What Is a Sales Promoter? (Plus How To Become One)

Updated 26 January 2023

Sales is an enriching career because it provides immense opportunities to interact, communicate and develop relationships with others. A job as a sales promoter can be a good option for those interested in working in the retail sector, educating customers in different fields and closing deals while ensuring customer satisfaction. If you want to become a sales promoter, you may require information about the role to improve your skills and gain relevant work experience that can help you excel in the workplace.

In this article, we explain what is a sales promoter, explore their typical duties, skills and average salary and outline the steps to become one.

What is a sales promoter?

A sales promoter is a professional who works on behalf of a brand to promote and sell its products at a retail store. Usually, a sales promoter receives training and has in-depth knowledge of the products they are promoting. