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⚡ Source: ReedRef: 56944156

Kitchen Sales Designer

Howdens Joinery·Chesham, Buckinghamshire·Posted 1 week ago
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Job description

Original text imported from Reed

Join Howdens where our trade depots are recruiting Kitchen Sales Designers who thrive in a fast-paced sales environment. We’re looking for commercially minded individuals who can build strong relationships, influence buying decisions and exceed sales targets.

We can offer you a successful career as a Kitchen Sales Designer, and you don’t need previous design experience. We’ll provide you with comprehensive design and sales training to create exceptional kitchens for our trade customers and their clients.

What we can offer you:

  • Competitive salary, brilliant bonuses and outstanding depot incentives
  • Full CAD, product and sales training via our Ready to Trade Programme
  • Competitive Pension Plan up to 12% company contribution
  • Up to 32 days annual leave per year including bank holidays, rising with service
  • Generous staff discount on Howdens products
  • Buy-as-you-earn share scheme
  • 40 hour working week working every other Saturday morning.
  • No Sunday or Bank Holiday working
  • Career progression opportunities into sales management roles
  • Virtual GP access and wellbeing support for you and your family

What we are looking for:

  • Results driven with experience of reaching sales targets and KPI
  • Ability to build trusted relationships with our trade customers and their client
  • Excellent communication skills, able to convey your ideas clearly and effectively
  • Full UK Driving license with access to your own vehicle for home visits
  • Strong attention to detail and an eye for design
  • CAD skills are preferred, but not essential as you will receive training

What you will be doing:

  • Driving sales performance and profit by achieving your depot targets
  • Building strong customer relationships through professional design support
  • Delivering exceptional customer service throughout the project
  • Conducting home visits to measure, assess and understand your client’s needs
  • Negotiating prices confidently while protecting margin and design integrity
  • Planning and creating inspirational and practical designs utilising your strong product knowledge to advise customers and resolve queries throughout the process

About Us:

Howdens Joinery is the UK’s number one trade kitchen supplier providing thousands of products across kitchens, joinery, and hardware. We have over 950 depots throughout the UK and Europe, making us the first choice for more than 460,000 loyal trade professionals. With an ambitious and credible growth plan, we continue to build on our £2.4 billion turnover.

How to apply:

If Howdens sounds like the kind of place where you can build and develop your career as a Kitchen Sales Designer, then we are keen to hear from you.

Howdens is founded on the principle of being Worthwhile for ALL concerned. We’re working hard to ensure we provide an inclusive environment where everyone feels welcome. We will do everything we can to support you during your application. If you need us to make any adjustments to our recruitment process, please email with the job title and location, and we will be happy to help you.

#LI-LO1 #CVL INDKSD #Reed

SpeedCV AI

Key skills

AI-extracted from the job advert

Must-have skills
Sales target and KPI achievementTrade or B2B customer relationship managementFull UK Driving LicenceHome visit client surveyingPrice negotiation and margin management
Nice-to-have
CAD kitchen design softwareKitchen or interiors product knowledgeSales management experience
Soft skills
Results-drivenCommunicationAttention to detailEye for designRelationship buildingCommercial awarenessConfidence
SpeedCV AI

Application advice

5 AI-generated recommendations to maximise your chances.

1

⭐ Lead your CV personal statement with sales target achievement and KPI delivery — the advert lists these as the primary requirements before any design skills.

2

📊 Quantify your sales results: e.g. "Exceeded monthly sales targets by 22% for 8 consecutive months, generating £180k in depot revenue."

3

🎯 Mention any CAD or design software experience (even basic) in your skills section — the advert flags CAD as preferred and training is provided, so showing any prior exposure gives you an edge.

4

🏠 Highlight experience conducting client-facing visits or site surveys, as home visits to measure and assess client needs are a core duty listed in the advert.

5

🤝 Demonstrate trade or B2B relationship management in your work history — Howdens' model is built on 460,000 loyal trade professionals, so evidence of building trusted repeat-business relationships is highly relevant.

