WHAT DOES A SALES ASSOCIATE DO?

Published: Nov 28, 2025 - The Sales Associate drives store and personal sales by delivering exceptional customer service, applying brand sales techniques, and maintaining strong client relationships. This role supports daily operations, including inventory, visual standards, and opening/closing duties, while upholding professional appearance and communication standards. The associate also contributes to team goals, adapts to business needs, and assists in onboarding new team members.

A Review of Professional Skills and Functions for Sales Associate

1. Sales Associate Duties

  • Sales Performance: Achievement of personal sales and metric goals
  • Customer Relationship Management: Build and maintain new and existing customer relationships
  • Client Book Management: Maintain a solid, organized client book that furthers the customer relationships and generates consistent, proactive sales volume
  • Business Awareness: Be aware of and react to the rhythm of the business, not just relying on walk-in traffic, but through clienteling, outreach, and event opportunities
  • Core Values Alignment: Model behavior that reflects the company’s core values
  • Conflict Resolution: Appropriately manage conflict and take ownership of one's part in the team dynamic
  • Team Collaboration: Contribute to a positive atmosphere that is fun, professional, productive, and team-oriented
  • Customer Experience Delivery: Contribute to an environment that consistently delivers on the five stages of the transformational customer experience
  • Customer Service Excellence: Ensure a high level of customer service through extensive product knowledge and product ownership
  • Customer Journey Management: Take ownership of the customer journey in the boutique, customize it for the customer demographic, and develop and maintain productive customer relationships
  • Operational Consistency: Maintain a “One Company” perspective on charge sends, returns, and other such transactions that are critical to a positive customer experience
  • Brand Communication: Understand and communicate the Tory Burch brand philosophy and lifestyle with each other and the customer
  • Brand Representation: Emulate the brand aesthetic and embody a strong sense of fashion and an enthusiastic attitude
  • Brand Consistency: Contribute to maintaining all brand and operating standards to support brand consistency
  • Store Presentation: Assist in maintaining store presentation standards
  • Technology Utilization: Leverage in-store technology to ensure every customer’s experience is transformational
  • Store Operations: Perform store opening and closing procedures, including counting register funds, completing bank deposits, opening and closing the registers, and securing the facility
  • Policy Compliance: Ensure all sales and operational policies and procedures are maintained
  • Transaction Processing: Accurately process all POS transactions and capture customer information, and assist with operational and back-of-house activities
  • Loss Prevention: Adhere to all policies and procedures with a focus on loss prevention and operational excellence
  • Task Management: Multi-task and prioritize work to produce desired outcomes

2. Sales Associate Details

  • Sales Performance: Ensure personal sales and productivity goals are met
  • Customer Styling: Style a diverse group of customers with eyewear and accessories
  • Task Management: Prioritize and multitask various in-store responsibilities while being attentive to customers
  • Brand Representation: Exhibit a professional and fashion-forward image while representing the brand
  • Visual Merchandising: Contribute to the upkeep of the shop’s brand image by maintaining visual presentation standards
  • Product Knowledge: Keep current on fashion, market trends, and product knowledge
  • Feedback Communication: Provide merchandise and customer feedback to shop management
  • Operational Compliance: Compliant with company policy and procedures, ensuring operational efficiency
  • Loss Prevention: Minimizing loss by following all loss prevention procedures
  • Deadline Management: Meet assigned deadlines when completing shop tasks and projects
  • Store Maintenance: Comply with all shop maintenance, cleanliness, and safety standards

3. Sales Associate Responsibilities

  • Customer Service: Provide excellent customer service to customers by building loyalty and repeat business.
  • Sales Promotion: Directs customers to merchandise locations and utilizes suggestive selling techniques to promote merchandise sales.
  • Merchandise Management: Stocks, cleans, sorts, prices, maintains POS labels, rotates, and fronts and faces merchandise to present a pleasant display and store appearance.
  • Planogram Execution: Implements planograms in an accurate and timely manner.
  • Visual Merchandising: Maintains endcaps utilizing promotional items, overstocked merchandise, and high-profit items.
  • Technology Adaptation: Learn and implement new and changing technologies on an ongoing basis.
  • Work Flexibility: Maintain flexibility in new or changing work roles and the modification of job responsibilities.
  • Attendance Reliability: Attendance and punctuality to fulfill the essential job functions.

