Anyone who has worked in a retail setting will tell you that sales require more than just basic product knowledge. People on both sides of the counter are important in sales. A good sales associate not only understands the product they are selling, but they also have a very specific set of skills that they have gained via sales experience and training. Salespeople must wear multiple hats during the day while providing excellent customer care to every single customer. You may find and hire these ideal candidates by requiring the following 11 skills for a sales associate job throughout the hiring process. Store owners and salespeople will have a better understanding of the most important sales associate skills to include in your resume and how to improve on them after reading this book.
What Do Sales Associate Skills Entail?
A sales associate works in the retail customer service industry, greeting clients, answering inquiries, providing assistance, and managing inventory. Sales workers are also in charge of keeping the store organized and processing payments. Employees in this profession must have a certain set of skills that will allow them to flourish in this role.
Examples of Sales Associate Skills
To be effective, sales associates need to have a variety of skills related to their role. These skills might be highlighted in your resume. Because sales associates must have both hard and soft skills, they should be included. Here are skills to include on your sales associate resume: Let’s take a look at the most significant resume skills for sales associates and where they fit on the skill spectrum. We highlight a few phrases for each talent that will hint at specific skills (or phrases to use when developing your own retail sales associate resume).
#1. Communicating Skills (Soft skills)
Sales employees are the first line of defense for a retail brand. They must be able to clearly express key product information, meet people, and thrive at small talk. This suggests that verbal communication is an important ability to cultivate.
Aside from speaking, active listening is essential for efficiently assisting customers. Only by understanding the customer’s demands on various levels can a sales associate go above and beyond. Sales personnel need to improve their listening skills in order to accomplish this.
Knowing another language might be a great icebreaker for multilingual customers. If you live in a community where a second language is spoken, encourage your employees to improve their language skills.
Related sales associate resume skills:
- People skills
- Social skills
- Soft skills
#2. Customer Service Skills (Soft skills)
The distinction between communication skills and customer service skills boils down to empathy and product expertise.
Here are a couple of such examples:
The fact that Salesperson Sam can recite the company’s two-week return policy from memory demonstrates that they have excellent communication skills.
If, on the other hand, Salesperson Taylor tells the client the same thing but also offers specific counsel based on the customer’s future month-long business trip, which they discussed only moments ago, it indicates that they have exceptional customer service skills.
And there’s a lot more that goes into this bucket. Customer service abilities encompass a variety of social skills that the salesman must know how and when to employ. This skill set includes knowing when to listen, anticipating customer questions, calming upset customers, and simply solving a client’s problem.
Related sales associate resume skills:
- Interpersonal skills.
- Skills for resolving conflicts
- Social skills
- Personability
- Call center skills
- Empathy
#3. Sales & Marketing Skills
Without question, having sales and marketing skills is one of the most important characteristics of a salesperson.
Simply assisting customers in finding what they are looking for is a good thing. Active selling is preferable. Of course, having these retail skills does not obligate them to adopt the attitude of an aggressive salesperson. Rather, it is about relationship building and selling. Employees must understand which buttons to press to effortlessly guide the customer through the steps of the transaction.
Some people are born with this aptitude, while others may require some instruction, a script, or simply encouragement. There will be more on this later.
Marketing and sales are inextricably linked. Employees on the sales floor are frequently required to do marketing-related jobs such as visual merchandising, putting up signage, and arranging the store display.
Related sales associate resume or cover letter skills:
- Persuasion skills
- Visual merchandising skills for visuals
- Being detail-oriented or paying attention to detail
#4. Multitasking Skills
A retail business has a plethora of activities for sales workers to do even when it is not busy. They must be extremely adept at multitasking.
Maintaining stock levels, handling returns, releasing new products, managing the till, cleaning up after customers and other duties may be assigned. It may appear to be a lot. The good news is that there is a simple approach to always knowing how to prioritize duties: always prioritize the client.
Naturally, situations may emerge in which two or more customers compete for the attention of a single salesman who is on their way to retrieve a size from the back and bring change for the cash register. It’s a challenging job, especially if the area is understaffed.
One individual cannot be in two places at the same time. It’s time to express to customers how each request will be fulfilled, which is when their communication skills come in handy.
Related sales associate resume and job description phrases:
- Organizational skills
- Project management Skills
- Critical thinking Skills
- Time Management Skills
- Problem solving Skills
#5. Team Participation
Adaptability is a crucial trait to have in retail establishments because things can get frantic. One of the most important skills for sales associates is the ability to work well with others. This entails always assisting one another. Team members can express themselves in a variety of ways:
- When times are tight, I assist coworkers.
- Performing a thorough job on each station so that colleagues are not burdened with extra work.
- Even after their allotted tasks have been done, they continue to contribute.
- Intervening when a customer’s condition is going to deteriorate.
