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What does a sales assistant do?

Updated January 8, 2025
8 min read
What does a sales assistant do

Sales assistants are usually entry-level or junior employees who are assigned to help out in the sales department. They are responsible for any administrative or clerical activities needed in the department. They may also work on the operations floor to assist with the selling of company products or services. They help complete company sales by approaching potential buyers and answering any questions about items. They should be familiar with what the company offers to identify the products that would best fit the needs of the customer.

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Sales assistant responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real sales assistant resumes:

  • 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.
  • Negotiate air time for national commercials airing on ABC & CBS.
  • Handle local and national political advertisers with orders and make sure station comply with FCC regulations.
  • Work with buyers and AE's in the developing, planning and execution of national radio promotions.
  • Assist NSM with presentations including research and ratings-recruit trainees via in-house job posting, advertising campaigns, and job fairs.
  • Process POS transactions accurately and efficiently.
  • Proofread advertisements and electronically send proofs to advertisers
  • Implement a company specify selling practices, complete custom engraving orders and accurately operate POS system.
  • Manage numerous, highly confidential details for retirement plan deals from start to finish including meticulous preparation of PowerPoint presentations.
  • Finalize and proofreads ad information for accuracy.
  • Circuit provisioning formats used to troubleshoot, verify activation completion in switches.

Sales assistant skills and personality traits

We calculated that 36% of Sales Assistants are proficient in Customer Service, PowerPoint, and Account Executives. They’re also known for soft skills such as Math skills, Persistence, and Selling skills.

We break down the percentage of Sales Assistants that have these skills listed on their resume here:

  • Customer Service, 36%

    Provided exceptional customer service by practicing great communication skills with consumers and sharing my knowledge of natural food products.

  • PowerPoint, 8%

    Prepared overhead slide presentations utilizing MicroSoft PowerPoint for the Sales Director, Manager, and Sales Representatives.

  • Account Executives, 4%

    Provided administrative support to three senior regional account executives and the Vice-President, International Sales in this successful IT organization.

  • Sales Support, 4%

    Performed international shipping of sales support literature and customer orders to Daimler-Chrysler Mexico and for other international customers.

  • Sales Floor, 4%

    Assessed and addressed the needs of the sales floor to ensure all stock is available and brand display standards were met.

  • Sales Reports, 3%

    Assisted sales staff with drafting sales reports, processing orders/credits/returns, delivery/logistics, calendar administration, customer service.

Most sales assistants use their skills in "customer service," "powerpoint," and "account executives" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential sales assistant responsibilities here:

Math skills. The most essential soft skill for a sales assistant to carry out their responsibilities is math skills. This skill is important for the role because "retail sales workers must have the ability to calculate price totals, discounts, and change owed to customers." Additionally, a sales assistant resume shows how their duties depend on math skills: "created reporting system to track sales department statistics managed customer database"

Persistence. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling sales assistant duties is persistence. The role rewards competence in this skill because "a large number of attempted sales may not be successful, so sales workers should not be discouraged easily." According to a sales assistant resume, here's how sales assistants can utilize persistence in their job responsibilities: "initiate and maintain customer relationships through tenacious persistence and communication via email and telephone. "

Selling skills. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of sales assistants is selling skills. This skill is critical to many everyday sales assistant duties, as "retail sales workers must be persuasive when interacting with customers." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "assist sales professionals in requested administrative duties including: file organization and maintenance, scheduling appointments and contacting buyers. "

Customer-service skills. For certain sales assistant responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "customer-service skills." The day-to-day duties of a sales assistant rely on this skill, as "retail sales workers must be responsive to the wants and needs of customers." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what sales assistants do: "developed proficiency in styleseat and salon iris software while scheduling appointments and checking guests in and out. "

Interpersonal skills. Another common skill required for sales assistant responsibilities is "interpersonal skills." This skill comes up in the duties of sales assistants all the time, as "a friendly and outgoing personality is important for these workers because the job requires almost constant interaction with people." An excerpt from a real sales assistant resume shows how this skill is central to what a sales assistant does: "assisted sales reps and customers with sale transactions established and maintained interpersonal relationship with co-workers and customers performed jewelry inspections"

All sales assistant skills

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Compare different sales assistants

Sales assistant 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.