4. Sales Associate Job Summary

  • Account Management: Be responsible for the account management of customers.
  • Client Liaison: Serve as a liaison with customers regarding new product launches and advertising opportunities.
  • Cross-Functional Coordination: Coordinate with cross-functional teams to drive new business growth.
  • Business Reporting: Report on business growth internally.
  • Campaign Support: Provide campaign updates, troubleshoot customer challenges, and deliver customer training in all Google Ads tools.

5. Sales Associate Accountabilities

  • Member Onboarding: Onboards new members and schedules.
  • Sales Support: Supports membership sales, new membership sign-ups, and helps recruit new prospects.
  • Customer Communication: Conducts customer care calls/communication.
  • Sales Performance: Meets and exceeds team sales goals.
  • Community Branding: Assists with community branding.
  • Social Media Engagement: Assists/leads fun social media posts.

6. Sales Associate Functions

  • Deposit Processing: Accept deposits, verify cash deposits, endorsements, and comply with Regulation CC requirements and bank deposit policies.
  • Loan Payment Handling: Accept payments for all loans/lines of credit.
  • Redemption Processing: Process the redemption.
  • Deposit Operations: Process night depository, ATM, and mail deposits.
  • Customer Services: Provide additional customer services, including processing/issuance of official bank checks and credit card cash advances.
  • Cash Balancing: Balance assigned cash daily and maintain strict adherence to security procedures and sole control of the cash drawer and assigned cash limits.
  • Loss Prevention: Adhere to cash differences/controllable losses policy.
  • Customer Identification: Identify customers by understanding and obtaining proper documentation of identification, obtaining and/or verifying endorsements/payees, cash, and checks/withdrawals/transfers, and obtaining supervisor approval for authorization at bank-established cash limits, including the determination of the availability of sufficient funds, exclusion of stop payments, and holds.
  • Signature Verification: Verify signatures and account ownership.
  • Problem Resolution: Exercises discretion, judgment, and initiative regarding transaction problems and inquiries.
  • Policy Compliance: Comply with all department and company policies, procedures, and overall security.
  • Regulatory Reporting: Prepare mandatory currency transaction reports and monetary instrument logs in compliance with Bank Secrecy Act regulations, including adhering to KYC, OFAC, and Infor.

7. Sales Associate Job Description

  • Sales Performance: Strive to meet or exceed store goals and personal KPI’s.
  • Client Development: Initiate and leverage sales opportunities with existing and prospective customers while developing and maintaining clients.
  • Customer Relationship Management: Maintain customer correspondence to build and enhance relationships and drive sales.
  • Sales Techniques: Follow the established Breitling “Sales Techniques and Service.”
  • Product Knowledge: Develop strong product knowledge as well as company history, information, and news knowledge.
  • Industry Awareness: Demonstrate knowledge in current industry trends and technology, including familiarity with competition.
  • Professional Conduct: Maintain a professional appearance and behavior and follow the Breitling dress code standards.
  • Company Support: Support all company initiatives as they relate to product launches, customer service, and sales.
  • Policy Compliance: Adhere to company policies and procedures at all times.
  • Inventory Management: Assist with inventory and special projects.
  • Store Operations: Perform opening and closing store duties.
  • Visual Merchandising: Assist in maintaining visual standards with direction from corporate and management.
  • Team Communication: Maintain open, professional, and ongoing communications with store management, peers, and corporate.
  • Team Collaboration: Partner with the team to achieve store goals.
  • Brand Representation: Serve as a positive role model and represent the brand appropriately at all times.
  • Adaptability: Adapt to the changing needs of the brand and company.
  • Training Support: Participate in the training of new sales associates (product knowledge, store procedures, company policies, etc.).

