How long does it take to become a Sales Assistant?

It takes 2 years of professional experience to become a sales assistant. That is the time it takes to learn specific sales assistant skills, but does not account for time spent in formal education.

What is a sales assistant and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted experts

Frederik Beuk,

Joseph Hancock

A sales assistant is an individual who works in a retail environment, assisting customers with their purchases and providing product information. They may also be responsible for processing transactions, handling stock, and maintaining the cleanliness of the store. Sales assistants must have excellent customer service skills and be able to work well in a team. They should have knowledge of the products they are selling and be able to answer questions that customers may have.

What general advice would you give to a sales assistant?

Frederik Beuk

Associate Professor of Marketing, University of Akron

The key consideration is whether you really want to maximize your initial salary. For instance, envision two job opportunities: one offering a salary of $50,000 per year, where you'd be the most junior team member, and the other providing $75,000 per year, with the caveat that you would be the sole sales representative for the firm. The optimal choice is to prioritize learning opportunities. In this context, being the lone salesperson for a company that compensates its highest-earning sales professional $75,000 might not be your superior option. Instead, seek a position that offers the greatest potential for learning. Subsequently, demonstrate your negotiating prowess, a critical sales skill, by securing a slightly higher salary. However, it's essential not to fixate on maximizing your starting salary. Your career requires a long-term strategy, and you have several decades ahead of you to maximize income.

ScoreSales AssistantUS Average

Salary

2.8

Avg. Salary $35,258

Avg. Salary $59,228

Diversity

6.8

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.56%

Asian 8.04%

Black or African American 10.04%

Hispanic or Latino 20.60%

Unknown 5.26%

White 55.50%

Gender

female 71.81%

male 28.19%

Age - 39

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 - 39

Stress level

6.2

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

4.5

Complexity level is intermediate

7 - challenging

Work life balance

8.5

Work life balance is excellent

6.4 - fair

What are the pros and cons of being a sales assistant?

Pros

Opportunity to earn commission or bonuses based on sales performance
Interacting with a variety of customers and developing social skills
Potential for career advancement within the company
Developing sales skills that can be used in other careers
Opportunities for networking and building professional relationships

Cons

Dealing with difficult or demanding customers can be stressful
Long hours standing or walking around the store can be tiring
Pressure to meet sales quotas or targets can be daunting
Working weekends, evenings, and holidays may be required
Low base pay with commission-based earnings may not provide a stable income

Key steps to become a sales assistant

Explore sales assistant education requirements

Most common sales assistant degrees

Bachelor's

60.4 %

Associate

16.4 %

High School Diploma

13.0 %

Start to develop specific sales assistant skills

Skills	Percentages
Customer Service	35.60%
PowerPoint	8.09%
Account Executives	4.06%
Sales Support	3.93%
Sales Floor	3.66%

Complete relevant sales assistant training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New sales assistants 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 sales assistant based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real sales assistant resumes.

Gain additional sales assistant certifications

Sales assistant 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 sales assistant certification, having one may help you stand out relative to other applicants.

The most common certifications for sales assistants include Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA) and Medical Assistant.

More About Certifications

Research sales assistant duties and responsibilities

Manage numerous, highly confidential details for retirement plan deals from start to finish including meticulous preparation of PowerPoint presentations.
Work with 3 AE's billing out 5 million a year.
Maintain broadcast files to FCC regulations.
Work with NSM with national accounts payables.

Prepare your sales assistant resume

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

Choose from 10+ customizable sales assistant resume templates

Build a professional sales assistant 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 sales assistant resume.

Apply for sales assistant jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a sales assistant 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 sales assistants rate their job?

-/5

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Sales assistant reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Jul 2020

Pros

Pay was consistent and you pick your own rate based on the commission you choose to bring in. Spending so much time together created a bond between the team where uplifting one another on bad days became part of the job. I guess it depends on your particular work environment but the bonds created kept us going.

A zippia user wrote a review on Jun 2020

Pros

Communicating and helping my clients.

Cons

The travel was extensive. Sometimes. It took more than month to close a deaĺ.

A zippia user wrote a review on May 2020

Pros

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.

Cons

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.

What is a sales assistant and how to become one

What general advice would you give to a sales assistant?

What are the pros and cons of being a sales assistant?

Sales assistant career paths

Key steps to become a sales assistant

Explore sales assistant education requirements

Most common sales assistant degrees

Start to develop specific sales assistant skills

Complete relevant sales assistant training and internships

Gain additional sales assistant certifications

Research sales assistant duties and responsibilities

Prepare your sales assistant resume

Choose from 10+ customizable sales assistant resume templates

Apply for sales assistant jobs

How did you land your first sales assistant job

Average sales assistant salary

How do sales assistants rate their job?

Sales assistant reviews

Sales assistant FAQs

How long does it take to become a Sales Assistant?

Search for sales assistant jobs

Sales assistant jobs by state