Anyone who has worked in a retail environment knows that selling is more than just knowing what you’re selling. People on both sides of the counter are important in sales.
A good sales associate not only knows the goods they’re selling, but they also have a unique set of talents acquired via sales experience and training.
Salespeople must wear multiple hats during the course of their day in order to provide excellent customer care to each and every customer.
During the hiring process, you may recognise and recruit these dream individuals by requiring 11 must-have abilities for a sales associate job. Store owners and salespeople will gain a better grasp of the most important sales associate abilities and how to develop them after reading this RisePath article.
What are the finest sales associate skills to include in a resume or search for?
A mix of hard and soft abilities are required for the top 11 skills required for sales associate employment. To be successful in sales, you’ll need both of them.
Let’s take a look at the most significant sales associate CV talents and where they fall in the skill range. Each of these sales associate qualities should have some associated phrases in the resumes you analyse. We highlight a few phrases for each skill that hint at specific abilities (or phrases to include when writing your own retail sales associate resume).
1. Ability to communicate
Type: Soft skill.
Sales representatives are the first line of defence for a retail brand. They must be able to clearly deliver key product information, greet people, and make small talk. As a result, verbal communication is a crucial skill to master.
Active listening, in addition to speaking, is essential for effectively serving clients. Only by comprehending the customer’s demands on several levels can sales staff go above and beyond. Salespeople must also improve their listening abilities in order to accomplish this.
Sales personnel should have the following abilities on their resumes:
- People abilities
- Social abilities
- Soft abilities
2. Customer service skills
Type: Soft skill.
The distinction between communication and customer service abilities is based on a combination of empathy and product expertise.
Consider the following two examples:
- Salesperson Sam has excellent communication skills because he can recite the company’s two-week return policy from memory.
- If Salesperson Taylor, on the other hand, tells the customer the same thing but also offers specific counsel based on the customer’s future month-long business trip, which they just discussed, they have great customer service abilities.
And there’s a lot more that can be thrown into this bucket. A salesperson’s customer service abilities involve a variety of social smarts that he or she 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.
Sales personnel should have the following abilities on their resumes:
- Interpersonal skills
- Conflict resolution skills
- Social skills
- Personability
- Call center skills
- Empathy
3. Marketing and sales abilities
Type: Soft skill.
Without a question, one of the most important talents of a salesperson is the ability to sell and advertise products.
It’s good to simply aid clients in finding what they’re looking for. It is preferable to sell actively. Of course, just because they have retail skills doesn’t mean they have to act like a pushy salesperson. Rather, it’s about cultivating and selling relationships. Employees must know which buttons to press to guide the consumer through the various stages of the sale.
Marketing and sales are inextricably linked. Employees are frequently needed to do marketing-related jobs on the sales floor, such as visual merchandising, signage installation, and store window arrangement.
For a resume or cover letter, related sales associate abilities include:
- Skills in persuasion
- Skills in visual merchandising
- Being detail-oriented or paying attention to the finer points of a situation
4. Multitasking abilities
Type: Soft skill.
There are numerous things for sales workers to perform in a retail store, even when it is not busy. They must be extremely adept at multitasking.
Maintaining stock levels, processing returns, putting out new products, managing the till, cleaning up after customers, and other duties may be part of the job description. It may appear to be a lot. The good news is that there’s a simple approach to remembering how to prioritise responsibilities at all times: put the client first.
Related terms for resumes and job descriptions for sales associates:
- Organizing skills
- Skills in project management
- Skills in critical thinking
- Skills in time management
- Skills in problem-solving
5. Team player.
Type: Soft skill.
Adaptability is a crucial trait to have in retail establishments because things can get busy. One of the most important abilities for salespeople 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 it’s busy, assisting coworkers.
- Performing a thorough job on each station so that colleagues are not burdened with unnecessary labour.
- Even after their allotted chores have been accomplished, they continue to pitch in.
- Intervening when a customer’s situation is ready to spiral out of control.
- Detecting when an employee is overworked and assisting them.
