Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
What is a business sales associate and how to become one
A business sales associate works closely with customers to identify their needs and suggest the best products or services. They typically work in many different types of retail stores and are also referred to as sales clerks or salespeople.
The specific duties of a business sales associate include welcoming customers into the store, answering queries about products or services, keeping their assigned area clean, processing purchases, and cross-selling products, and generally ensuring a high level of customer service. They may also be responsible for processing returns and handling customer complaints.
There is no strict educational requirement for this role for most employers. Prior experience, on the other hand, may also not be a common requirement but is an advantage. However, more sophisticated retail stores may require at least a high school diploma and prior retail experience. A business sales associate can earn an entry-level salary of around $27,000 per year, which can increase with every promotion.
What general advice would you give to a business sales associate?
Kim Chatani
Assistant Professor, Concordia University Irvine
Avg. Salary $59,485
Avg. Salary $59,228
Growth rate 4%
Growth rate 0.3%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.23%
Asian 5.22%
Black or African American 3.89%
Hispanic or Latino 14.59%
Unknown 3.72%
White 72.34%
Genderfemale 39.99%
male 60.01%
Age - 48American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%
Asian 7.00%
Black or African American 14.00%
Hispanic or Latino 19.00%
White 57.00%
Genderfemale 47.00%
male 53.00%
Age - 48Stress level is high
7.1 - high
Complexity level is challenging
7 - challenging
Work life balance is fair
6.4 - fair
Business sales associate career paths
Key steps to become a business sales associate
Explore business sales associate education requirements
Start to develop specific business sales associate skills
Skills Percentages Business Sales 14.32% Product Knowledge 13.53% Customer Satisfaction 10.09% CRM 9.96% Sales Process 6.47% Complete relevant business sales associate training and internships
Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New business sales associates learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a business sales associate based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real business sales associate resumes.Research business sales associate duties and responsibilities
- Manage individual sales activities by developing highly effective, communications focuse relationship with multiple sales channels.
- Perform inside sales, including telemarketing, prospecting, account penetration and product application, consulting and delivery of customer service.
- Top performer among peers in revenue and margin attainments, upselling extend warranties and converting credit card sales to leases.
- Assist MRO organizations in composite shop design and organization.
Prepare your business sales associate resume
When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your business sales associate resume.
You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a business sales associate resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.
Choose from 10+ customizable business sales associate resume templates
Build a professional business sales associate resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your business sales associate resume.
Apply for business sales associate jobs
Now it's time to start searching for a business sales associate job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:
- Browse job boards for relevant postings
- Consult your professional network
- Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
- Watch out for job scams
How did you land your first business sales associate job
Are you a business sales associate?
Share your story for a free salary report.
Average business sales associate salary
The average business sales associate salary in the United States is $59,485 per year or $29 per hour. Business sales associate salaries range between $42,000 and $84,000 per year.
What am I worth?
How do business sales associates rate their job?
Business sales associate reviews
Cultivating relationships with customers and accessing customers needs , I like solving their problems with the product or service that I am pre selling to them before passing the lead to a sales executive.
I am passionate about my role as a BDR and there is nothing that I don't like. I don't like to be put in a box so to speak I enjoy reaching high and don't like to limited.
Communicating and helping my clients.
The travel was extensive. Sometimes. It took more than month to close a deaĺ.
I love to engage the public and meet new faces. I enjoy explaining all of the benefits of the product I am selling, and making the customer feel important and well informed.
I don't like feeling like I haven't did a great at job at making customers feel comfortable and confident about where and who they are purchasing from.
Updated January 8, 2025
