How to become an independent sales agent Instructions for use

Independent sales agents negotiate and conclude contracts on behalf of a company. They use their technical and interpersonal skills to negotiate the best terms for their customers. Their aim is to sell products or services to third parties.

For companies, it is possible to internalize this skill, which represents a significant fixed cost. For greater flexibility, they often prefer to employ independent sales agents.

In France, they are present in all business sectors, with the exception of banking, insurance, advertising and travel. The most common independent sales agents work in the sector real estate. Many former employees and recent graduates have chosen to try their hand atentrepreneurship. Would you like to join them?

Let's find out everything you need to know to launch your business in the best possible conditions!

How do I become a sales agent?

The profession is not regulated by the State, and no official diploma is required. On the other hand, it's a good idea to showcase quality training, to convince your prospects.

Among the most popular courses are a BTS in customer relations, a DUT in marketing techniques, a Bachelor's degree or a Master's degree from abusiness school.

In certain very specific sectors, it is not uncommon for companies to require their sales representatives to have specific training (pharmaceuticals, real estate, chemicals, industry, etc.). A good sales agent must also be available, responsive, skilled in negotiation and convincing!

How do you choose your legal status?

To become an independent sales agent, you can set up a micro-business. The micro-entrepreneur status is particularly easy to set up, manage and dissolve.

Your social security contributions are calculated on the basis of your gross sales.

The latter is capped at €176,200 for sales activities and €72,500 for services.

Alternatively, you can set up a one-person company:

• EURL (Entreprise universelle à responsabilité limitée). It offers the same advantages as the EIRL, but its manager is considered a self-employed worker. It benefits from a specific social protection scheme, less effective than that of salaried employees.
• The SASU (Société par actions simplifiée unipersonnelle) is particularly flexible. Its day-to-day operation is set out in the articles of association. The Chairman of the SASU is covered by the general social security system.

What are the administrative formalities involved?

Becoming a microentrepreneur couldn't be easier: all you have to do is visit the official government platforms www.lautoentrepreneur.fr or guichet-entreprises.fr. All you need to do is fill in the following information on a single online form:

• Your business address
• Contact details for the sole shareholder
• Choice of health insurance organization and declaration of rights
• Preference for payment in full discharge of income tax.

For a company, you will need to draw up your articles of association.

They must include all the information required by law, as well as any other information necessary to enable it to function properly.

Next, publish a legal announcement in an approved newspaper. To register your company, you'll need to go to your CFE (Centre de Formalités des Entreprises) and submit your complete file. If it is accepted, you will then receive your Kbis register, as well as your SIREN and SIRET numbers.

How can you expand your network of contacts and customers?

A sales representative needs to inspire confidence in his customers. To do this, they need to present a polished image on the web. Be present online, by listing your business in general and specific professional databases (Yellow Pages, Google My Business, etc.). Depending on your sector, you may also want to make yourself known to specialized networks.

LinkedIn is a preferred social network for sales agents. Finally, create an official page on social networks to publicize your news and the evolution of your services! It must inspire confidence and legitimacy.

Finally, there's a valuable element that is all too often overlooked when it comes to facilitating the success of your project: using the services of a domiciliation company.

A domiciliation company offers legal domiciliation services to individuals and legal entities. Approved by the local prefecture, it provides its customers with a registered office as well as a postal, commercial and administrative address.

Choosing your own home means you have to publish the address of your home online, and jeopardize your privacy. It's also a more economical solution than renting commercial premises. It also enables you to improve your local SEO on search engines, thanks to keywords specific to your head office!

Finally, you can reduce your tax bill by choosing a commune with a low CFE (Contribution Foncière des Entreprises) tax rate.

With SeDomicilier, you can obtain your certificate of domiciliation in less than 5 minutes, in a 100% online process. What's more, all your services are then available in a personalized, secure virtual office!