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Hardware sales associate skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted experts

Joseph Hancock,

Sonya DiPalma Ph.D.

Below we've compiled a list of the most critical hardware sales associate skills. We ranked the top skills for hardware sales associates based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 26.8% of hardware sales associate resumes contained sales floor as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills a hardware sales associate needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 hardware sales associate skills for your resume and career

1. Sales Floor

The sales floor is the area in a company or a business that is specified for retail activities or is designated as the selling area of the shop. A car showroom can be considered a sales floor, as it has cars in its display which are to be sold. A sales floor is generally crowded with sales assistants who are there to help you out while you can search and check out the products. Generally a sales floor has free access to the public and they can observe, view and get information about the product that is being sold.

Here's how hardware sales associates use sales floor:

Work with a team in maintaining the presentation of the sales floor and keeping merchandise organized and fully stocked.
Maintain stock on sales floor, updating stockroom inventory, answering phones, giving customers product information and recommendations.

2. Plumbing

Here's how hardware sales associates use plumbing:

Helped customers with electrical, hardware, plumbing, tubing, automotive, paint, gas grilles, and much more.
Cross trained in Flooring, Paint, Electrical and Plumbing Departments to when needed for back-up.

3. Customer Service

Customer service is the process of offering assistance to all the current and potential customers -- answering questions, fixing problems, and providing excellent service. The main goal of customer service is to build a strong relationship with the customers so that they keep coming back for more business.

Here's how hardware sales associates use customer service:

Provided exceptional customer service with specific product knowledge and a proactive attitude towards qualifying customer needs and providing optimal solutions.
Supervised and trained associates in a fast-paced retail environment, emphasizing superb customer service.

4. Pallets

Here's how hardware sales associates use pallets:

Unloaded new merchandise from delivery trucks, stacking them on pallets for transport to different aisles and sections of the store.
Helped unload merchandise off of truck and operated battery powered pallet jack for heavy bulk freight.

5. Cleanliness

Here's how hardware sales associates use cleanliness:

Maintain Cleanliness & organization of departmental areas.
Maintained overall cleanliness of store-line department

6. Safety Policies

Safety policies are the rules and codes of conduct developed by an organization to ensure workplace safety.

Here's how hardware sales associates use safety policies:

Ensured a safe working and shopping environment by adhering to all safety policies and standards.

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7. Stock Shelves

To "stock shelves" is referred as the process of putting the supplies on the shelves in the store. It is important to stock the shelves timely as empty shelves can cost a business too much.

Here's how hardware sales associates use stock shelves:

Build modules, displays, stock shelves, mix customer required paint orders, assist customers, and complete sales.
Stock shelves, inventory, help customers, price changes, prepare invoices, and assemble display products.

8. Loss Prevention

The steps taken by a business to prevent theft is called loss prevention. There are multiple methods for loss prevention for example usage of automated cash handling, secure physical location, product security staff buy-in, and attentive customer service.

Here's how hardware sales associates use loss prevention:

Assisted in training of new hires and special projects, and involved in safety team and loss prevention activities.
Monitor loss prevention due to merchandise damage and/or theft.

9. Stock Merchandise

Here's how hardware sales associates use stock merchandise:

Pack down in stock merchandise and inform management of merchandise that needs to be ordered.
Scan for out of stock merchandise and fill orders.

10. Customer Orders

Here's how hardware sales associates use customer orders:

Pulled customer orders, prepared them for shipping, and assisted with loading of products in customer vehicles.
Answered telephones, operated registers, executed customer requests and prepared large customer orders.

11. End Caps

Here's how hardware sales associates use end caps:

Ensured that end caps, dump bins and feature displays were properly merchandised and maintained.
Reset end caps with new product and break down old product.

12. Guest Service

Here's how hardware sales associates use guest service:

Assist guests with their home projects by answering questions, helping locate product and giving great guest service.
Complete daily tasks as assigned by management, product and display upkeep, provide excellent guest service.

13. Customer Satisfaction

Here's how hardware sales associates use customer satisfaction:

Maintained professional long-term relationships with clientele to increase repeated business and improve customer satisfaction ratings in department.
Provided assistance through installation service processes and maintained customer satisfaction through ongoing projects.

14. Retail Sales

Retail sales are the method to track consumer demand for finished goods by assessing the purchases of durable and non-durable products over a definite period. Data on retail sales is accumulated monthly by the U.S. Bureau of the Census.

Here's how hardware sales associates use retail sales:

Handle day to day Retail Sales of power tools used by both Professional Contractors and Private Customers.
Acted as a retail sales associate in the hardware department on a commissioned sales basis.

15. RAN

RAN stands for "revenue anticipation note," which refers to a practice where an organization (often the government) borrows money to support a specific project. When these funds are then repaid, the money given to the lenders comes from the profits generated by the business originally funded.

Here's how hardware sales associates use ran:

Mixed paint, stocked shelves, ran register, sold hunting/fishing licenses.
Maintained aisles and ran the key cutting station.

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What skills help Hardware Sales Associates find jobs?

Tell us what job you are looking for, we’ll show you what skills employers want.

What technical skills for a hardware sales associate stand out to employers?

Joseph Hancock

Research Professor, Program Director, Former Retail Operations Manager, Drexel University, Antoinette Westphal College of Media Arts & Design

Technologically savvy is necessary, so what will set you apart are your soft skills, patience, the ability to think beyond yourself. Again, don't be ethnocentric, be multi-centric. I believe technology only exposes us to a virtual world of acceptance, and really if you are going to be sales, you need to be cultured beyond the computer and social media. Understand others and their needs, be a person who tells the potential employer how you are going to go the extra mile to care for customers and make sure their needs are met through your excellent customers service skills (and give solid examples). Most importantly, know what you are selling and realize that the person you are talking to, might know more than you! There have been so many times I walk into a retail store only to have the store associate or manager talk to me as if I know nothing about the product they are selling. Ask your customers questions do not just talk at them, talk with them.

What soft skills should all hardware sales associates possess?

Sonya DiPalma Ph.D.

Associate Professor, Chair, Academic Policies Committee, Director of MCOM Internship Program, University of North Carolina at Asheville

Be personable and a person someone wants to talk with and work with on a continuing basis. Listening and note-taking skills will be critical. Great employees listen well and ask good follow up questions. Be versatile and adaptable. If you find some downtime between projects, ask how you may help with another project.

Do you want to know more?

List of hardware sales associate skills to add to your resume

The most important skills for a hardware sales associate resume and required skills for a hardware sales associate to have include:

Sales Floor
Plumbing
Customer Service
Pallets
Cleanliness
Safety Policies
Stock Shelves
Loss Prevention
Stock Merchandise
Customer Orders
End Caps
Guest Service

Customer Satisfaction
Retail Sales
RAN
Inventory Control
Customer Assistance
Hardware Products
Inventory Management
Hardware Store
Customer Complaints
Customer Relationships
POS
Computer System

Depot
Customer Inquiries
Door Locks
Product Selection
Product Knowledge
Product Displays
Sales Transactions
Inventory Counts
Purchase Decisions
Security Practices

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Updated January 8, 2025

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