When you were in college, did you like to participate and host the games? Or be a vendor at your college fair and sell the ice cream at the ice cream stand? Better still, did you like working at your family’s yard sale? If your answer is yes, then you should definitely take up a job as a sales associate. This article will give you an overview of the Sales associate job description, duties, responsibilities, and so on.
Sales Associate Job Description:
What is a sales associate, you ask? Well, a sales associate, as the job title states, is a person who works in a retail store or any other product selling environment, selling office supplies, stationery, goods, clothing, cosmetics, jewelry. A sales associate’s job is not only limited to selling stuff but also welcoming customers, listening to their queries, providing refunds to the customers if needed and addressing them, keeping an account of the stock, etc. A sales associate represents a company, promotes their products, and guides customers to find the product or service they are looking for.
Duties Of A Sales Associate:
- Generate sales for a company.
- Promote the products of the company.
- Possess excellent customer service skills to attract a large number of customers to the company.
- Welcome and greet customers as they arrive in the store.
- Ask the customers what they are looking for and what price range they are looking in. Then show them the products available in that price range.
- If the customer is unsure of what they want, you have to guide them to pick the right and suitable product or service.
- Keep the product presentation area spick and span and coordinate with the necessary departments to ensure that this job is done.
- Ensure to provide utmost customer satisfaction through your amazing selling skills.
- Possess in-depth knowledge and information on all the company’s products so that you can convince customers to purchase them.
- Ensure to meet the targeted sales goals on a monthly, quarterly, or annual basis as decided in the company’s meeting.
- Do all you can to drive the sales to your company.
- It would be best if you actively tried to draw the customer’s attention to your store.
- You should possess knowledge of alternatives available when a situation crops up.
- Collaborate with different markets to ensure cross-sale of products.
- Co-ordinate with members of different departments to ensure the sale of products.
- Develop a trustful relationship with your customers to increase the goodwill of the company.
- Report your progress and achievements to your head of department.
- Co-ordinate with merchants to ensure that there is adequate stock of products.
- You have to keep a check on the products in case they go of stock.
- Provide ideas or strategies in meetings to promote sales of the products and services.
- You will be in charge of operating the cash register.
Requirements To Be A Sales Associate:
- You should possess a high school diploma or a college degree. The latter is preferred.
- A bachelor’s degree in marketing or any other related stream will be a bonus for you.
- You should have organizational skills, and you should be a great team player.
- A sales associate is required to have a basic knowledge of math.
- You should possess excellent vocabulary skills.
- You should have analytical skills and interpersonal skills.
- A sales associate is required to have problem-solving skills.
- You should pay attention to every detail while working.
- You should possess a basic understanding of sales fundamentals and customer service experience.
- It would be best if you had a sound understanding of how the market works and which products are in high demand at any given season.
- You should mandatorily possess basic telephone etiquette when interacting with a customer, peers, or higher-ups.
- You should be able to handle various tasks handed out to you and be flexible to accommodate the business’s requirements.
- You should have the quality of taking up initiative and doing a job with little to no supervision.
- It would be best if you were comfortable standing for long hours, engaging in constant conversation, lift weights to 40 pounds, climbing ladders, etc., as your job will require you to carry out these physical activities. You should have a strong physique.
- You may be asked to work for long hours, including evenings, weekends, or holidays. It would be best if you were comfortable doing this.
- You should have prior work experience as a sales associate.
- You should have a proven track record of producing solid sales figures in the companies you have worked with before.
- It would be best if you were confident in what you do.
You can also work part-time in a retail store when you are studying for college if you are planning to make your career as a sales assistant. You can spend your Christmas helping out in the Christmas retail store. Or you can spend your weekends working at a retails store. Oh! But then you will have to sacrifice your weekends. That isn’t very pleasant. Hey! You’ve got a career to make. So, you have got to sacrifice something.
Salary Of A Sales Associate In The United States Of America:
The average median salary of a sales associate in the United States is $33,343 or $16 per hour, with the top 10 percent earning over $63,000 per year and the bottom 10 percent earning under $17,000 per year.
