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⚡ Source: ReedRef: 56967628

Kitchen Sales Designer

Howdens Joinery·Watford, Hertfordshire·Posted 2 days 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 achievementB2B or trade customer relationship managementFull UK Driving LicenceKitchen or interior design awarenessPrice negotiation and margin management
Nice-to-have
CAD kitchen design softwareHome surveying and measuringProduct specification in kitchens or joinery
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 — the advert explicitly prioritises 'results driven with experience of reaching sales targets and KPI' as the first requirement.

2

📊 Quantify your sales performance: e.g. 'Consistently achieved 110% of monthly sales targets across 12 consecutive months, generating £180k in kitchen project revenue'.

3

🎯 Mention any CAD or kitchen design software experience (even basic) prominently — the advert lists it as preferred, and candidates with it will stand out against those relying solely on training.

4

🤝 Highlight trade or B2B customer relationship experience specifically — Howdens serves trade professionals, so reference builders, contractors or similar clients rather than general retail customers.

5

🚗 Confirm your full UK driving licence and access to your own vehicle in your CV summary or skills section, as home visits are a core duty and the licence is an explicit requirement.

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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 monthly kitchen sales KPIs by an average of 115% over 10 consecutive months, contributing £220k in project revenue to depot targets.
  • Conducted 8-12 client home visits per week to measure, assess and design bespoke kitchen layouts using CAD software, achieving a 78% quote-to-order conversion rate.
  • Negotiated pricing on 40+ trade accounts simultaneously, protecting an average gross margin of 32% while retaining 95% of repeat trade customers quarter-on-quarter.

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

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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 — backed by a £2.4 billion turnover and 950+ depots — is precisely why the Kitchen Sales Designer role in Watford caught my attention. With a proven track record of exceeding sales targets and KPIs, and a genuine eye for design, I am confident I can drive depot performance while delivering the trusted relationships your trade customers rely on.

My background in trade sales and customer-facing design support has equipped me with the skills to conduct thorough home visits, translate client briefs into practical kitchen plans, and negotiate confidently to protect margin without compromising design integrity. I am comfortable managing multiple projects simultaneously and thrive when held accountable to clear commercial targets.

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SpeedCV AI

Interview questions

10 questions generated from this advert.

Technical

  • Walk us through how you would use CAD software to plan a kitchen layout for a client with an awkward L-shaped space.
  • How do you calculate margin when negotiating a discount with a trade customer on a large kitchen order?
  • Describe the steps you take during a home visit to measure and assess a kitchen space accurately.
  • How would you use Howdens' product range to upsell a customer from a mid-range to a premium kitchen specification?
  • What process do you follow to resolve a design query or product issue that arises mid-project for a trade customer?

Behavioural

  • Tell me about a time you exceeded a sales target — what did you do differently to achieve it?
  • Describe a situation where you had to build trust quickly with a sceptical trade customer. How did you approach it?
  • Give an example of when you had to negotiate firmly on price while protecting your company's margin. What was the outcome?
  • Tell me about a time you managed multiple customer projects simultaneously. How did you prioritise and stay organised?
  • Describe a situation where a customer was unhappy with a design or product. How did you resolve it and retain the relationship?
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 did you do differently to achieve it?

Situation: In Q3 at my previous showroom role, our depot was 18% below the quarterly kitchen sales target with six weeks remaining. Task: As the lead designer on the floor, I took ownership of closing the gap without additional headcount. Action: I introduced a follow-up call system for every quote older than five days, personally re-engaging 34 dormant leads. I also began offering free home measurement visits to undecided customers, which increased their confidence to commit. Result: We closed the quarter at 108% of target. My personal contribution accounted for £47,000 of the recovery, and the follow-up process was adopted depot-wide the following quarter.
2Question

Give an example of when you had to negotiate firmly on price while protecting your company's margin. What was the outcome?

Situation: A returning trade customer — a builder ordering kitchens for a 12-unit development — demanded a 22% discount, threatening to move to a competitor. Task: I needed to retain the account without breaching our 30% minimum margin threshold. Action: Rather than discounting on unit price, I restructured the proposal: I offered a phased delivery schedule that reduced our logistics cost, included a free upstand pack valued at £380, and agreed a volume rebate triggered at unit eight. This gave the customer perceived value without cutting into margin. Result: We retained the full 12-unit order at 31% margin, and the customer placed a further 6-unit order three months later.

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