Sales Associate Job Description Example, Duties, and Responsibilities

Sales Associate Job Description Example, Duties, and Responsibilities

What Does a Sales Associate Do?

Sales associates work primarily in retail settings such as grocery stores, electronic or clothing stores.

The sales associate job description entails assisting customers in purchasing goods and services usually by providing product information and generally ensuring clients have a great shopping experience.

Sales associates in performing their duties courteously welcome customers into store premises.

They direct or escort customers to appropriate store section or aisle designated for the purchase of specific products.

They also interact with customers to identify their needs and assist in selecting choice products.

Sales associates provide clients with product details and information to help them in making the right choices.

They explain product features, difference between similar product types and warranty agreements for various goods.

They also notify customers of available promotional offers and encourage them to take advantage of daily deals.

Usually, sales associates ensure aisles, shelves, and entire work areas are clean and ambient enough to attract customers.

Their role also involves overseeing the stocking and merchandising of products to ensure proper display and easy access to desired goods.

They also assist customers in taking down products beyond their reach.

As part of their responsibilities, sales associates keep a watchful eye on customers in order to minimize risk of pilfering and shoplifting.

They often perform cashier duties by collecting cash and handling credit card transactions to process payment.

They also oversee product returns and refund of payment to customers.

Associates in charge of sales maintain contact with customers to offer them new products and address their issues or complaints.

They ensure timely and effective delivery of purchased items.

Their work description also involves monitoring stock levels to initiate product order for out of stock items.

It is part of the responsibilities of sales associates to reserve products for online orders as well as pick and pack items for shipping purposes.

To work in this position will require no formal education although employers often prefer high school graduates.

Some of the major qualities you need to succeed in this job include customer service skills, communication skills, and persuasive quality.

Sales Associates Job Description Example/Template

Sales associates perform various functions, primarily to ensure customers get a great experience.

Here is an example of a typical job description, comprising of major duties, tasks, and responsibilities that most sales associates perform:

• Ensure customers are satisfied by providing excellent sales services
• Evaluate the needs of customers in order to provide useful assistance and product information
• Welcome customers with a smile and direct them to appropriate store sections or aisle
• Liaise with the customer service unit of a store to ensure buyers receive adequate attention and assistance
• Design and implement strategies to improve marketing, sales and customer base
• Handle return of merchandise and refund of payment
• Maintain an up-to-date knowledge of store products, promotional offers and daily deals
• Assist customers in selecting products that best meet their needs and requirements
• Build and establish positive relationships with customers to enhance patronage and increase clientele
• Comply with departmental action plans in order to achieve set objectives
• Oversee the processing of purchases, credit card transactions and collection of payment
• Oversee the tagging of merchandise and arrangement of items on the store floor
• Monitor inventory stock on display to facilitate replenishment of emptying shelves
• Ensure store premises are clean and neatly arranged to receive customers
• Set up promotional displays such as posters, mannequins and general season presentation materials.

Requirements – Skill, Abilities, and Knowledge – for Sales Associate Role

If you are interested in working in a retail setting and like to apply for a sales associate position, here are common requirements most recruiters will expect you to meet to be considered for the job:

• Education and Training: The sales associate job doesn’t require much formal education; with a high school diploma you can secure a job in this role. Employers usually train new recruits to acquaint them with necessary customer service and sales procedures
• Communication Skill: Sales associates are adept at effectively interacting with customers to identify their needs and to provide them relevant product information
• Persuasive Quality: They are well versed in convincing customers to make purchases in order to drive sales and maximize returns
• Customer service skill: They are able to courteously relate with buyers when conducting sales to ensure their requirements are meet.

Conclusion

The job description sample for the role of sales associate provide in this post can serve as a template that you can use as an employer in designing effective work description for use in finding the most suitable and qualified candidates for the position when hiring.

Also, if you are interested in working as a sales associate and need to increase your knowledge of what they do, this post will be helpful to you too.

Did this post increase your knowledge of what sales associates do? Please, leave a comment in the box below. Do also share your work activities if you work as an associate in a retail sales setting.