As a retail sales associate, you’ll likely work in a physical retail or store location and help sell products or services to customers. This includes recommending solutions for customer problems, answering questions, demonstrating merchandise, advising about promotions, and processing purchases and payments. 

You’re essentially responsible for helping customers feel welcome and have a positive shopping experience through your product expertise, industry knowledge and sales skills. 

Virtually every company and industry has a form of sales, and retail sales associates can work with a variety of products such as beauty, clothing, shoes, food, houseware, automobiles, and more. Often your success is defined by yourself and how hard you’re willing to work to sell the product or service at your location, so you should be constantly motivated to be successful and help your customers. 

Here’s a list of several hard and soft skills a retail sales associate should have on their resume, qualities a good associate should have, and skills you’ll learn and improve once hired for the role. 

As a retail associate, you’ll want to be self-motivated and ambitious. Sometimes you’ll be asked to meet specific sales goals, and your success is defined by yourself and how hard you’re willing to work with customers who come to your store. Not only should you be motivated to be successful and help your customers, but also motivating to other team members. 

As a retail associate, you’ll want to be self-motivated and ambitious. Sometimes you’ll be asked to meet specific sales goals, and your success is defined by yourself and how hard you’re willing to work with customers who come to your store. Not only should you be motivated to be successful and help your customers, but also motivating to other team members. 

Having the ability to be coached is a great trait in sales, as is being open to new ideas and adaptability. Strong retail associate candidates are also typically social, collaborative, and outgoing. Being a people person can help establish the trust and rapport it often takes to complete a purchase. 

Additionally, it can be helpful if you’re detail-oriented, responsible, dependable and reliable. All of these traits represent a strong worker who will come to work on time for each shift and complete all necessary tasks.
Having the ability to be coached is a great trait in sales, as is being open to new ideas and adaptability. Strong retail associate candidates are also typically social, collaborative, and outgoing. Being a people person can help establish the trust and rapport it often takes to complete a purchase. 

Additionally, it can be helpful if you’re detail-oriented, responsible, dependable and reliable. All of these traits represent a strong worker who will come to work on time for each shift and complete all necessary tasks.