8. Sales Associate Overview

  • Sales Support: Primary sales support for all major accounts.
  • Account Management: Directly manage key accounts depending on the candidate.
  • Meeting Documentation: Sit in sales meetings and document conversations, decisions made, photographs chosen, styles, and distribute info to all concerned parties.
  • CAD Preparation: Prepare CAD line sheets of buyers’ selections for select accounts.
  • Account Setup: Manage new account set-up requirements, including set-up forms, vendor agreements, insurance documents, etc.
  • Sales Reporting: Read, analyze, interpret, and distribute weekly selling reports for all major retailers.
  • Sales Strategy: Present sales strategies based on the interpretation of data.
  • Business Analysis: Support sales by identifying opportunities based on business trends and market feedback.
  • Compliance Coordination: Work with Product and Shipping to ensure compliance with all retailer requirements, including packaging materials, tickets, packing, etc.
  • Data Management: Complete retailer-specific requirements such as ecomm item info, data entry into the vendor portal, item info sheets, UPC distribution, etc.
  • Sample Fulfillment: Fulfill sample requests from accounts, including ad, TOP.
  • Rep Support: Fulfill road rep sample and catalog needs.
  • Special Requests Handling: Assist road reps with any special requests.
  • Catalog Administration: Manage the Line Sheet and catalog admin, including proofing and distribution.
  • Order Processing: Complete bulk orders and forward to Customer Service.
  • Account Summaries: Prepare and maintain Summary Sheets for each account.
  • Inventory Review: Review and manipulate inventory and allocation reports for any discrepancies and follow up to alleviate problems.
  • Customer Service Communication: Communicate with Customer Service, order changes, confirmation, bulk adjustments, etc.
  • Customer Communication: Communicate to the customer, bulk order, and purchase order info, and changes.
  • Work Order Management: Create, distribute, and follow up on Work Orders when inventory needs special handling at the warehouse.
  • File Maintenance: Maintain order files for each account with cover sheets, bulks, and confirmations in an orderly manner.
  • Goal Tracking: Maintain order and sales goal log.
  • Meeting Preparation: Assist merchandiser prep for meetings by gathering samples, prepping CAD sheets, etc.
  • Showroom Management: Maintain sample lines in the showroom, and ensure all samples are represented before sales meetings.
  • Showroom Readiness: Ensure the showroom is neat and ready to go at all times, and selling tools are always available, i.e., line sheets, catalogs, lookbooks, etc.
  • Model Line Review: Review model lines for style selection and appearance.
  • Event Preparation: Prepare sample lines for photoshoots and trade shows.

9. Sales Associate Details and Accountabilities

  • Sales Performance: Demonstrate a high level of selling and customer service skills to achieve sales.
  • Sales Development: Use Company tools to develop strong selling skills and reinforce the brand vision.
  • Metric Achievement: Achieve sales and service metrics in key measurable areas, including UPTs, DPTs, emails, Talbots Classic Awards, and customer conversion.
  • Multitasking: Service multiple customers at a time, multitask, and/or handle projects simultaneously.
  • Business Support: Take an active role in assisting the management team to build the store business.
  • Customer Experience: Ensure exceptional selling interactions that guarantee meaningful experiences and build brand relationships.
  • Relationship Building: Support all service enhancers to build strong relationships, including active use of the Personal Business Binder and Style by Design Program.
  • Professional Appearance: Maintain a professional appearance that reflects the brand image.
  • Trend Awareness: Aware of fashion trends, particularly the brand vision for each new delivery.
  • Product Knowledge: Seek information about all new arrivals, including product knowledge about fit, color, fashion, etc.
  • Styling Expertise: Use product knowledge and fashion expertise to create outfits for customers and suggest items to match their needs.

10. Sales Associate Tasks

  • Customer Service: Assist customers utilizing World Market service standards as well as representing the World Market brand.
  • Merchandise Stocking: Stock merchandise according to visual standards, schematics, visual direction, pricing standards, productivity, and safety standards.
  • Cash Handling: Cashier according to customer service guidelines and register procedures.
  • Store Organization: Maintain the stockroom and sales floor organization and standards.
  • Loss Prevention: Adhere to all Company loss prevention policy and procedures, and distressed merchandise procedures.

