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Sales associate/manager skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025

5 min read

Quoted experts

Dr. Angela Woodland Ph.D.,

Michael Mikitka

Below we've compiled a list of the most critical sales associate/manager skills. We ranked the top skills for sales associate/managers based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 34.4% of sales associate/manager resumes contained customer service as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills a sales associate/manager needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 sales associate/manager skills for your resume and career

1. 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 sales associate/managers use customer service:

Achieved high sales percentage with consultative, value-focused customer service approach -Provided personalized customer service to match every customer individualized needs.
Implemented merchandising techniques, and delivered quality customer service in a team-oriented atmosphere.

2. 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 sales associate/managers use sales floor:

Performed merchandising duties by setting up sales floor according to provided plan-o-grams
Coordinated personnel and monitored sales floor coverage.

3. Strong Customer Service

Here's how sales associate/managers use strong customer service:

Increased sales by over 20% in two years through strong customer service and sales skills.
Demonstrated strong customer service and sales skills.

4. 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 sales associate/managers use retail sales:

Improved data collection process between retail sales and brand teams delivering higher accuracy levels for brands supply forecast
Maintained department in attractive and presentable manner and executed all responsibilities of retail sales environment.

5. Payroll

Payroll is the sum of all the compensation that an organization has to pay to employees at a specified time. Payroll is managed by the finance or HR department while small business owners may handle it themselves. Payroll isn't fixed as it varies every month due to sick leaves, overtime, etc.

Here's how sales associate/managers use payroll:

Supported payroll, company administration, managing of multiple location including schedules and projects.
Managed reports for data analysis including monetary reconciliation, payroll, and client tracking.

6. Product Knowledge

Product knowledge is the skill of having better information and knowledge about the product you are selling. Product knowledge is essential for the employees of the companies so they can communicate and inform the customers about the product. Having great product knowledge is essential for a better sales pitch and to give the customer a better and complete idea of the product that will influence him to buy the product eventually.

Here's how sales associate/managers use product knowledge:

Mentor new and existing sales representatives on customer relationship management, solutions-selling strategies, advanced product knowledge and customer programs.
Generated new relationships and deepened existing relationships delivering proven product knowledge and expertise in matching goods to customer needs.

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7. POS

POS is an abbreviation of "Point of Sale" which is the time and place where a customer completes a transaction. It can either be a physical shop that consists of POS terminals or a virtual shop. A POS system helps simplify the retail functions and track important sales data.

Here's how sales associate/managers use pos:

Work closely with all department managers to maintain POS data continuity in order to maintain a highly organized, efficient operation.
Gained extensive customer service and POS knowledge, as well as increasing knowledge of merchandising to promote sales and customer morale.

8. Bank Deposits

Any money that a customer chooses to leave with their bank account is a deposit. Deposits can vary in amounts and different banks have limits on the deposits their customers can have as a minimum. Banks charge customers for deposits especially when a teller is used by the customer to deposit money into their account.

Here's how sales associate/managers use bank deposits:

Processed daily inventory, maintained the incoming and outgoing of register transactions and responsibility of making daily bank deposits.
Performed opening/closing procedures and ensured bank deposits were done daily.

9. Inventory Control

Here's how sales associate/managers use inventory control:

Helped reduce loss through theft by depersonalizing extreme daily security measures for inventory control, which encouraged wider compliance with requirements.
Perform visual merchandising, inventory control and vendor relations that include placing orders and returning merchandise.

10. Customer Complaints

Here's how sales associate/managers use customer complaints:

Keep club operating efficiently while quickly resolving customer complaints and eliminating problems in the facility.
Responded to customer complaints and helped diffuse potential conflicts and customer dissatisfaction.

11. 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 sales associate/managers use loss prevention:

Maintained and implemented Loss Prevention and Safety standards in addition to ensuring consistency with housekeeping and display standards.
Assisted supervisors to identify and resolve loss prevention issue * Built and maintained internal and external customer satisfaction

12. Store Operations

Here's how sales associate/managers use store operations:

Maintained consistent correspondence with all levels of management through email, conference calls and face-to-face interaction concerning store operations and management.
Recognized for the ability to recruit quality candidates who acclimated well into store operations and performed effectively.

13. Store Sales

Here's how sales associate/managers use store sales:

Assisted in increasing store sales volume by almost 20% from under $400,000 to nearly $500,000 annually.
Certified sales associate with over 45 hours of sales training and assigned in store sales trainer for new employees.

14. Cash Drawers

Here's how sales associate/managers use cash drawers:

Assisted customers and ring up sales, Balanced cash drawers, Prepared cash deposits and end of day paperwork
Counted money in cash drawers at beginning and end of shifts, to ensure that amounts were correct.

