RECRUITMENT GUIDE
Sales Assistant
A sales assistant is responsible for assisting customers during their experience with the business, and ensuring that they get all the help they need and any questions answered whilst shopping. Regardless of the industry that the sales assistant works in, their aim is to provide outstanding customer service to ensure customers are satisfied and sales are made to ensure consistent revenue and profit for the business.
Sales assistants help to form strong relationships with customers to ensure customer retention and loyalty over time. A sales assistant must be very knowledgeable about the business and the products/services sold, and be able to give advice to customers to ensure they are satisfied with their purchases.
Day-to-day tasks of this role:
- Managing stock levels.
- Assisting customers with any queries they may have.
- Taking payment to make a sale.
- Assisting customers in choosing the right products/services to suit their needs.
- Packaging orders.
- Ensuring the venue is clean and tidy.
- Assist with deliveries.
- Create reports when stock must be reordered.
Recruitment Process
UNDERSTAND THE ROLE
Skills profile for a Sales Assistant
There are no tertiary qualifications necessary to be a sales assistant, however it is favourable to have previous relevant experience and training. There are some common skills required for this position.
It is essential that a sales assistant is extremely customer centric. They must take the time to understand what customers are looking for and desire without interruption, and prioritise customer satisfaction at all times. They must find ways to help customers, and always put the needs of the customer first.
A sales assistant must be skilled in making sales and trying to turn all interactions with customers into a sale. They must identify sales cues for upselling and cross selling products, as well as take the time with every customer to understand their needs and requirements and match appropriate products or services to align.
A sales assistant must also have strong communication skills. They must be professional and friendly when communicating with customers in order to build rapport and strong relationships. They must speak concisely and clearly to customers from various backgrounds, and ensure that no matter how busy they are, that they actively listen to customers to understand their needs.
Once you’ve determined the skills required for the role, you can write the job description to advertise for your position.
SOURCE APPLICANTS
Sales Assistant Job Description
Summary:
- Why is this role being filled?
- How does this role fit into the organization and the team?
- What makes your company unique?
- What would it be like to work for you?
Requirements:
- What technical skills are needed for this role?
- Which soft skills are applicable?
- What are the nice-to-have experiences of your ideal candidate?
- Include availability preferences in this section
Responsibilities:
- What are the key deliverables for this role?
- What does the day-to-day of this role look like?
Benefits:
- Compensation & bonuses
- Employee benefits & perks
- Ongoing training benefits
PRO TIP #1
A sales assistant can work long hours and be on their feet the whole day. Especially during busy periods, they can be walking around, carrying stock, talking to customers and completing other physically demanding tasks all day. It is important to include this information in the job description to ensure that all candidates who apply are physically able to meet the demands of the role.
PRO TIP #2
Ensure that the entire recruitment process from job description to assessment to interview reiterates your company vision and values. This will help you identify the right people for the role, and applicants will know whether your company is the right fit for them.
SKILL ASSESSMENT
Sample skills assessment
Question 1
Sales Assistant
Question Type: Doc
How would you manage priorities with having to serve customers, clean the store, manage stock and stock the shelves?
Question 2
Customer Centricity
Question Type: Text
How do you help a customer when the company doesn’t have the exact product / service they are looking for?
Question 3
Sales
Question Type: Video
Tell me about your experience working towards KPIs.
INTERVIEW
Interview guide for a Sales Assistant
Once your Vervoe skills assessment has surfaced the most qualified people for your open role, you can focus on interviewing these candidates. The PDF interview guide contains structured questions against each of the competencies for this role.
This interview guide is intended to be used in conjunction with the Vervoe skills assessment. Where a candidate has scored Low – Medium on a skill, focus on asking more questions from that skill to gain deeper insight into their level of competency.
PDF INTERVIEW GUIDE
Get your copy of the interview guide to complete the hiring process. Includes questions against each of the skill competencies for the role.
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