What is a retail sales lead and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

5 min read

Quoted experts

Peter Weiss Ph.D., P.E.,

Joseph Hancock

A retail sales lead oversees the sales team and ensures they meet their goals. They assist customers and resolve issues while also training, scheduling, and supervising other sales associates. A retail sales lead may also maintain inventory levels, merchandising displays, and overall organization. They analyze sales data to identify trends and adjust strategies. A successful retail sales lead has excellent communication and leadership, a strong understanding of customer service, and the ability to motivate others.

What general advice would you give to a retail sales lead?

Peter Weiss Ph.D., P.E.

Professor, Website

Interpersonal skills and communication will become more important, but they have been very important for a very long time. Additionally, computer skills will also become more important. For example, learning CAD software or software specific to your area of work will become more important. In a combination of interpersonal skills and computer skills, learning how to stay connected with colleagues, your employer, and your superiors in this post-Covid time period will become more important. While it rarely occurred prior to Covid, it is common now for people to work remotely for at least some of the work week. It used to be that if you had a question you could walk down the hallway and ask a colleague but, with remote work occurring more frequently, this is becoming more difficult. So, it will be more important, especially for new graduates, to be able to maintain these lines of communication, build relationships, and communicate clearly while they and/or their colleagues are working remotely.

ScoreRetail Sales LeadUS Average

Salary

3.2

Avg. Salary $40,781

Avg. Salary $59,228

Diversity

8.4

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.65%

Asian 6.79%

Black or African American 8.49%

Hispanic or Latino 17.97%

Unknown 4.65%

White 61.44%

Gender

female 53.59%

male 46.41%

Age - 42

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 42

Stress level

9.4

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

5.2

Complexity level is intermediate

7 - challenging

Work life balance

4.6

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

What are the pros and cons of being a retail sales lead?

Pros

Possibility of earning higher pay and bonuses
Chance to gain management experience
Opportunity to work with a variety of products and merchandise
Opportunity to receive discounts on products or merchandise
Paths for career advancement within the company

Cons

Long and irregular work hours, including weekends and holidays
Dealing with company policies and procedures that may be restrictive or inflexible
Limited control over pricing or product selection decisions
Limited autonomy in decision-making, as most decisions are made by upper management
Limited work-life balance due to demanding work schedule

Key steps to become a retail sales lead

Explore retail sales lead education requirements

Most common retail sales lead degrees

Bachelor's

41.9 %

High School Diploma

25.7 %

Associate

19.4 %

Start to develop specific retail sales lead skills

Skills	Percentages
Math	12.57%
Sales Floor	10.82%
Retail Sales	10.60%
Cash Handling	7.70%
Product Knowledge	7.29%

Complete relevant retail sales lead training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New retail sales leads 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 retail sales lead based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real retail sales lead resumes.

Gain additional retail sales lead certifications

Retail sales lead certifications can show employers you have a baseline of knowledge expected for the position. Certifications can also make you a more competitive candidate. Even if employers don't require a specific retail sales lead certification, having one may help you stand out relative to other applicants.

The most common certifications for retail sales leads include Certified Sales Professional (CSP) and Automotive Sales Professional.

More About Certifications

Research retail sales lead duties and responsibilities

Support payroll, company administration, managing of multiple location including schedules and projects.
Manage reports for data analysis including monetary reconciliation, payroll, and client tracking.
Partner in managing operations of multiple retail outlets, including hiring, performance management, scheduling, and merchandising management.
Train new employees to operate POS systems, activation programs, and communicate with customer service via phone or online methods.

Get retail sales lead experience

Generally, it takes 4-6 years to become a retail sales lead. The most common roles before becoming a retail sales lead include cashier, sales associate team lead and customer service representative.

Prepare your retail sales lead resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your retail sales lead 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 retail sales lead resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable retail sales lead resume templates

Build a professional retail sales lead 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 retail sales lead resume.

Apply for retail sales lead jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a retail sales lead 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 do retail sales leads rate their job?

-/5

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Retail sales lead reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Sep 2021

Cons

Pretty new field

A zippia user wrote a review on Jun 2021

Pros

I like mostly that I work with team oriented people. Some people that care and will help and that help others whether it's work related or not. That have good employee morale amongst each other not necessarily management but amongst each other.

A zippia user wrote a review on Apr 2019