- Recognizing when an employee is overburdened and easing their workload.
A cheerful, positive attitude goes a long way toward both maintaining team spirit and engaging with and greeting consumers.
Related terms for sales associate resumes include:
- Teamwork
- Dependable
- Reliable
- Flexible
#6. Pay close attention to the details. (Soft skills)
Sales personnel must be extremely vigilant at all times. Attention to detail is a skill that is required everywhere, whether it is arranging things according to current trends or paying attention to consumer requests.
However, detail-orientedness is not only present to supplement customer service skills. It is also critical for the error-free operation of POS (point-of-sale) systems and credit card terminals on a daily basis. You simply cannot afford to lose money in your business as a result of being distracted.
Related terms for sales associate resumes include:
- Meticulous
- Observant
- Thorough
- Attentive
- Punctual
- Timely
#7. Leadership skills
Leadership skills are useful in any sales profession, whether you are a junior sales associate or a senior sales representative. Sales workers are expected to take over the store on occasion.
Assume the manager takes a brief break. The store becomes extremely crowded. Depending on the company’s corporate culture, a skilled associate may step up to coordinate the flow of clients and the obligations of their colleagues.
At the same time, leadership skills do not always emerge as an authority, which is often gained via years of experience. Having an ownership mentality, on the other hand, is a sign of future managerial potential. Going the extra mile is one example. If a sales associate is assigned to build a wall with the new product line and goes above and above expectations, it indicates that they may be ready to take over in the near future.
Related phrases for sales associate resume skills sections:
- Project Management and Management Skills
- Delegation Skills
- Decision-making Skills
- Strategic Planning Skills
- Negotiation Skills
- Coaching, mentoring, and training Skills
- Hiring Skills
- Resolving conflicts skills
- Developing relationships Skills
- Accountability
#8. Product knowledge
59% of shoppers conduct product research before making a purchase, whether in-store or online. They may arrive knowing more about a product than the sales employees. Being dumb in front of a consumer is embarrassing and can have long-term consequences for the brand’s reputation. You can avoid the problem by providing extensive training (and re-training) to all employees.
Product knowledge is more than just passive know-how. It is also an important component of a store’s sales strategy. For example, if a consumer is shopping for a specific item, there is an upsell chance to propose complementary products, which can assist enhance customer satisfaction. A suggestion like this can only be implemented if you have a thorough understanding of product features and store inventory management.
What to look for in sales associate resumes and what to include:
- Mentions of specific retail brand product names or product categories (for example, “Lush Lotus Flower soap”)
- Mentions of product features (for example, “deeply hydrating”)
- Mentions of accomplishments related to product knowledge (for example, “increased store sales of Lush Lotus Flower soap by 13% by explaining its deeply-hydrating benefits to customers.”
#9. Industry expertise
One of the most undervalued sales associate skills is well-rounded retail sector knowledge; for example, a salesperson who is up to date on the newest fashion trends and can put together an outfit for a customer is a valuable asset.
A sales associate who is both informed and enthusiastic about a product has a better chance of convincing the customer.
#10. Fundamental math skills
Although sales associates are not required to be mathematicians, a few basic skills (which most high school diploma holders possess) are required for operating the cash register, handling money, and counting back change. The following are some fundamental steps to be aware of:
- Addition
- Subtraction
- Percentages
Outside of the store counter, there may be some math-related scenarios. Sales employees may be required to assist consumers in adding up various discount codes, calculating product measures, or providing tax information.
Related terms for sales associate resumes include:
- Numeracy skills
- Point of sale skills
- Payment processing skills
#11. Fundamental technological skills
The in-store experience is now digital. By 2026, retailers are estimated to spend $20.05 billion on AI. In comparison, retailers invested $3.75 billion in AI in 2020.
The till is no longer the lone piece of equipment in the store. Customers can use iPads, scan-equipped employee iPhones, and even virtual reality technologies to help them purchase.
VR technology may not be available in every retail location just yet. Nonetheless, there is useful technological know-how surrounding existing smart technology. It’s quickly becoming one of the most in-demand skills for sales associates. Would you, for example, be able to address the following probable consumer questions?
- What is NFC?
- How can a smartphone read a QR code?
- Customers may print digital coupons and use them in-store?
- What is an electronic tag on a product?
- Did you succeed?