CITY | STATE | AVERAGE SALARY | SALARY RANGE |
| New York | New York | $41,340 | $27,000 – $62,000 |
| Washington | District of Columbia | $41,013 | $27,000 – $62,000 |
| Albuquerue | New Mexico | $39,418 | $27,000 – $57,000 |
| Houston | Texas | $37,708 | $26,000 – $54,000 |
| Columbus | Mississippi | $37,127 | $26,000 – $52,000 |
| San Francisco | California | $37,052 | $24,000 – $56,000 |
| Richmond | Indiana | $36,621 | $24,000 – $55,000 |
| Baltimore | Maryland | $35,518 | $23,000 – $54,000 |
| Charleston | West Virginia | $35,512 | $23,000 – $53,000 |
| Saint Louis | Missouri | $35,357 | $24,000 – $50,000 |
| Grand Rapids | Michigan | $35,300 | $23,000 – $53,000 |
| Philadelphia | Pennsylvania | $34,501 | $22,000 – $52,000 |
| Richmond | Virginia | $34,362 | $22,000 – $51,000 |
| Tampa | Florida | $33,745 | $23,000 – $48,000 |
| Lancaster | Ohio | $33,041 | $21,000 – $50,000 |
| Littleton | Colorado | $32,542 | $23,000 – $44,000 |
| Chicago | Illinois | $32,472 | $21,000 – $49,000 |
| Oklahoma City | Oklahoma | $31,582 | $22,000 – $45,000 |
| Richmond | Kentucky | $31,520 | $21,000 – $46,000 |
Companies In The United States That Pay Sales Associate The Most
- Google pays a sales associate an average salary of $140,268 with a salary range from $126,000 – $155,000.
- Zendesk pays a sales associate an average salary of $139,113 with a salary range from $122,000 – $158,000.
- Check Point Software Technologies pays a sales associate an average salary of $132,726 with a salary range from $118,000 – $148,000.
- Cvent pays a sales associate an average salary of $130,776 with a salary range from $119,000 – $142,000.
- RBS Securities pays a sales associate an average salary of $129,194 with a salary range from $90,000 – $184,000.
- HSBC North America Holdings pays a sales associate an average salary of $128,012 with a salary range from $120,000 – $135,000.
- MAPCO Express pays a sales associate an average salary of $126,793 with a salary range from $101,000 – $159,000.
- TD Securities pays a sales associate an average salary of $123,039 with a salary range from $87,000 – $172,000.
- Cox Enterprises pays a sales associate an average salary of $122,333 with a salary range from $93,000 – $159,000.
- Barclays Bank Delaware pays a sales associate an average salary of $119,281 with a salary range from $113,000 – $124,000.
- ACE Cash Express pays a sales associate an average salary of $119,141 with a salary range from $77,000 – $181,000.
- Nextdoor pays a sales associate an average salary of $118,469 with a salary range from $82,000 – $169,000.
Some other companies in the United States that pay sales associate an average salary with a salary range are as follows:
| EMCOR Group | $118,042 | $87,000 – $159,000 |
| OSI Systems | $117,404 | $81,000 – $168,000 |
| Mark-It | $117,121 | $106,000 – $128,000 |
| Invesco | $117,053 | $110,000 – $123,000 |
| Barclays Capital | $116,757 | $111,000 – $122,000 |
| SG Americas Securities Holdings | $116,279 | $74,000 – $182,000 |
| Markit North America | $115,603 | $105,000 – $126,000 |
| Bloomberg | $115,556 | $110,000 – $120,000 |
- A hire-level sales associate earns $29,218.
- A massage envy sales associate earns $25,044.
- An ARS Rescue Rooter retail sales associate earns $29,218.
- A 2020 Companies retail sales associate earns $39,131.
- A Room and Board retail sales or design associate earn $27,500.
- A Sportsman’s Warehouse outwear sales associate earns $18,783.
- A Wireless Advocates sales associate in the customer service expert area earns $32,000.
- A Scrubs N Scopes sales associate earns $25,357.
The role of a sales associate varies extensively across various fields and different sectors. This is an in-demand job that will help you climb your way up the ladder to reach a senior position. If you really want to leave a mark in this field, you can start your own business.
Also read What is a Sales Advisor? Salary, Job Description