If we compare the average sales assistant annual salary with that of an associate sales representative, we find that associate sales representatives typically earn a $15,749 higher salary than sales assistants make annually.While their salaries may differ, the common ground between sales assistants and associate sales representatives are a few of the skills required in each roleacirc;euro;trade;s responsibilities. In both careers, employee duties involve skills like customer service, powerpoint, and sales support.

These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a sales assistant are more likely to require skills like "account executives," "sales reports," "order entry," and "sales orders." On the other hand, a job as an associate sales representative requires skills like "work ethic," "patients," "excellent interpersonal," and "excellent organizational." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.

Associate sales representatives really shine in the health care industry with an average salary of $56,246. Comparatively, sales assistants tend to make the most money in the finance industry with an average salary of $40,489.On average, associate sales representatives reach similar levels of education than sales assistants. Associate sales representatives are 1.0% more likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.6% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Sales assistant vs. Sales clerk

A sales clerk is responsible for assisting customers in purchasing products, responding to customer inquiries, and providing product recommendations. Sales clerks require excellent customer service and communication skills to offer the best services to the customers and maintain good customer feedback for the business. They also check inventories, request supplies as needed, and organize product displays on the appropriate shelves. A sales clerk must have strong verbal communication skills to manage customer concerns and excellent time-management skills to perform tasks within the fast-paced work environment.

On average, sales clerks earn a $9,519 lower salary than sales assistants a year.A few skills overlap for sales assistants and sales clerks. Resumes from both professions show that the duties of each career rely on skills like "customer service," "sales floor," and "sales reports. "

While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that sales assistant responsibilities requires skills like "powerpoint," "account executives," "sales support," and "order entry." But a sales clerk might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "stock shelves," "retail sales," "store policies," and "store displays."

Sales clerks may earn a lower salary than sales assistants, but sales clerks earn the most pay in the energy industry with an average salary of $28,784. On the other hand, sales assistants receive higher pay in the finance industry, where they earn an average salary of $40,489.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Sales clerks tend to reach similar levels of education than sales assistants. In fact, they're 2.2% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.6% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Sales assistant vs. Sales administrator/administrative assistant

A sales administrator/administrative assistant is responsible for assisting the sales department on its overall operations and strategies to sell goods and services that would increase the company's revenues and profitability. Sales administrator/administrative assistants perform administrative and clerical duties as needed, such as creating and evaluating sales reports, writing business proposals, scheduling meetings, booking events, and researching current market trends to identify business opportunities. They must have excellent customer service and communication skills, managing customers' inquiries and concerns, processing orders and payments, and ensuring customer satisfaction.

On average, sales administrator/administrative assistants earn higher salaries than sales assistants, with a $1,184 difference per year.By looking over several sales assistants and sales administrator/administrative assistants resumes, we found that both roles require similar skills in their day-to-day duties, such as "powerpoint," "sales support," and "pos." But beyond that, the careers look very different.

There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a sales assistant is likely to be skilled in "customer service," "account executives," "sales floor," and "sales reports," while a typical sales administrator/administrative assistant is skilled in "reservations," "word processing," "data entry," and "phone calls."

Sales administrator/administrative assistants make a very good living in the technology industry with an average annual salary of $38,086. On the other hand, sales assistants are paid the highest salary in the finance industry, with average annual pay of $40,489.When it comes to education, sales administrator/administrative assistants tend to earn similar degree levels compared to sales assistants. In fact, they're 0.9% less likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.0% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Sales assistant 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.

Technician/sales associates average a higher salary than the annual salary of sales assistants. The difference is about $396 per year.While their salaries may vary, sales assistants and technician/sales associates both use similar skills to perform their duties. Resumes from both professions include skills like "customer service," "powerpoint," and "sales floor. "

Even though a few skill sets overlap between sales assistants and technician/sales associates, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a sales assistant might have more use for skills like "account executives," "sales support," "sales reports," and "order entry." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of technician/sales associates require skills like "retail environment," "ladders," "profitable sales," and "tech services. "

Technician/sales associates enjoy the best pay in the manufacturing industry, with an average salary of $38,198. For comparison, sales assistants earn the highest salary in the finance industry.In general, technician/sales associates hold similar degree levels compared to sales assistants. Technician/sales associates are 1.4% less likely to earn their Master's Degree and 0.1% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Types of sales assistant

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
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.