11. Sales Associate Roles

  • Account Leadership: Operate as the lead point of contact for any matters specific to assigned customers and prospects.
  • Customer Relationship Management: Build and maintain strong, long-lasting customer relationships.
  • Solution Delivery: Ensure the timely and successful delivery of the solutions according to customer needs and objectives.
  • Stakeholder Communication: Communicate clearly the progress of monthly/quarterly initiatives to internal and external stakeholders.
  • Performance Tracking: Forecast and track key account metrics.
  • Business Growth: Identify and grow opportunities within the territory and collaborate with sales teams to ensure growth attainment.
  • Issue Resolution: Assist with high-severity requests or issue escalations.
  • Customer Meetings: Plan and conduct customer meetings.
  • Relationship Management: Manage day-to-day relationships and execution.
  • Primary Contact: Primary contact for the customer, build deep relationships throughout the organization.
  • Contract Management: Manage RFI/RFQ process, contract negotiation, execution, and pricing, consistent collaboration with Finance/Pricing and Customer Support Teams.
  • Operational Coordination: Ensure forecast, ordering, supply, and quality are meeting expectations, in collaboration with the Customer Support team.
  • Problem Solving: Be responsible for addressing and resolving issues/challenges.
  • Design Facilitation: Help facilitate the design process and priorities.
  • Pricing Strategy: Develop pricing and OPE placement proposals based on market pricing/dynamics and acceptable WRK margins, taking into account integrated economics and long-term financial implications.
  • Financial Analysis: Capture and analyze scenarios/options, articulate internally and externally using appropriate IRR metrics.
  • Strategic Planning: Develop Customer Strategic Business Plan.
  • Initiative Management: Identify key initiatives, resource demands, size of opportunity, and action plans to win.
  • Cross-Functional Collaboration: Collaborate with other relevant businesses to identify and exploit cross-platform opportunities.
  • Target Prioritization: Determine appropriate criteria for identifying targets and placing them into tiers of importance (strategic to tactical).
  • Business Development: Identify and analyze new business development opportunities.
  • Diagnostic Analysis: Conduct diagnostics to determine pain points for targeted customers.
  • Value Proposition Development: Based on diagnostic insights, assemble appropriate resources from across the enterprise to brainstorm and develop a comprehensive, strategic value proposition.
  • Strategic Account Planning: Take the lead in pulling together a Strategic Account Plan.
  • Strategy Execution: Execute the strategy with identified targets by engaging the full capabilities of the broader organization.
  • Market Advantage: Fully exploit the strategic advantages of the marketplace.
  • Market Penetration: Explore creative ways to penetrate the market.
  • Industry Engagement: Engage with brewers, learn the industry, and uncover hidden opportunities.
  • Industry Expertise: Establish a reputation within the industry as a trusted advisor, knowledge broker, and packaging expert.

12. Sales Associate Additional Details

  • Customer Experience: Provide an amazing customer experience.
  • Personalized Solutions: Focus on enriching and improving customers’ lives by offering personalized solutions in experience.
  • Sales Performance: Meet/exceed the performance and sales goals.
  • Team Collaboration: Become an integral part of the team by developing deep connections with fellow teammates in the local market and across the country.
  • Product Knowledge: Be the first to learn about the partner’s new products, accessories, and services.
  • Customer Care: Demonstrate customer care by establishing clear goals and expectations for each experience.
  • Team Engagement: Participate in daily team meetings and provide feedback to the team and the company regularly to make things better.
  • Goal Achievement: Meet and strive to exceed the established performance and sales goals.
  • Core Values Alignment: Identify with and live the values, which are kindness, justice, winning together, growth mindset.

