Careers Finding a Job Important Skills for Sales Associate Jobs Print Image © The Balance Finding a Job Job Searching Skills & Keywords Resumes Salary & Benefits Letters & Emails Job Listings Job Interviews Cover Letters Career Advice Best Jobs Work-From-Home Jobs Internships Table of Contents Expand Skills to be a Sales Associate Money-Handling Skills Communications / Customer Service Knowledge of Products and Services Sales Skills Personal Mastery Skills More Sales Associate Skills Sample Resume and Skills Review More Samples By Alison Doyle Updated on 09/28/20 Sales associates have broad and flexible responsibilities that often include acting as cashier, customer service representative, stocker, and stepping into other roles, sometimes multiple roles, in a single day. Different stores will emphasize different skills, so sales associate jobs vary from company to company. What all of these positions have in common is a focus on helping customers get what they need in a retail environment. Some sales associates move up the corporate ladder, others stay where they are, and still, others move on to other fields. But if you have these skills, you can find work almost anywhere. What Kind of Skills Do You Need to be a Sales Associate? Some of the skills you will need are specific to particular positions, either because each store does things a little differently, or because companies vary in how they define these jobs. For example, you may or may not be expected to work with vendors or stock shelves. Other skills are common across virtually all sales associate positions. Money-Handling Skills Most sales associates are involved with finalizing sales and handling money and credit card transactions. You’ll need to know how to use a cash register, and possibly Microsoft Office as well. You’ll need basic accounting skills to make a change and to notice errors. You may need to be bonded. Cashier Cash Handling Cash Register Credit Cards Making Change Microsoft Office Money Handling Monetary Transactions Transactions Communications and Customer Service Skills Because sales associates work directly with customers, skills and experience in communications and customer relations are valuable. These include verbal communication for providing customer assistance and dealing with difficult people, but you also need written communication for developing signage, writing emails, and possibly keeping records. CommunicationCommunicate BrandCustomer AssistanceCustomer RelationsCustomer ServiceDealing With Difficult PeopleGreeting CustomersVerbal CommunicationVisual DisplaysWritten Communication Knowledge of Products and Services If you have in-depth knowledge of the products and services you are selling, you can help customers make informed choices. That’s good for your customers, and it’s good for your employer as well, since people bring their business to places where the service is reliable. An in-depth knowledge of your store is important, too. From giving simple directions (“where do you keep cookies?”) to being able to explain services and policies, your assistance allows customers to better use your store. Brand AwarenessProduct EnthusiasmProduct KnowledgeSizingStore Services Knowledge Sales Skills Selling can range from simply helping customers find what they’re looking for, to actively encouraging customers to buy more, or to buy specific things to achieve sales goals. You’ll need good attention to detail and strong relationship building skills. It is another place where having an in-depth knowledge of what your store sells is crucial. You’ll need to understand basic accounting and stocking to keep track of where you are with respect to your goals and where you need to be. Achieve Sales GoalsAttention to DetailMerchandisingPersuasiveRelationship BuildingSalesSales VolumeSelling Personal Mastery Skills There are also personal qualities, habits, and talents that can be of value to a sales associate. You might not think of them as skills, but they can be learned, and if you highlight them in the hiring process, you will be more likely to get the job. You must be dependable, efficient, and able to multitask. You must be punctual, yet able to be flexible in your scheduling. Personal cleanliness is important, as is a professional appearance and demeanor. You must be able to take the initiative, and also be a team player who is able to follow instructions. You must be polite, friendly, and enthusiastic. A positive attitude helps at all times. Cleanliness Dependable Efficient Enthusiasm Flexible Flexible Schedule Follow Instructions Friendly Initiative Interpersonal Multitasking Organization People Personable Persuasive Politeness Positive Attitude Professional Punctual Reliable Team Focus Team Player Teamwork Timeliness More Position-Based Sales Associate Skills These skills are often related to specific positions or job titles. Have you performed any of these jobs or functions? Cashier Department Maintenance Display Building Displays Front End Operations Loss Prevention Maintain Store Standards Planogram Changes Point of Sale Systems (POS) Pricing Retail Operations Returns Sales Stock Management Stock Replenishment Stocking Vendor Relations Visual Merchandising Review a Sample Resume This is a sample resume written for a sales associate position. You may simply read the sample below or download the template (available for Google Docs and Word Online). @ The Balance 2020 Download the Resume Template Resume Example Focused on Sales Skills (Text Version) Sally Sales123 Ocean AvenueSanta Monica, CA 90402(123) 456-7890sally.sales@email.comSALES ASSOCIATERepresenting luxury name brands with enthusiasm and success.Demonstrated passion for promoting high-end beauty and perfume brands within retail settings. Easily initiate consultative dialogues to identify customer preferences and offer winning product solutions. Maintain a flawless personal appearance and professional demeanor.Key skills include: Customer Relations • Innovative Visual Merchandising • Cash Handling / Credit Processing • Superb Product Knowledge • Planogram Optimization • Department Maintenance / StockingPROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCESEPHORA, Santa Monica, CASales Associate (June 2018 – Present)Greet and provide attentive service and product recommendations to customers of upscale retail store. Enthusiastically discuss and demonstrate beauty products; design and set up attractive visual merchandising displays. Handle credit processing and cash transactions with 100% accuracy. Key achievements:Consistently exceeded all established sales targets by more than 20% for each year of tenure.Partnered with store management to design and implement planogram changes that improved traffic and average customer time spent in store by 35%.Promoted within one month of hiring to key holder status based upon proven responsibility, maturity, and a perfect work attendance record.MACY’S, Santa Monica, CASales Associate (May 2015 – June 2018)Skillfully handled product sales and returns at perfume counter of high-volume department store. Assisted customers with product selections and described current sales promotions; meticulously ensured the cleanliness and order of merchandising displays. Key achievements:Proactively increased knowledge of newly launched products to inform creation of unique displays and talking points.Helped to implement loss prevention strategies that reduced shoplifting by 60%.Earned multiple “Employee of the Month” awards.EDUCATION & CREDENTIALSSANTA MONICA COMMUNITY COLLEGE, Santa Monica, CAAssociate of Science – Sales & PromotionTechnical Proficiencies: Microsoft Office Suite • POS systems Review More Samples Summer Sales Associate Resume Sales Associate Cover Letter How to Make Your Skills Stand Out Match Your Skills to the Job: Skill requirements will vary based on the job for which you're applying, so be sure to read the job description carefully and review our list of skills listed by job and type of skill. Include Skills in Your Job Application Materials: The skills listed here are those that are frequently programmed into the applicant tracking systems that many employers now use to review applications. Include them in your resume and cover letter. Use Skills to Highlight Your Experience: Use these skills as keywords to highlight what you can do. Prepare specific examples of how you embody these skills so that you can discuss them in job interviews.