How To Pursue A Career In Retail Sales?

The entire economy of a nation is greatly dependent on the buying and selling of things. In such a scenario, the chain that follows is once products are manufactured, they make their way to warehouses and godowns. It is from these places that wholesalers sell their products to the retailers. The retailers or the retail sellers are the ones who actually sell the product to the customers in question. Since the actual selling happens through the retail seller, there is ample scope of making money here.

Indeed, if you are able to woo your target audience, there is nothing that can hinder your way to helping your company or from making money. It is obvious that as your firm grows in magnitude and annual turnover, so will you within the organisation.

Now, many people shy away from this highly challenging field because they feel that this is a field where an individual has to meet daily targets and that is a taxing thing to do. However, the fact is that if you are ready to invest your time and efforts in this profession in your youth, the returns that this will pay during your old age are plentiful. Read on to know more about this field of work.

• Job Responsibilities

The main duty of retail sales workers is to sell the products that are available in the outlet. For this, they need to build a good rapport with the customers. You'll have to be polite while greeting customers and offer them assistance. To do this, you first need to understand what is it that the customers want and then recommend appropriate products to them.

The benefits and working of the merchandise must also be explained to the user. In case the customer has certain questions and queries, it is the duty of the retail sales worker to answer all of them. Such a person must be aware of current sales promotions and policies about exchange and payment options (including that of EMI) and educate the customer about the same.

The entire process of adding up the customers' total purchases, preparing bills and accepting payments is also the duty of retail sales workers.

• Educational Qualification

Although there is no official minimum qualification requirement here, for shops selling electronic items, cars or high-end products, candidates with a high school degree are preferred.

Most established retail outlets conduct training for its staff wherein newly hired workers are given training on matters pertaining to customer service, security, how to operate the cash register and the store's policies and procedures.

Depending on the products that they are expected to sell, they are often given specialised training about the technical functionalities of the same. This type of training usually lasts for weeks. In smaller retail outlets, the training that is given is lesser detailed and usually shorter in nature.

• Skill Set

In the world of sales, it may so happen that a large number of attempted sales will yield no results. If you get disappointed by such things, you cannot survive in this highly competitive world. Persistence is the first quality that you must inculcate in yourself if you wish to pursue a career in sales.

By being responsive to the customers' needs, you will be able to make appropriate recommendations which will, in turn, increase your chances of selling a product. Knowledge of the local language is an added advantage for a person who wants to pursue a career in this field.

• Type Of Jobs

The best thing about retail sales jobs is the fact that these types of jobs are available in every nook and corner of the country. Thus, if you are someone who does not want to travel to distant lands in search of a job, then this is the profession for you.

From the world of groceries and supermarkets to that of clothing, musical instruments, electronics, automobiles and departmental and bookstores, retail sales workers are needed in order to keep business establishments up and running.

• Salary

The salary of a retail sales worker in India will depend on the brand or company that they are working for and its geographical location. Needless to say, it is in the metros that the wage is higher than that in other places.

Among the various sectors, that of automobile, electronics and jewellery are the ones that pay the most. In cities like Bangalore and Delhi, sales workers in the electronics sector are paid as much as INR 26,000 per month (at the fresher level) in some companies.

• Work Environment

This job usually requires a person to work in the evenings and on the weekends because that is when most customers visit the shop. The work pressure of such people is particularly high during the festive seasons and retail workers may find it difficult to take an off during such times.

While most retail workers work full-time, a marginal section chooses to work part-time as well. Most of the part-time retail workers are college students who take up this job in order to support their education. Needless to say, all the jobs in this sector are private in nature.

• Career Advancement

For those who are serious about their profession, this career path provides the opportunity to move on to supervisory positions. For candidates who have completed their graduation and have joined as a retail sales worker, there will be ample opportunities to switch to managerial roles.

Typically, with experience, retail sales workers are given the opportunity to choose the department that they would want to work for and are vested with higher responsibilities in the same. This naturally equates to a higher potential earning and commissions.

Thus, having realised the tons of opportunities in this field, we are sure by now you are ready to take baby steps into the profession. Here's wishing you all the very best for the same.