13. Sales Associate Essential Functions

  • Sales Performance: Desire to achieve and exceed individual sales goals and KPI’s by the Store Manager.
  • Customer Relationship Building: Passion to connect with customers and cultivate personalized relationships to drive sales.
  • Customer Insight: Be perceptive to customers’ wants and needs and utilize product knowledge to ensure customer satisfaction.
  • Customer Experience: Embrace a culture that puts the customer experience first and foremost.
  • Brand Representation: Exude a self-confidence reflective of the Brand Vision.
  • Visual Merchandising: Assist with the store’s visual directives and maintain standards of housekeeping.
  • System Proficiency: Develop a full understanding of computer systems to ring transactions and perform other functions, such as merchandise transfers and order fulfillment.
  • Loss Prevention: Protect store assets and inventory through awareness of loss prevention procedures.
  • Policy Reporting: Report violations to the supervisor.
  • Inventory Management: Become familiar with inventory levels and understand how to use systems to check availability and perform inter-store transfers.

14. Sales Associate Role Purpose

  • Product Knowledge: Understand all product offerings in a community (i.e., floor plans, features, Decorator features, standard features, and available options).
  • Process Communication: Understand the building process and be able to communicate this to prospects.
  • Competitive Awareness: Understand what the competition is doing and be able to compare.
  • Community Knowledge: Stay up to date on all community information (i.e., schools, utilities, tax information, shopping, local employment centers, and recreation areas) and any other information requested by customers.
  • Continuing Education: Stay current with continuing education through seminars and training.
  • Sales Documentation: Understand all sales agreements and addenda, and be able to complete them accurately.
  • Office Maintenance: Maintain the sales office in a neat and orderly fashion.
  • Collateral Management: Make sure that all collateral is well-stocked and consistent with company specifications.
  • Signage Placement: Place all on-site signage (i.e., home site signs, inventory signs, open house signs, etc.).
  • Model Maintenance: Walk the model home daily and prepare a written punch list every week for the builder to maintain the model in 100% condition.
  • Equipment Functionality: Make sure all the light bulbs are good in the model.
  • Technology Check: Make sure all electronic equipment is on and functioning properly.
  • Supply Maintenance: Maintain the appropriate supplies, including water, coffee, snacks, etc.
  • Sales Presentation: Develop, practice, and deliver a good sales presentation consistent with company training and prescribed sales methodology.
  • Prospect Registration: Completion of registration for all prospects in the format prescribed mode, iPad, or a Registration card with detailed information about the prospect.
  • Paperwork Accuracy: Complete all company paperwork in a timely and accurate manner.
  • Payment Collection: Collect all required monies from customers.
  • Builder Communication: Maintain a good line of communication with the builder.
  • Customer Service: Provide prompt attention to any customer concern by involving the appropriate parties.

15. Sales Associate General Responsibilities

  • Sales Performance: Reach individual and overall sales targets.
  • Product Knowledge: Profound product knowledge, promotions, and advertisements.
  • Store Cleanliness: Ensure that boutique cleanliness and hygiene standards are always maintained, and all products are handled accordingly.
  • Merchandise Management: Maintain merchandise and ensure proper display, storage, etc.
  • Store Operations: Assure smooth shop opening, closing.
  • Checklist Compliance: Ensure daily checklists are filled in when opening/closing.
  • Customer Experience: Use the prescribed selling techniques to provide customers with a friendly, courteous experience.
  • Cash Handling: Operate the cash register to accurately compute the price of the product and receive payment.
  • Order Packaging: Arrange and package all gift orders according to the sale order in coordination with the team and supervisors.
  • Inventory Recording: Accurately record the product usage in the system.
  • Loss Prevention: Control shrinkage and product spoilage, notify the boutique manager.
  • Equipment Maintenance: Report any malfunctioning equipment to the Boutique Manager.
  • Inventory Participation: Participate in the year-end inventory and cycle.
  • Price Calculation: Compute the retail price for the order.
  • Team Support: Help colleagues and junior peers to learn and perform their job well.
  • Customer Feedback: Report to the boutique manager on customer feedback and complaints.
  • Stock Monitoring: Monitor stock levels and share findings with the manager.

