Trade Sales Counter Person
Job description
Original text imported from Reed
As a Trade Sales Counter Person, you will be the face of Howdens, providing potential and existing customers with outstanding service and support. As part of the wider sales team, you will contribute to generating and following up on leads, helping to drive sales growth. you will process sales for customers, ensuring accurate pricing, delivery dates, and stock requirements. Your effective customer account management skills will aim to expand our customer base and develop long-term collaborative relationships with our trade customers.
Maintaining up-to-date product and industry knowledge will be a priority, allowing you to provide informed recommendations and assistance to our valued customers. Thriving in a fast-paced environments, you'll demonstrate strong prioritisation and organisational skills as a Trade Sales Counter Person, ensuring smooth operations at the trade sales counter.
Skills and attributes you need to be a successful Trade Sales Counter Person:
- Customer service
- Thrives in fast-paced environments
- An eye for design
- Sales-focused
- Prioritisation and organisation skills
- Communication
What you get from us as a Trade Sales Counter Person:
- Competitive base salary
- Monthly depot bonus OTE
- Team incentives and outings
- Competitive Pension Plan with a maximum company contribution of 12%.24 days holiday, rising to 26 days after 5 years
- Staff discount on Howdens products
- Buy as you earn share scheme
About Howdens:
Howdens Joinery is the UK’s number one trade kitchen supplier providing thousands of products across kitchens, joinery, and hardware. We have over 900 depots throughout the UK and Europe – making us the first choice for more than 460,000 loyal trade professionals. Last year our sales reached circa 2.3bn, and we have an ambitious growth agenda.
There is a strong entrepreneurial ethos and the opportunity to develop within a fast-paced and commercial environment. That, along with a competitive salary, development opportunities, and exciting rewards, are among the reasons why our people enjoy working for Howdens – and why we have been named one of the 10 Best Big Companies to Work For.
How to apply:
When you apply, you will need to attach a CV. If this is your first time applying for a role with us, you will need to activate your account when you apply for this role. Please check your email carefully to ensure that you have completed this step. We are unable to view your application if you have not activated your account. Good luck with your application.
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.
Please note that candidates applying for this role must have a valid right to work in the UK, we do not offer sponsorship of employment for any depot positions at this time. We appreciate your understanding.
#LI-LO1
#Reed
Key skills
AI-extracted from the job advert
Application advice
5 AI-generated recommendations to maximise your chances.
⭐ Highlight your trade sales and counter experience at the top of your CV as Howdens specifically seeks Trade Sales Counter Person expertise
📊 Quantify your sales achievements: 'Achieved 115% of monthly targets, generating £180k in depot sales'
🏗️ Emphasise any kitchen, joinery or hardware industry knowledge as Howdens is the UK's number one trade kitchen supplier
🎯 Showcase your customer account management skills with metrics: 'Managed 85+ trade customer accounts, increasing repeat business by 28%'
🤝 Demonstrate your ability to work in fast-paced commercial environments, mentioning any depot or trade counter experience
Suggested CV bullets
3 bullets our AI drafted for this specific advert, mirroring its ATS keywords.
Add these 3 bullets under your most recent experience:
- •Processed 120+ trade sales orders weekly, maintaining 98% accuracy in pricing and delivery dates for kitchen and joinery products
- •Generated £240k in monthly depot sales through effective lead follow-up and customer account management across 85 trade accounts
- •Achieved 118% of annual sales targets by developing product knowledge expertise and providing design recommendations to trade customers
Free to copy — tailoring requires a 30-sec CV upload.
Your cover letter is ready
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 Joinery's position as the UK's number one trade kitchen supplier makes this Trade Sales Counter Person role exactly the career progression I'm seeking. My experience in trade sales and customer account management aligns perfectly with your need to serve 460,000+ trade professionals across your 900+ depot network.
My background in fast-paced commercial environments has equipped me with the prioritisation and organisational skills essential for processing sales orders, managing stock requirements, and developing long-term relationships with trade customers. I understand the importance of accurate pricing and delivery coordination in maintaining customer satisfaction.
Free signup, no card needed. Export to PDF/Word requires a £1.99 trial (14 days).
Interview questions
10 questions generated from this advert.
Technical
- ›How would you handle pricing queries for kitchen units when stock levels are low?
- ›What systems have you used for processing trade sales orders and managing delivery dates?
- ›How do you stay updated with product knowledge in the kitchen and joinery industry?
- ›Describe your experience with lead generation and following up on trade customer enquiries
- ›How would you manage stock requirements and coordinate with suppliers for urgent orders?
Behavioural
- ›Tell me about a time you provided outstanding customer service to a difficult trade customer
- ›Describe a situation where you had to prioritise multiple urgent orders in a fast-paced environment
- ›Give an example of how you developed a long-term relationship with a trade customer
- ›Tell me about a time you exceeded your sales targets and how you achieved this
- ›Describe a situation where you had to learn new product knowledge quickly to help a customer
STAR answer examples
Model answers using the Situation-Task-Action-Result framework. Adapt to your own experience.
Tell me about a time you provided outstanding customer service to a difficult trade customer
Describe a situation where you had to prioritise multiple urgent orders in a fast-paced environment