- Keeping the team spirit alive as well as connecting with and greeting clients requires a cheerful, upbeat attitude.
Related terms for resumes for sales associates include:
- Teamwork
- Dependable
- Reliable
- Flexible
6. Paying attention to details
Type: Soft skill.
Salespeople must maintain a high level of awareness at all times. Attention to detail is a skill that is needed everywhere, whether it’s arranging things according to the latest trends or paying attention to consumer requests.
However, detail-orientedness isn’t just there to help with customer service. It’s also necessary 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 due to inattention.
Related terms for resumes for sales associates include:
- Meticulous
- Observant
- Thorough
- Attentive
- Punctual
- Timely
7. Leadership abilities
Type: Soft skill.
Whether you’re an entry-level sales associate or a more experienced sales representative, leadership qualities are useful in any sales position. From time to time, sales workers are expected to assume command of the store.
Leadership qualities, on the other hand, aren’t necessarily manifested in the form of authority, which is often acquired via years of experience. Having an ownership mentality, on the other hand, is a sign of future managerial potential. This can be demonstrated by going the additional mile. If a sales associate is tasked with erecting a wall with the new product line and goes above and beyond, it’s a hint that they’ll be ready to take over in the near future.
Related phrases to include in the abilities part of a resume for a sales associate:
- Project management and management skills
- Ability to delegate
- Ability to make decisions
- Skills in strategic planning
- Skills in negotiating
- Skills in training, mentoring, and coaching
- Recruiting expertise
- Skills in conflict resolution
- Ability to form and maintain relationships
- Accountability
8. Product knowledge
Type: Hard skill.
Before making a purchase, 59 percent of customers conduct product research, whether in-store or online. They may arrive knowing more about a product than the salespeople. Appearing bumbling in front of a customer is humiliating and can harm a company’s reputation for a long time. Implementing extensive training (and re-training) for every employee can help you get ahead of the problem.
Product knowledge is more than just a set of skills. It’s also an important component of a retailer’s sales strategy. If a consumer is seeking a specific item, for example, an upsell opportunity exists to suggest products that compliment the item, which can assist boost customer happiness. Only someone with a thorough understanding of product features and shop inventory management can make such a suggestion.
What to look for or include on a resume for a sales associate:
- Mentions of specific retail brand product names or product categories
- Mentions of product features
- Mentions of accomplishments relating to product knowledge
9. Industry knowledge
Type: Hard skill.
One of the most undervalued sales associate talents is a broad understanding of the retail sector. A salesperson who is up to date on current trends and can put together an outfit for a customer, for example, is a valuable asset.
A salesperson who is both knowledgeable and enthusiastic about a product has a better chance of persuading a customer.
10. Basic math skills
Type: Hard skill.
Salespeople do not have to be mathematicians. To operate the cash register, handle money, and count back change, a few fundamental skills (which most high school diploma holders possess) are required. The following are some basic things to be aware of:
- Addition
- Subtraction
- Percentages
Outside of the store counter, there may be some math-related scenarios. Sales associates may be asked to assist consumers in adding up various discount codes, calculating product measurements, or providing tax information.
Related terms for resumes for sales associates include:
- Numeracy skills
- POS skills
- Payment processing skills
11. Basic technological skills
Type: Hard skill.
The in-store experience has been transformed into a digital one. By 2026, retailers are estimated to spend $20.05 billion on artificial intelligence.
The cash register is no longer the lone piece of equipment in the store. Customers can use iPads, scan-enabled employee iPhones, and even virtual reality technologies to help them shop.
Virtual reality may not be available in every store just now. Existing smart technology does, however, have some useful tech know-how. It’s quickly becoming one of the most in-demand abilities among salespeople. Would you know the answers to the following prospective consumer queries, for example?
- What is NFC?
- With a smartphone, how do you read a QR code?
- Is it possible for customers to print digital coupons and utilise them in-store?
- What is a product’s electronic tag?
Keywords to consider when writing a CV for a sales associate:
- Computer skills
- Tech-savvy
- Smartphone skills
- Social media skills
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