15. Sales Reports

A sale report also known as the sales analysis report provides an overview of the situation of the sales within a company. It reveals various trends occurring in the sales numbers over a certain period. It also analyses the steps of the sales funnel, projects areas for improvement along with the performance of sales executives.

Here's how sales associate/managers use sales reports:

Reviewed company sales reports, reviewed associate sales reports, provided critical feedback to associates regarding compliance with company procedures.
Developed and maintained up to date sales reports and ensured availability of prescription data.

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What skills help Sales Associate/Managers find jobs?

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

What skills stand out on sales associate/manager resumes?

Dr. Angela Woodland Ph.D.

Professor, Montana State University

Skills that are immediately useful stand out on resumes. Right now, data analytics skills are in hot demand. A desirable job candidate should be able to import large data sets in various formats, clean data, manipulate data, interrogate data, and draw conclusions from the data. Additionally, the job candidate should be able to prepare informative and easy-to-follow data visualizations of the results. This skill set allows a job candidate to be immediately useful in an organization. It is the new way of analyzing and communicating.

What type of skills will young sales associate/managers need?

Michael Mikitka

Executive Vice President, MHI – Material Handling Industry

Courses and internships are essential. While the required depth of knowledge may vary from one position to another, employers are generally looking for candidates with strong "people-related" skills, those who are willing to continue to learn, and those with the ability to be flexible and adapt.

By "people-related" skills, I mean the abilities associated with effective communication (listen and express ideas and direction) and the skills related to working independently and a team.

As for the interest to continually learn... from a technology, data, and equipment perspective, today's supply chain looks very different than it did 10-years ago. The willingness and ability to continually learn are essential for anyone in a leadership role.

As for flexibility and adapting...supply chain/logistics is as much about responding to disruption and demand as it is planning for it. There is a predictable demand (i.e., seasonal...everyone knows when back-to-school shopping begins). Then there is the unpredictable demand (i.e., power-outages, wildfires, pandemic) that impact market and the ability to operate. Candidates that express flexibility and problem-solving skills will be much sought-after.

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

Keith Hassell

Executive Director of Career & Professional Development, Sacred Heart University

Employers are increasingly looking for applied skillsets and additional certifications to set a candidate apart. Sacred Heart University has recently launched a remote work certification, which houses three modules - focusing on the remote worker, the remote team and the remote leader, providing the tools and resources to comfortably leverage and utilize virtual platforms at various organizations. Additional specialized training, certifications and more are great selling tools pending on the specific area of interest. Certifications are common in areas such as project management, sales, IT/network/software, Google application and more. The candidate needs to think, "What can I do that is beyond my coursework to show I am passionate about my field? How do I make myself stand out?" Certifications is an attainable way to do this.
In addition, soft skills continue to be equally important in today's job market. NACE (the National Association of Colleges and Employers) identified seven core competencies that employers seek from entry level candidates which include critical thinking/problem solving, oral/written communication, teamwork/collaboration, digital technology, leadership, professionalism/work ethic, career management and global/intercultural fluency.

What hard/technical skills are most important for sales associate/managers?

Andrea Dixon Ph.D.

Executive Director, Center for Professional Selling, Frank and Floy Smith Holloway Endowed Professorship in Marketing, President, University Sales Center Alliance 2019-2021, Baylor University

One of the growing technical skill requirements for sales managers is in the area of data analytics. Our performance and customer systems provide a myriad of data, and the role of the sales manager is to be a sense-maker of that mound of data. What are the implications for changes in strategy or behavior evident in last quarter's activity? How can the sales manager help a specific seller "see" where the data suggest new approaches?

Do you want to know more?

List of sales associate/manager skills to add to your resume

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

Customer Service
Sales Floor
Strong Customer Service
Retail Sales
Payroll
Product Knowledge
POS
Bank Deposits
Inventory Control
Customer Complaints
Loss Prevention
Store Operations
Store Sales
Cash Drawers
Sales Reports
Customer Relations

Retail Store
Customer Inquiries
Inventory Management
Stock Room
Customer Issues
Credit Card Transactions
Sales Transactions
Sales Quota
Sales Techniques
Stock Shelves
Customer Orders
PowerPoint
Quality Customer Service
Repeat Business
Conference Calls
Store Displays

Sales Contracts
Store Policies
Security Practices
Store Opening
Gross Sales
Stock Merchandise
Store Merchandise
Cash Registers
Store Appearance
Merchandise Displays
Credit Payment
Sales Associates
Store Inventory
Visual Displays
Window Displays
Sales Prices

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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