!
Let’s see an example of how it’s done:
Cover Letter for Sales Example: No Experience
| Right |
|---|
While volunteering at the local community center, I developed valuable skills in organization, communication, and teamwork. Some of my key accomplishments include:
While I may not have direct retail experience, I bring transferable skills such as time management, attention to detail, and a positive attitude. I am eager to learn and grow in a fast-paced environment like Sunrise Retail, where I can contribute to delivering a memorable shopping experience to every customer. |
It looks way better than the wrong example from earlier. It’s passionate, and it shows some transferable skills that are more than welcome for any sales specialist. Well done!
Let’s move on to the last part of our cover letter.
Want to learn more about writing a cover letter with no work experience? Visit our guide: Entry-Level Cover Letter
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4. Close Your Sales Cover Letter Perfectly
Like closing a sale, you need a great finish for your cover letter. Otherwise, your recruiter might not feel content and move on to the next candidate. And that’s a lost client!
Here’s how to conclude a cover letter for sales:
- Express your gratitude for considering your application and show your enthusiasm for a chance to work with them.
- Add a professional signature with your full name and repeated contact details to make your recruiter’s job easier.
- Offer a precise time and place for your interview to put the ball in their court. Seems like a bold move, but works great!
- Think about adding a PS to highlight one of your key achievements and how it would translate to their company. It’s an offer that’s hard to refuse.
Here’s what it can (and can’t) look like:
Cover Letter Sales Examples: Ending Paragraphs
| Right |
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I would love to discuss how my skills and experience can benefit your team. Could we schedule a call or meeting next week, perhaps Monday at noon in your HQ? Thank you for considering my application, and I look forward to the possibility of joining Sunrise Retail. Sincerely, 555-143-4938 PS, I would love to tell you more about using the client’s referral program to reduce customer complaints, as I believe it would work perfectly for Sunrise Retail! |
| Wrong |
|---|
Thank you for considering my candidacy for the role. Take care! Johno |
The professionalism that followed my guidance vs. the casual ending with a nickname instead of a real name. Seems fake? You’d be surprised by people's mistakes when they don’t follow the basic cover letter tips.
And that’s it. Time for a quick recap.
Plus, a great cover letter that matches your resume will give you an advantage over other candidates. You can write it in our cover letter builder here. Here's what it may look like:
See more cover letter templates and start writing.
Key Takeaway
Now that you know how to write a sales cover letter, let me quickly repeat the most crucial lessons from this article.
Here’s how to write a sales cover letter:
- Choose the right format, stick to the correct cover letter length (nothing longer than a page), and follow the right structure, ensuring you include all the necessary parts.
- Open strongly with a tailored achievement or skill.
- Address the company’s needs and show how relevant your qualifications are to prove you’re the perfect fit.
- End your sales cover letter with an offer and a promise to make them want to meet you in person.
And that’s it. You're ready. Good luck!
Any questions? I’ll be more than happy to help you. Reach me out in the comment section below, and let’s talk!
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