Be it a company job board, employment newspaper, or a job portal, a candidate searching for an employment opportunity will first go through the job description to get a fair idea of the demand of the role for which they are going to apply.
Many a time, job descriptions are so vague and ambiguous that even a genuine post gets ignored because it fails to grab the attention of the job seekers. So, it is a skill of the HR personnel to ensure that the posting covers all the required details that a job seeker is looking for in a particular job.
The same rule applies when one is writing a description for a sales assistant job.
Who is a Sales Assistant and what do they do?
The retail sector is fast growing in India. With a growing number of supermarkets, multi-brand retail outlets, malls, brand franchises, and overall spurt in shopping due to changed consumer behaviors, jobs in these sectors have also noticed a growth. A sales assistant is the first point of contact between the consumer and the management or the brands. With the increasing number of customers preferring to shop in supermarkets and malls where a wide variety of products are available to choose from, the need for a sales assistant job will be ever-present.
A good sales assistant must have good product knowledge of the goods they wish to sell. The sales assistant job should entail knowing how to categorize the goods or where the same will be available when enquired about the same. Only then will they be able to sell the right goods to the right customer. The product knowledge also helps in effectively upselling and cross-selling goods by understanding what a particular consumer is looking for. For better customer satisfaction, the sales assistant should not only do sales but also address the customer’s grievances and guide them to appropriate personnel or channels to get their issues resolved.
A good shopping experience drives consumer traffic to a particular place and helps businesses flourish. As a result, a sales assistant career can flourish in a wide variety of fields, be it retail outlets, malls, shopping centers, car showrooms, banks, a financial consultancy firm, builder and real estate developers’ sites, etc.
Sales assistant job duties and responsibilities
No matter what kind of store one is working in, a person looking for a sales assistant has to aim for customer satisfaction. Therefore, they should be people-friendly. They are expected to know the work etiquette, like greeting the client first when approached, or they can proactively strike a conversation with the customer. This way they can provide details of the product, offers, discounts or schemes, etc., so offered.
The sales assistant career can include offering end-to-end services like helping in documentation-related work, refunding procedures, warranty, and guarantee-related paperwork entering customer details in a database, maintaining customer data, etc.
If one is a sales assistant in a store, one has to make sure products are arranged according to the allotted sections. The old stock has to be replaced with a new one, products are to be restocked and replenished after-sales and offers, and discounts are appropriately displayed on the shelves of the relevant products.
Job brief for Sales Assistant job
A typical sales assistant job description will include a job title written so that it is visible to the search engines when searched online. Then comes the educational qualification required for applying, followed by job experience required, if any, so that the experienced resources could be tapped in. After that, one must specify the responsibilities and duties expected to be fulfilled by the prospective employee. Finally, mentioning the skill sets required to perform such a role is also a good job description.
Then comes the most important aspect in the sales assistant job which is first noticed by almost all i.e., what is the salary or remuneration offered, and how much lucrative it is as compared to the industry peers? Is it as per the industry average and standards or not? These days companies also mention additional perks in the job description itself to attract young talent.
Apart from the above, one can also specify the nature of duty, whether it’s full-time or part-time, location of the job whether all-over India or restricted to any particular place, shift whether day shift or night shift, etc..
This being the introductory part, the next important thing is the sales assistant job summary.
Sales Assistant job overview or summary
One can begin by describing the business domain into which the company is involved and its position in the sector. They can also mention whether the company is a market leader or has any niche product for the offering. One can discuss the growth prospects if they want to attract talented resources into the company.
Then a brief introduction and details of the duties and responsibilities of the sales assistant job that are expected to be fulfilled by the sales assistant are to be enumerated.
What are the skills required for a sales assistant job?
When one is trying to build a career in the sales field, one has to make sure that their people’s skills (interpersonal skills and communication) and language skills are excellent.
Apart from this one has to be a good team player, has to be sensitive to customer needs, must be patient in handling customers, be polite under all circumstances, and be approachable. One should be very organized, be able to do multitasking, respect deadlines, help in inventory management, and be prompt in adhering to the schedules.
One should also be proficient in basic mathematics so that one can handle cash and card payments. Basic computer skills including knowledge of MS office suite, spreadsheet applications like MS Excel, and presentation software like PowerPoint, etc. is also a must.
Why pursue a career as Sales Assistant
If one has excellent communication skills and is passionate about making a career in sales, then the sales assistant job is the most suitable job for such a career path.
As a sales assistant, one will have flexible working hours and will develop team spirit by converting leads and making a profit for the company. The exposure of handling a variety of customers will enhance the overall personality of such a person which will add to the experience.
Moreover, there are performance-linked incentives in almost all sales-related jobs, where one can add an extra income. Many companies also provide other benefits like group health insurance cover, ESOPs (Employee stock ownership plan), staff discounts as well as Sodexo coupons which is an added advantage.
The salary package offered in a sales assistant job is lucrative with CTC around 3 lakhs at the initial position. As one moves up to managerial positions the CTC can be above 12 lakhs.
Average Base Salary for sales assistant job (city-based tables)
| Mumbai | Rs. 20,000 |
| Delhi | Rs. 18,000 |
| Bangalore | Rs. 20,000 |
| Noida | Rs. 17,500 |
| Pune | Rs. 16,000 |
| Gurgaon | Rs. 16,000 |
| Hyderabad | Rs. 15,500 |
So, a career as a sales assistant is a win-win situation for both the employee as well as the employer.
How to Become a Sales assistant?
For initial positions the educational qualification required is a simple high school education like HSC (higher secondary certificate) or a diploma in sales or retail. But for higher positions like supervisor, one needs to acquire a Bachelor’s degree in business management (BMS) or administration (BBA). For managerial positions, a Master’s degree in sales and marketing is preferable. Experience in the sales field will be an added advantage to become a sales assistant.
So, if one has a penchant in sales and marketing, they can definitely stay satisfied by pursuing a career as sales assistant or associate.
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