3 Possible Career Paths Working as a Sale Associate

Recently, during an interview session, a candidate asked me a question that I thought would be interesting for everyone. She wanted to know if there was room for career growth. Her application was for a sales associate position. I’m certain that many have wondered what the opportunities for growth are as a sales associate in the luxury, beauty and high-end fashion industry. There has been a common misconception that a sales associate does not pay well and is a dead-end job. However, that is far from the truth. Well for starters, being a sales associate pays well and a viable career path is highly possible for individuals who seek growth.

Nothing worth having comes easy, apart from hard work, you definitely will have to further your studies by completing a course, degree or obtain a certificate. It is possible and we’ve groomed candidates to reach greater heights in their careers. Let’s unravel the 3 possible roles for career progression for a sales associate in similar industries. The roles are Personal Shopper, Sales Trainer, Retail Operations Manager.

Personal Shopper

Shop for a living – If you are a shopaholic and have an existing passion for luxury goods, you might be interested in this role. The role of a Personal Shopper is to provide the highest level of customized service possible to regular clientele. Without a doubt, you’ll be someone who has a good sales record and is recognized for delivering an exceptional customer experience. As a Personal Shopper, you’ll need possess impeccable product knowledge, this will aid in your ability to cross and up sell after understanding your customer’s needs.

Sales Trainer

Ever find yourself sharing your vast retail experiences with your staff and find satisfaction in developing people, you might want to look into being a Sales Trainer / Field Trainer. It is a fulfilling role and requires patience when developing and passing knowledge to trainees. As a Sale Trainer, you’ll provide product and customer service training to all sales staff to enable them to improve sales figures and meet sales quotas. Sales is the lifeline to any business, you’ll play an important role in the company by building an effective sales force to drive profitability.  Also, in some companies, Sales/Field Trainers enjoy fantastic opportunities to fly around the region to train employees of different countries. For those interested in working towards this career path, we encourage that you speak to your company and utilize your SkillsFuture credit to obtain an ACTA certificate. These classes will set you apart and equip you with a good foundation of how to coach, conduct classroom training and develop people.

Retail Operations Manager

As you rack up experience from your stint as a sales associate, you’ll be able to understand how things work especially on the backend. If you possess a “the show must go on” mindset and the innate drive to ensure maximum productivity is achieved, then this might be something worth pursuing. The main objective for a retail operations manager is ensure that all the stores under their leadership are well-managed at all times. Such as employee management, inventory management and visual merchandising have to be in order before receiving customers.

Wrap Up

It is never too early to start thinking about your next step. Be wise and make plans in your career. Cause if you don’t, no one will. To date, we’ve worked with some of the biggest names in the luxury, beauty or high-end fashion industry, if you’d like to progress in your career, speak with us! Or send your resumes to yournextmove@luxury-careers.com