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⚡ Source: ReedRef: 56821811

Kitchen Sales Designer

Howdens Joinery·Southsea·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 achievementFull UK driving licenceCustomer relationship buildingCommunication skillsAttention to detail
Nice-to-have
CAD software experienceKitchen design knowledgeTrade customer experience
Soft skills
CommunicationRelationship buildingAttention to detailResults-drivenNegotiationCustomer service
SpeedCV AI

Application advice

5 AI-generated recommendations to maximise your chances.

1

⭐ Highlight your sales target achievement record prominently as Howdens specifically seeks results-driven candidates who exceed KPIs

2

📊 Quantify your sales performance: 'Achieved 115% of quarterly targets, generating £280k revenue'

3

🚗 Emphasise your full UK driving licence and vehicle access as home visits are essential for this role

4

🎯 Showcase any design eye or attention to detail experience, even if not kitchen-specific, as CAD training is provided

5

🤝 Detail your trade customer relationship experience or B2B sales background to match their depot environment

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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 quarterly sales targets by 18% through strategic customer relationship building, generating £340k revenue across 85 trade accounts
  • Conducted 120+ home visits annually to measure and assess client kitchen requirements, achieving 92% conversion rate from consultation to sale
  • Negotiated pricing on 200+ kitchen projects while maintaining 28% profit margins through effective product knowledge and design consultation

Free to copy — tailoring requires a 30-sec CV upload.

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AI cover letter

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We've drafted a cover letter for Howdens Joinery. Preview the opening, then unlock the full personalised version.

Letter preview — tailored to Howdens Joinery

Dear Hiring Manager,

Howdens' position as the UK's number one trade kitchen supplier makes this Kitchen Sales Designer role in Southsea exactly the career opportunity I've been seeking. My proven track record in sales target achievement and customer relationship building aligns perfectly with your requirements for driving depot performance and supporting trade customers through the design process.

My background in sales and customer service has equipped me with the negotiation skills and attention to detail essential for balancing customer design preferences with profit margins, while my full UK driving licence ensures I can conduct the home visits crucial to understanding client needs.

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SpeedCV AI

Interview questions

10 questions generated from this advert.

Technical

  • How would you approach measuring a kitchen space during a home visit?
  • What factors would you consider when designing a kitchen layout for a trade customer's client?
  • How do you balance customer design preferences with profit margins?
  • Describe your experience with CAD software or willingness to learn design tools
  • How would you handle a situation where a customer wants changes that affect the project timeline?

Behavioural

  • Tell me about a time you exceeded a sales target. What strategies did you use?
  • Describe a situation where you had to build trust with a difficult customer
  • Give an example of when you had to negotiate a price while maintaining profitability
  • Tell me about a time you had to learn a new skill quickly for work
  • Describe how you would handle competing priorities between multiple customer projects
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 strategies did you use?

In Q3 last year, I was tasked with achieving £180k in sales but recognised early that my usual approach wouldn't be sufficient. I analysed my customer base and identified 15 high-potential accounts that hadn't purchased in 6 months. I developed personalised outreach campaigns for each, focusing on their specific business challenges and how our solutions could address them. I also implemented weekly check-ins with existing customers to identify upselling opportunities. Through this targeted relationship-building approach, I achieved £247k in sales, exceeding my target by 37% and securing the highest quarterly performance in my region.
2Question

Describe a situation where you had to build trust with a difficult customer

I inherited a trade customer who had experienced poor service previously and was threatening to switch suppliers. During our first meeting, they were openly hostile and questioned every recommendation I made. Rather than being defensive, I acknowledged their past experience and asked detailed questions about their specific requirements and concerns. I then arranged a site visit to see their current projects firsthand and provided honest feedback about our capabilities and limitations. Over 8 weeks, I delivered on every small promise I made, from timely quotes to product samples. This consistent reliability rebuilt their confidence, and they eventually placed a £45k order while becoming one of my most loyal accounts.

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