A sales associate is a person who works in a store such as a department store, a grocery store, a clothing store, a pet store, a music store, a toy store and so on.
A sales associate usually greets customers, helps the customer find a product, answers any questions the customer may have and handles any complaints. Most sales associates are expected to be able to use the cash register, process the sale, handle refunds, make exchanges, restock the shelves, maintain a clean store and keep track of the money coming in and going out of the store.
An ideal sales associate is an outgoing person who can work in a team and likes interacting with people all day. In many stores, sales associates are expected to promote products and reach certain targets per month. It is important that he/she is familiar with the product he/she is selling so they can answer the customer’s questions.
Most sales associates are required to work long hours, during the weekend, in the evenings and during holidays as this is usually the busiest time of the year for stores so employers need all hands on deck!
A sales associate is a representative of a company whose responsibility is to make sales.
This is typically someone whose job it is to sell whatever the company is making or providing, and has direct contact with the customer. Their job is usually to find “leads”, which are people who might be interested in buying the product or service.
They probably come from referrals from existing customers, or are brought to the company’s attention by ad advertisement or marketing campaign.
When the potential customer comes to the company, the sales associate’s job is to talk to them about their needs and how the company can help them. If it is a service, they can explain what the company does and why the person might need help.
If it is a product, they can show how the product solves a problem. Either way, their job is not only to promote the company’s products, but also to educate potential customers about what problems they have that they did not realize the company’s products could solve.
Most of the time, a sales associate has a base salary – a set amount of income that the company promises them – but this is only a small part of their income. Instead, their main income comes from commissions, which means that they will get a portion of the income based on the sales that they make.
If they sell $100 worth of products or services, they might make 10% of that sale. So, they often need to contact as many people as possible but the income that they earn can be extremely low, extremely high, or anything in between.
The longer they work, the more familiar they are with the product they are selling and how to promote it, the more they will earn.
