What should a sales CV include?

A profile with your products, customers and results, key selling skills, work experience with numbers such as percentage of target and new accounts, education, any sales training, and referees.

How do I show sales results if I do not know exact figures?

Use honest approximations you can explain, such as 'about 30 new accounts a month' or 'above target in most months'. Never invent numbers.

Should a sales CV mention collections?

Yes, if the role involves credit. Many Kenyan employers value reps who keep bad debt low as much as those who sell a lot.

Is a driving licence important for sales jobs?

For route sales and field roles it often is. List it in your certifications if you hold one and the role involves driving.

Sales CV Example for Kenya (2026): Profile, Skills and Bullet Points

Updated 4 November 20266 min readBy the KaziMatch careers team

A winning sales CV in Kenya leads with results against target, names your territory, products and customer type, and uses numbers in almost every bullet: percentage of target, new accounts opened and value collected. Sales managers read for numbers first.

Below is a complete example. The sales rep is fictional, employers are anonymised and every figure is illustrative.

Example sales CV

Contact details

[Your Name] [Town, County] · [Phone number] · [professional.email@example.com] · [LinkedIn URL]

Professional profile

Results-driven sales representative with five years of experience selling FMCG and financial products to retail, wholesale and SME customers in Nairobi and Kiambu. Consistently above target, with strengths in territory management, negotiation and building long-term accounts. Seeking a key account or sales supervisor role.

Key skills

B2B and route-to-market sales
Territory and route planning
Prospecting, negotiation and closing
Merchandising and stock management at outlets
CRM tools and sales reporting in Excel
Credit control and collections

Work experience

Illustrative example only: employers are anonymised and all figures are invented to show the style of a good bullet.

Sales Representative · [FMCG distributor], Nairobi · March 2022 – Present

Finished the last financial year at 118% of target, exceeding target in 10 of 12 months
Opened 45 new retail accounts in a new territory within six months
Managed a route of 120 outlets with weekly visits, orders and stock checks
Kept bad debt under 2% while collecting over KES 3 million a month

Sales Executive · [Microfinance institution], Kiambu · January 2020 – February 2022

Recruited about 30 new SME loan customers a month through market visits and referrals
Grew a portfolio of active clients from 150 to 400 over two years

Sales and Merchandising Assistant · [Retail supermarket chain], Nairobi · June 2019 – December 2019

Ran in-store promotions that lifted weekend sales of featured products
Kept shelves stocked and planograms correct across two branches

Education

Diploma in Sales and Marketing · [College name] · 2019
KCSE · [School name] · include if early in your career

Certifications and professional bodies

Sales, marketing or digital marketing short courses you completed
Professional marketing qualifications or membership of a marketing body, if you hold them
Valid driving licence, if the role involves driving a company vehicle or motorbike

Referees

Write Available on request, or list three if asked. A sales manager who saw your numbers is the best referee. See referees on a CV.

What to tailor for each sales job

Product and customer type. Selling to supermarkets, to banks' customers, or to corporates requires different skills. Lead with the most similar experience.
The metric they care about. Some adverts focus on new business, others on collections, account growth or volume. Put that number first.
Territory. If the advert names a region you know, say so in your profile.
Tools. Name any CRM, dashboard or ordering app you have used if the advert mentions one.

Profile variations by career stage

The profile above suits a mid-career candidate. Adjust it to your level. Both versions below are fictional examples.

Entry level

Recent diploma holder in sales and marketing with six months of experience as a brand ambassador for a beverage company. Confident, persuasive and fluent in English and Kiswahili. Seeking a first sales representative role.

Senior level

Regional sales manager with over 12 years of experience in FMCG, leading a team of 15 representatives across three counties. Grew regional revenue year on year through distributor management and new channel development. Seeking a national sales role.

Keywords recruiters search for

Recruiters and applicant tracking systems often search for terms like these. Use the ones that are genuinely true for you and that appear in the advert:

sales targets, territory management, key accounts, new business, prospecting, negotiation, merchandising, distributor management, route-to-market, collections, credit control, CRM, sales reporting

5 mistakes on sales CVs

No numbers. A sales CV without figures is a red flag. Use honest percentages, counts and KES values.
Claiming team results as yours. If your team hit a target, say so, and then add what you personally contributed.
Figures you cannot explain. Expect the panel to ask how you hit 118% of target. Only use numbers you can defend.
Ignoring collections. Many Kenyan sales roles care as much about getting paid as about selling. Show your collection record.
Generic profile. "Hardworking and target-driven" appears on every CV. Name your products, customers and results instead.

Next steps

Browse sales jobs in Kenya
See sales salary guidance
Leaning towards brand work? See marketing jobs

KaziMatch's AI can tailor your CV and cover letter to a specific sales advert using only your real experience and numbers. Start with a free fit check.

Frequently asked questions

What should a sales CV include?: A profile with your products, customers and results, key selling skills, work experience with numbers such as percentage of target and new accounts, education, any sales training, and referees.
How do I show sales results if I do not know exact figures?: Use honest approximations you can explain, such as 'about 30 new accounts a month' or 'above target in most months'. Never invent numbers.
Should a sales CV mention collections?: Yes, if the role involves credit. Many Kenyan employers value reps who keep bad debt low as much as those who sell a lot.
Is a driving licence important for sales jobs?: For route sales and field roles it often is. List it in your certifications if you hold one and the role involves driving.