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AI SpeedCV

Suggested CV bullets

3 bullets our AI drafted for this specific advert, mirroring its ATS keywords.

How to tailor your CV

Add these 3 bullets under your most recent experience:

  • Exceeded depot sales targets by 18% over 12 months, contributing £210k in incremental kitchen project revenue through proactive trade customer outreach and upselling.
  • Conducted 40+ client home visits per month to measure, assess and design bespoke kitchen layouts, achieving a 94% project conversion rate from initial consultation to signed order.
  • Negotiated pricing on 150+ kitchen projects annually, maintaining an average gross margin of 38% while retaining 92% of repeat trade accounts.

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Letter preview — tailored to Howdens Joinery

Dear Hiring Manager,

Howdens Joinery's reputation as the UK's number one trade kitchen supplier — serving over 460,000 trade professionals from 950+ depots — makes the Kitchen Sales Designer role in Chesham a compelling next step. With a proven record of exceeding sales targets and KPIs, and a genuine eye for practical design, I am confident I can drive depot performance while delivering the trusted customer relationships Howdens is built on.

My background in trade sales and client-facing roles has equipped me with the negotiation skills, attention to detail and commercial mindset this position demands. I have conducted client visits, managed projects from initial brief through to completion, and consistently protected margin while meeting customer expectations. I am keen to develop my CAD skills further through the Ready to Trade Programme and apply them directly to creating inspirational kitchen designs.

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SpeedCV AI

Interview questions

10 questions generated from this advert.

Technical

  • How would you approach designing a kitchen layout for a client with an awkward or non-standard room shape?
  • What CAD or design tools have you used previously, and how quickly did you become proficient with them?
  • How do you balance a customer's aesthetic preferences with practical constraints such as budget and structural limitations?
  • Walk me through how you would conduct a home visit — what do you measure, assess and record?
  • How do you use product knowledge to upsell or cross-sell items while maintaining design integrity?

Behavioural

  • Tell me about a time you exceeded a sales target — what actions did you take to get there?
  • Describe a situation where you had to negotiate a price with a difficult customer while protecting your margin.
  • Give an example of when you built a strong long-term relationship with a trade customer or client.
  • Tell me about a time a project went off track — how did you manage the customer's expectations and resolve the issue?
  • Describe a situation where you had to convey a complex design idea clearly to someone with no technical background.
SpeedCV AINEW

STAR answer examples

Model answers using the Situation-Task-Action-Result framework. Adapt to your own experience.

1Question

Tell me about a time you exceeded a sales target — what actions did you take to get there?

Situation: In my previous role at a builders' merchant, my depot was 12% behind its quarterly kitchen sales target with six weeks remaining. Task: As the lead sales contact for trade accounts, I needed to close the gap without discounting heavily. Action: I identified 20 dormant trade accounts and personally called each one, offering free site visits to review upcoming projects. I also cross-sold worktops and hardware to active accounts, increasing average order values. I ran a Saturday morning open event for local builders, showcasing three new kitchen ranges. Result: The depot finished the quarter 9% above target, and I personally contributed £47,000 in new project orders. Three of the reactivated accounts became regular monthly customers.
2Question

Describe a situation where you had to negotiate a price with a difficult customer while protecting your margin.

Situation: A returning trade customer requested a 20% discount on a full kitchen fit-out worth £8,500, threatening to take the project to a competitor. Task: I needed to retain the business without eroding the depot's margin below the 35% floor. Action: Rather than discounting the headline price, I reviewed the specification and identified two premium appliances that could be swapped for equivalent mid-range alternatives, saving £600 without compromising the design brief. I also offered an extended payment term of 60 days, which resolved his cash-flow concern. Result: The customer accepted the revised proposal at a 7% effective discount, keeping margin at 36%. He went on to place two further orders totalling £11,200 within the same quarter.

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