How to be a Successful Associate?

Good news! There is no such thing as a natural-born salesperson. Although some people have it easier with the innate ability or talent to aid in their salesmanship, I assure you that it is not crucial in being a successful Sales Associate. Despite what you may have heard, achieving this goal is actually easier than you may think. As someone who worked in the Luxury Retail industry for 7 years, I know a thing or two about topping the sales charts. During my last position as a Senior Sales Associate for a Luxury Watch brand, I helped win over hundreds of clients and achieved record sales. Let me share with you the essential pillars of being a successful Sales Associate.

Motivation

As a Sales Associate, you’ll have a sales target to hit on a monthly basis. Every month, the target refreshes and what I realized is that most Sales Associates are not able to stay consistent after a few months. This is the result of the lack in motivation. To ensure you’re driven, you should try to understand your goals. With a clear goal in mind, you will be able to consistently remind yourself. I will also suggest that you and aim to achieve your sales target within the first 15-days of the new month. This leaves extra buffer time especially if you’re having trouble hitting your sales target.

 

Customer-Oriented

At the heart of any sale is the customer. One of the biggest mistakes beginner associates make is thinking that their goal is to sell a product. In reality, that’s the last thing you want to do. Remember that what the customer cares about is what the product can bring them. In other words, customers care more about the experience. For this reason, you should always make sure that you aren’t simply regurgitating product information but instead sell the Luxury experience.

You’ll also want to make sure that you are providing a high level of customer support. This means you should be involved in the sale from beginning to end. The best Sales Associate are those who don’t leave the transaction once it’s complete but instead do everything they can to make the customer’s experience better. If you’re looking to do something really special, you may even send personalized gift cards for consumer birthdays and special events. This will keep help build a long-term relationship with the client. I personally have made routine deliveries to hotel rooms and even arranged a pick-up from the airport for my client. There’s a ton you can do to make every sale more memorable for the customer, be creative!

Develop your personal CRM (Customer Relationship Management) system

It is impossible to remember every minute detail when you first start out. To kick off your Sales Associated Career, I recommend creating a comprehensive excel sheet. My personal sheet tracks, purchase behavior, their habits, their hobbies and even important events such as the client’s wedding anniversary. I used this constantly during my time as Senior Sales Associated because they allowed me to record new information and keep easy-to-navigate logs of all customer data. It allows you to make more meaningful interactions with your client. For example, I once used it to secure a booking at a highly sought after restaurant for a VVIP customer’s important wedding anniversary. You will also need to keep a look out for you clients, tops spenders in the list are be selected and pushed to events such as Golfing Tournaments locally and even overseas!. By being proactive with your CRM and going the extra mile to take care of your clients, you’ll be able to build a better reputation and increase sales.

Being a Team Player

The best Sales Associates are surrounded by a great team. This means that you must be a team player with great interpersonal skills if you ever wish to reach the top. As an associate, you’ll be asked to work with a slew of people with various national backgrounds. Understanding how to work with these individuals will be a key part to your success. Without collaboration and the ability to communicate with those who are different, you’ll never be able to facilitate an atmosphere conducive to sales.

Just as important, you could leave yourself in the dark whenever you need assistance. The reality is that no one makes it alone. There will be times when you’ll need your team to help out; being a good team player will ensure that these individuals are around when you need them so that you can weather your career with fewer bumps in the road. One good example would be missing the mark for my sales target, I will never forget a colleague who passed a sale over to me.

Final Thoughts

Are you ready to get to work? Our recruiting agency gives you a one-of-a-kind opportunity to pursue a meaningful career as a Sales Associate. Typically, do keep in mind that it generally takes between 2 to 3 for a Senior Sales Associate promotion. To increase chances of being selected, you’ll want to ensure that you consistently hit monthly targets, cooperate well within your team environment, and are on friendly terms amongst your coworkers.

Here’s another helpful tip: your second year is actually pivotal, as management will be on the lookout for potential leadership candidates. By demonstrating good ability and a willingness to work with others, you could position yourself for an important promotion. Management is always looking for Senior Sales Associates who can lead, help manage the team and bring even more value to the business. As you’ll soon find out, being a successful sale associate is an art—but it’s one you can master by following the advice in this guide. I hope that this article is able to bring value to aspiring and current Sales Associate.

Now, as a recruiter, I am always looking for the next great talent—from Boutique Sales Associate to Sales Manager. If you think this could be you, it’s time we get in touch. We offer tons of opportunities in the Luxury, Beauty and Fashion sphere. Joining with us could be the first step of a long and successful career in the sales industry.