Keywords related to sales associate resumes:
- Computer skills
- Tech-savvy
- Smartphone skills
- Social media skills
Skills to Include on Your Sales Associate Resume
The most relevant sales associate Resume Keywords for your resume, according to recent trends, are:
- Customer Support
- The Sales Floor
- Cash Management
- Sales in Retail
- Loss Avoidance
- Fundamental Math
- Cleanliness
- Customer Contentment
- Math
- POS
- Ladders
- Shelves for Stock
- Shop for Sale
- Retail Environment
- Sales Transactions
- The Look of the Store
- Storage Area
- Customers Complaints
- Inventory Management
- Customers Transactions
- Customer Concerns
- Counting Machines
- Stock Merchandise
- Excellent Customer Service
- Selling Techniques
- Inquiries from Customers
- Stock on the Floor
- Cash Management
- A store that is clean
- Time Management Demonstration
- Security Procedures
- Deposits in a bank
- Store Inventory
- Security Threats
- Excellent Visitor
- Brand Positioning
- Displays of Merchandise
- Improve Your Competence
- Customer Service
- Inventory Control
- Create Long-Term
- PowerPoint
- Excellent Planning
- Repeat Customers
- Dollies
- Maintenance Types
- Alertness
- Cash drawers
- Shop Displays
- Product Choice
What You Can Do to Develop Your Sales Associate Skills
Through adequate practice and experience, you can improve your skills as a sales associate in a variety of ways. Here are four of the most effective methods for increasing your expertise:
#1. Learn to be patient
All sales associates will encounter customers who require varying degrees of attention and assistance. For example, you may have a consumer that has multiple inquiries and will return to you for answers. As a good sales associate, you must grasp their demands and wait patiently while they express them.
#2. Active listening should be practiced
Understanding the demands of consumers is critical in customer service. Being empathic by carefully listening to them will not only help you comprehend them but will also demonstrate that you care.
#3. Improve your brand knowledge
Investigating your company’s items can help you acquire brand expertise. Employers want to know that you took the time to learn about their products. Conduct extensive research on not only the company but also the products with which you will be working.
#4. Exercise good communication skills
Practice responding with well-crafted responses, being attentive, and being aware of nonverbal signs. Finally, maintain eye contact to show customers that you are paying attention to them and what they have to say.
The Best Way to Promote Your Sales Associate Skills
It is critical to demonstrate your skills throughout the interview process if you want to work as a sales associate. Here are two approaches to showcasing those skills to potential employers:
#1. Sales associate resume and cover letter skills
A well-structured resume and cover letter are excellent areas to highlight your sales associate expertise. Check that both are well-organized and free of spelling and grammatical problems. Include the areas of expertise where you excel as they relate to the role in your resume’s skills section. Your cover letter is an excellent opportunity to develop and comment on these skills.
#2. Sales Associates Interview Skills
Along with your resume and cover letter, your job interview is an excellent opportunity to demonstrate your skills. Make an effort to arrive on time for your interview, pay attention to nonverbal signs, and use active listening skills.
How Can Sales Associates Hone Their Skills?
Hard skills are simple objectives for development. To master, they usually demand specific knowledge and considerable memory. Soft skills, on the other hand, are generally gained via job experience and are based more on feelings and perceived experience. They are, however, one of the most important skills to learn as a retail sales associate.
The following suggestions attempt to improve both hard and soft skills in the workplace:
#1. Training
According to a new study for the State of Sales 2020-2021 report, sales professionals who mostly learned on the job rather than through courses, mentoring, or sales education resources were the least likely to believe they grew more successful in sales in 2020. In other words, the most effective employee education is a combination of on-the-job and outside training methods.
#2. Courses
Salespeople can also study from the convenience of their own homes. LinkedIn’s free learning courses are an excellent place to begin.
#3. Role-playing
Internally reenacting unpleasant circumstances might assist sales staff in becoming better salespeople and dealing with customer concerns more effectively.
#4. Techniques and scripts
When there is a script or a predetermined sales approach available, some cashiers and floor salespeople perform better in upselling. Make a quick cheat sheet to assist sales employees in staying on target. Take a cue from this 17-year-old sales assistant, who used a simple mirroring method to outsell every employee in his region.
#5. Product education.
This does not necessarily imply extensive training on each brand’s product (though this is also good). Sales associates can learn the most about store products by purchasing and using them on a regular basis. Staff discounts or gifts can help your sales workers and their friends and family become brand ambassadors.
#6. Social media sites that are relevant to the industry.
Here’s to workouts that don’t feel like workouts. Sales staff might follow relevant Instagram or TikTok accounts to stay up to date with trends. Clothing store personnel, for example, may follow famous fashion channels, whereas drugstore employees could stay up with the world of skincare and cosmetics gurus.
Last thoughts
We’ve gone over the sales associate skills, resume phrases, and responses that should be highlighted in any job application and subsequent interview.
Knowing about these skills can help store managers find the ideal people in their resume piles and educate their sales team members. Sales colleagues, you can now create the perfect resume using the skills you’ve learned and obtain ideas for how to enhance your sales and reach your sales goals.
To summarize, practically every facet of sales can be learned and mastered. It only takes commitment, hard work, and a little team spirit.
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