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

But now the company’s salespeople are able to respond to more customers with the help of AI.

From Los Angeles Times

"Two of the parents are unemployed, two are working outside the province, one is a local salesperson, and one is a local delivery driver," the statement said.

From BBC

“People are claiming, ‘This is my matcha,’ when in other industries you would say, ‘I’m a salesperson. I work in collaboration with the tea farmers in Japan.’

From Salon

For a time, he worked as a salesperson at an Australian electronic store.

From Los Angeles Times

“The story behind that picture was actually very straightforward. He was at that time our best salesperson,” the company’s general sales and marketing director explained.

From 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.