Sales Assistant: What is the cost of hiring?
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Sales Assistant: What is the cost of hiring?
As of April 2022, the average number of job seekers per sales assistant job in Australia is 32.
a sales assistant: What is the cost of hiring?
As of April 2022, the average number of job seekers per sales assistant job in Australia is 32.
Why hire a sales assistant?
Sales assistants play a crucial role in the success of a retail store. They help customers find the product or service that meets their needs, while creating an enjoyable shopping experience that makes customers want to keep coming back. An effective sales assistant can boost your brand’s image and your sales.
Contributions of a great sales assistant:
- Identify customers’ needs and give them advice and suggestions
- Guide customers through the buying process
- Ensure adequate stock levels
- Help to increase sales by implementing specific sales strategies and promotions
Deciding between a full-time vs freelance sales assistant
Before you hire a sales assistant, consider your business needs and which type of employment arrangement would best meet those needs.
Most sales assistants are employed in either part-time or casual roles. Hiring part-time and casual employees can help you reduce your
staffing
expenses and allow you to roster staff for short shifts outside of regular working hours, such as evenings and weekends. You might consider hiring additional casual or temporary staff during particularly busy periods, for example, around Christmas.
However, it can also be beneficial for your business to have a team of full-time staff. Full-time sales assistants can boost customer loyalty because it is easier for them to build relationships with regular customers. They will also become very familiar with your products and processes and might be able to move up to higher positions within your business.
What are the different types of sales assistant?
Within the sales profession, there are various different roles that reflect an
employee
’s years of experience and seniority. Here are the most common sales jobs from the lowest to highest level:
- Sales assistant: Usually works in shops and other retail outlets; welcomes customers, provides information about products and services, and helps customers identify their needs so they can purchase products or services that fulfil those needs.
- Inside sales representative: Using technology such as video, email and telephone, an inside sales representative sells products and services to customers remotely. They are responsible for the whole sales process, from acquiring leads with cold and warm outbound calls to processing sales orders.
- Outside sales representative: Also known as a field sales representative, this kind of sales job involves meeting customers in person to sell products and services. Outside sales representatives travel to trade shows, industry events, a prospective customer’s office or restaurant, and some sell door to door.
- Sales development representative: Also known as a business development representative, this salesperson is responsible for researching, prospecting and qualifying leads via various channels. Once qualified, they pass the lead on to a sales representative, who completes the sales process.
- Sales manager: The definition of this role varies from company to company, but a sales manager is generally responsible for building and managing a sales team, as well as creating and maintaining relationships with customers and expanding the company’s client base.
- Director of sales: Responsible for managing all of the sales operations of an organisation. Works with sales managers to define sales objectives, forecast and develop sales quotas, maintain sales volume and assess the company’s performance.
Where to find a sales assistant
To find the right sales assistant for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:
- Advertise at local universities: Consider advertising on job boards at local universities to find prospective sales assistants.
- Use social media: Announcing via your social media channels that you are currently hiring is an effective recruiting strategy, particularly if you are looking to hire a younger demographic. A benefit of recruiting through your social media platforms is that you can identify people who are already passionate about your brand.
- Ask for referrals: Another possible recruiting strategy is to ask your current employees if they know anyone who would like to join your business. An advantage of this strategy is that your employees will be motivated to recommend someone who they know will work well with the rest of the team and make their jobs easier rather than harder. You could also consider offering a
bonus
for referrals.
Post your job online: Try posting your sales assistant job on Indeed to find and attract quality sales assistant candidates.
Skills to look for in a great sales assistant
A great sales assistant candidate will have the following skills and attributes as well as work experience that reflects:
- strong communication and interpersonal skills
- customer service skills such as active listening and empathy
- selling skills
- basic numeracy skills
- adaptability and multitasking
- time management
Writing a sales assistant job description
A thoughtful description is important for finding qualified sales assistant candidates. A sales assistant job description includes a compelling summary of the role, a detailed list of duties and responsibilities and the required and preferred skills for the position.
When writing your job description for a sales assistant, consider including some or all of the following keywords to strengthen the visibility of your job posting. These are the most popular search terms leading to clicks on sales assistant jobs, according to Indeed data:
- retail
- sales assistant
- retail assistant
- retail sales assistant
- customer service
- sales
- shop assistant
- assistant
- sales associate
Interviewing sales assistant candidates
Strong candidates for sales assistant positions will be confident answering questions regarding:
- previous retail experience
- sales techniques
- ways to resolve problems with angry customers
- strategies to build customer loyalty
- experience using point-of-sale systems
- experience managing inventory
Need help coming up with interview questions? See our list of sales assistant interview questions for examples (with sample answers).
*Indeed provides this information as a courtesy to users of this site. Please note that we are not your recruiting or legal advisor, we are not responsible for the content of your job descriptions, and none of the information provided herein guarantees performance.
