salesperson

[seylz-pur-suhn]

noun

1. a person who sells goods, services, etc.

Gender Note

See -person.

Word History and Origins

Origin of salesperson¹

First recorded in 1915–20; sales + person

Example Sentences

National Cash Register founder John Henry Patterson elevated the role of sales and the position of salesperson, recognizing that marketing matters just as much as the product.

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Some Sotheby’s salespeople are staying put there on floors the house leased back, but it has shifted all its back-office operations to a vast warehouse in Gantry Point on Long Island.

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Bad advice does not always equate to disreputable used-car salespeople.

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The white-collar labor force of office workers and salespeople grew rapidly in America after World War II. These middle-class employees were thought to be more content and comfortable than auto workers or machine operators.

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County supervisors want to bar “predatory” salespeople who they say prey on vulnerable residents seeking benefits from the region’s social services offices.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• clerk 

When To Use

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.