What does a consumer sales associate do?
A Consumer Sales Associate works on the sales floor to assist customers so that they can have a positive shopping experience. Their responsibilities include greeting customers, identifying their needs and preferences, answering inquiries, helping locate items, and offering promotions. There are instances when they must discuss product specifications, conduct product demonstrations, and produce sales reports. There are instances when they may also participate in arranging products on shelves, resolving issues, and maintaining the cleanliness of the sales floor.
Consumer sales associate responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real consumer sales associate resumes:
- Manage call center productivity levels by maintaining CSR schedule adherence.
- Require multitasking, responding appropriately to customer questions and concerns, and negotiating sales for additional products and services.
- Recognize opportunities to up-sell and often take the opportunity to do so to create a better Marriott experience and event.
Consumer sales associate skills and personality traits
We calculated that 17% of Consumer Sales Associates are proficient in Product Knowledge, Customer Service, and Outbound Calls. They’re also known for soft skills such as Math skills, Selling skills, and Customer-service skills.
We break down the percentage of Consumer Sales Associates that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Product Knowledge, 17%
Exhibited exemplary product knowledge and ability to resolve problems.
- Customer Service, 14%
Provided customer service and support to high-value members while actively pursuing available sales opportunities in a call center environment.
- Outbound Calls, 13%
Make outbound calls to renew subscription and collect payments, collect past -due balances
- Sales Floor, 8%
Used inventory system to track deficiencies in item stock and pull items from stockroom to sales floor as needed.
- Inbound Calls, 7%
Received inbound calls from existing and potential customers for residential phone, internet, or television services and wireless services.
- Technical Support, 7%
Handled daily operations of technical support for smoke detectors.
"product knowledge," "customer service," and "outbound calls" are among the most common skills that consumer sales associates use at work. You can find even more consumer sales associate responsibilities below, including:
Math skills. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for a consumer sales associate to have is math skills. Their role and responsibilities require that "retail sales workers must have the ability to calculate price totals, discounts, and change owed to customers." Consumer sales associates often use math skills in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "compiled statistics specific to net sales, progress reports and maintained the client conference room and travel arrangements. "
Selling skills. Another essential skill to perform consumer sales associate duties is selling skills. Consumer sales associates responsibilities require that "retail sales workers must be persuasive when interacting with customers." Consumer sales associates also use selling skills in their role according to a real resume snippet: "utilized appropriate sales techniques to encourage a good customer relationship and enhance the purchasing experience. "
Customer-service skills. This is an important skill for consumer sales associates to perform their duties. For an example of how consumer sales associate responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "retail sales workers must be responsive to the wants and needs of customers." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of a consumer sales associate: "utilized appropriate sales techniques to encourage good customer relationships. ".
Interpersonal skills. consumer sales associate responsibilities often require "interpersonal skills." The duties that rely on this skill are shown by the fact that "a friendly and outgoing personality is important for these workers because the job requires almost constant interaction with people." This resume example shows what consumer sales associates do with interpersonal skills on a typical day: "resolved customer issues by incorporating the use of strong interpersonal skills. "
The three companies that hire the most consumer sales associates are:
- NEX
10 consumer sales associates jobs
- Bath & Body Works9 consumer sales associates jobs
- Goldman Sachs6 consumer sales associates jobs
Compare different consumer sales associates
Consumer sales associate vs. Associate sales representative
The duties of an associate sales representative depend on one's line of work or industry of employment. Their responsibilities typically revolve around reaching out to clients through calls or door-to-door visits, offering products and services, collecting payments, addressing issues and concerns, and performing corrective measures when necessary. An associate sales representative often has a quota and deadline to reach; therefore, it is essential to be sales driven and goal-oriented. Furthermore, one must adhere to the policies and regulations of the company.
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between consumer sales associates and associate sales representative. For instance, consumer sales associate responsibilities require skills such as "stock merchandise," "consumer sales," "telephone services," and "product development." Whereas a associate sales representative is skilled in "work ethic," "patients," "excellent interpersonal," and "excellent organizational." This is part of what separates the two careers.
Associate sales representatives tend to reach similar levels of education than consumer sales associates. In fact, associate sales representatives are 0.5% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.2% more likely to have a Doctoral Degree.Consumer sales associate vs. Sales associate and customer service
Sales and customer service associates are employees who are responsible for closing out sales deals and attending to customer needs. They are in charge of selling company goods and services to potential clients, often citing the common needs of prospective clients to ensure sales. They also handle customer inquiries and complaints and try their best to mitigate any problems that would arise. They are expected to be experts on company products to ensure that they can provide the best service to customers. Sales and customer service associates should have strong interpersonal skills, customer service skills, and communication skills.
Each career also uses different skills, according to real consumer sales associate resumes. While consumer sales associate responsibilities can utilize skills like "strong work ethic," "technical support," "consumer sales," and "telephone services," sales associate and customer services use skills like "plumbing," "phone calls," "booking," and "math."
Average education levels between the two professions vary. Sales associate and customer services tend to reach similar levels of education than consumer sales associates. In fact, they're 3.5% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.2% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Consumer sales associate vs. Sales support associate
A sales support associate is an individual who is responsible for assisting sales staff and help customers. To provide this assistance, sales support associates use customer communication methods such as telephones or email to process customer orders and ensure that they are accurate. They work closely with distributors to make sure that products are available for their customers. Sales support associates may function as either part-time or full time, but companies may require excellent communication skills.
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from consumer sales associate resumes include skills like "strong work ethic," "technical support," "quality customer service," and "consumer sales," whereas a sales support associate is more likely to list skills in "back room," "math," "sales support," and "strong computer. "
When it comes to education, sales support associates tend to earn similar degree levels compared to consumer sales associates. In fact, they're 2.2% less likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.4% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Consumer sales associate vs. Technician/sales associate
A technician/sales associate is someone who promotes the products or services of an enterprise through customer service. Sales associates are in charge of greeting the customers and guiding them through the products. They are the ones who provide answers to questions from customers, ensuring a pleasant experience for the guests. It is also part of their job to process the payment of the customers and package their purchased goods. They need to develop skills in customer service, communication, and sales strategy.
Types of consumer sales associate
Updated January 8, 2025