16. Sales Associate Key Accountabilities

  • Policy Compliance: Adhere to Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and Company programs to ensure compliance with applicable laws and requirements.
  • Standards Execution: Execute the Company policies and standards.
  • Customer Service: Provide a fast and friendly check-out experience.
  • Cash Handling: Execute cash handling to standards.
  • Rewards Engagement: Engage customers on the benefits of the Rewards program and complete enrollments.
  • Customer Education: Educate the customer on the Voice of Customer (VOC) survey.
  • Merchandise Maintenance: Merchandise recovery and maintenance.
  • Store Recovery: Support the merchandise return/go back process and general store recovery.
  • Customer Assistance: Acknowledge customers, help locate products, and provide solutions.
  • Stock Management: Participate in the truck unloading and stocking processes to ensure truck standards are followed and completed within budget.
  • Loss Prevention: Support shrink and safety programs.
  • Omnichannel Support: Assist with omnichannel processes.
  • Visual Merchandising: Execute a well-merchandised and in-stock store.
  • Respectful Interaction: Interacts with others in an accepting and respectful manner.
  • Positive Attitude: Remains positive and respectful, even in difficult situations.
  • Values Commitment: Promotes commitment to the organization’s vision and values.
  • Role Modeling: Projects a positive image and serves as a role model for others.
  • Customer Support: Help customers shop and find what they are looking for.
  • Cross-Training: Cross-trained in Custom Framing, selling, and production.

17. Sales Associate Roles and Details

  • Customer Service: Ensuring outstanding service by creating a friendly environment.
  • Customer Interaction: Greeting, acknowledging, and reapproaching the customer, and being knowledgeable about products.
  • Sales Awareness: Staying up to date on the most current sales and promotions.
  • Visual Merchandising: Assisting in merchandising displays and store cleanliness.
  • Inventory Management: Replenishing merchandise, monitoring floor stock, and processing shipments.
  • Cash Handling: Processing purchases at the cash register.
  • Policy Compliance: Adhering to all company policies.

18. Sales Associate Responsibilities and Key Tasks

  • Sales Support: Conduct relief sales for the sales department.
  • Inventory Management: Take inventory and input customer orders using handheld devices.
  • Product Maintenance: Maintain proper inventories and product freshness in all assigned accounts.
  • Merchandising Operations: Run merchandising routes, rotating and stocking all products.
  • Client Relationship Management: Own and build renter relationships from both company-provided and self-procured leads (no cold-calling).
  • Team Collaboration: Collaborate effectively with the operations team, touring team, and building partners to deliver an exceptional client experience.
  • Product Improvement: Improve the software and service directly with the CEO and CTO.

19. Luxury Sales Associate Duties and Roles

  • Sales Performance: Consistently achieve and/or exceed the monthly sales targets.
  • Customer Service: Ensure that each client receives outstanding customer service by providing a friendly environment that includes greeting and acknowledging every customer, maintaining outstanding standards, and solid product knowledge.
  • Client Adaptability: Adapt approach according to the client's needs and motivations.
  • Negotiation Skills: Negotiate and handle objections with ease.
  • After-Sales Support: Assist and support after-sales service.
  • Industry Awareness: Remain current on industry news and competitors.
  • Client Relationship Management: Cultivate new and existing client relationships through exceptional service, partnering with Management to develop a plan for their clients and prospects.
  • Data Management: Consistently and accurately capture client data for follow-up and relationship building effectively.
  • Issue Resolution: Appropriately resolve client issues/concerns and escalate to Management.
  • Networking Events: Client networking events.
  • Policy Compliance: Understand and comply with all security and operational policies and procedures of CJ Charles Jewelers.
  • Boutique Operations: Assist with the daily set-up and breakdown of the boutique.
  • Merchandising Support: Assist in the merchandising and daily maintenance of displays and back-stock.
  • Inventory Management: Actively participate in inventories.
  • Project Assistance: Assist with special projects (i.e., price changes, supporting back office responsibilities, shipping/receiving, inventory, etc.).
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