As a sales assistant, you need to have a strong knowledge in the field you want to work in. Be it a clothing shop or a food market. If you want to work in an apparel shop, you have to have strong communication skills. You will be dealing with clients on a daily basis. You must have a friendly personality that is always ready to help the customers.
A sales assistant needs to know how to keep their customers happy. You need to make them want to buy from your shop, but you should definitely not follow them around the shop in hope that they will make a purchase this way. Be there, be available, but do not push them. When a client requests your help concerning an item, be ready to give them all the information they need. Whether it is connected to size, type or color, you need to have knowledge of it all.
Keep a good relationship with all the customers, and especially with the regular ones.
As a sales assistant, you need to be able to deal with more tasks at the same time - on a rush hour, when the shop is full. You need to pay attention to everything. If you work in an apparel chain, you have to show the clients where the fitting rooms are, and also to cash in the money for the purchases. Therefore, you need to have knowledge of math, calculations, as you might have to handle the cash counter for sometime.
The sales assistants handle the shop's budget. They need to calculate the shop's budget, profits and losses. They need to have some finance knowledge and abilities.
The sales assistants should be ready to work in shifts or for long hours, especially in malls. In some shops, one can sit on a chair, while in other shops they are required to stand on their feet all day.
The salary for a sales assistant varies. In really popular clothing shops, where the profits are big, the sales assistants will have a good paycheck. Usually, they receive a basic payment, and then some percent (1% to 5%) from the store's monthly profit. In cases where the shop assistant is alone in the shop, the profit will be bigger. This also depends on the size of the shop. In big apparel shops, it is not possible for only one person to ensure that all the duties are fulfilled - there are usually 5 to 10 employees.
University studies are not required. Most shops prefer hiring sales assistants who already have experience in sales - as they can work more efficiently and fast. This depends on the field. Most times, training courses are provided by the shop when a sales assistant starts their work, in order to learn faster what they have to do.
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