salesperson
Americannoun
-
salespeople,
plural
-
salespersons
plural
Usage
What does salesperson mean? A salesperson is a person whose job is to sell products or services. Another term for salesperson is sales rep (or sales representative). The terms salesman and saleswoman are still commonly used, but salesperson and sales rep are often used in their place. The plural of salesperson can be salespeople or salespersons. A salesperson is often said to “work in sales”—in which sales refers to the type of occupation or the division or department within the company. A salesperson can sell directly to customers or to other businesses or organizations. Sometimes, salespersons sell things in person, such as at a retail store or dealership. They also commonly sell things over the phone or by communicating with people online. In the past, it was common for some salespersons to travel door-to-door to make sales to people at home. A salesperson who has to travel as part of their job can be called a traveling salesperson. The word salesperson is sometimes used in a somewhat figurative way to refer to someone who’s skilled at persuading people, especially in a business or professional setting, as if they are selling them a product. Example: The salesperson told me that this was the best deal he could give me.
Gender
See -person.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of salesperson
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Today a good adviser looks a lot more like a financial coach than a product salesperson.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 7, 2026
“I would level with people. I didn’t sound like a salesperson because I can’t sell something that doesn’t make sense.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026
A salesperson at the dealership tried to give them a car loan with an interest rate around 7%.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 11, 2026
A candidate like Jack Schlossberg, now running for Congress in Manhattan’s 12th District, is at least more self-aware of his role as salesperson than most.
From Slate ● Jun. 18, 2026
They should wait to be approached by a salesperson.
From "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell
Home Depot devised a strategy of hiring former professional tradespeople en masse—carpenters, plumbers, electricians—to staff stores as their salespeople.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
Last month, Shawn Plummer, who sells annuities through an online platform called The Annuity Expert, told his two salespeople to stop recommending Delaware Life or Clear Spring policies to prospective customers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026
“That last condition is the one most salespeople skip,” Judge said.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 16, 2026
But proceed with caution: Insurance salespeople may praise this strategy as a “Roth on steroids,” but there are downsides.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 3, 2026
What Golomb is saying is that most salespeople are prone to a classic Warren Harding error.
From "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell
At that business, higher wages and the hiring of additional specialized salespersons in preparation for the spinoff are taking a toll.
From MarketWatch ● Dec. 18, 2025
I also interviewed more than 100 current and former engineers, privacy professionals, product managers, salespersons, and lawyers from the largest Silicon Valley tech companies.
From Slate ● Dec. 2, 2021
It also would carve out a roster of professions from the test, including doctors, real estate salespersons, securities and insurance brokers and hairstylists who rent their booths from salon owners.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 11, 2019
Many salespersons have personally performed installation work in the past, and some install the alarm systems they plan themselves.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 29, 2017
As made out by salespersons in duplicate, one half is detached with address and sent with the goods, and the other half remains attached to the purchasing ticket until the purchase is completed.
From How Department Stores Are Carried On by W. B. Phillips
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
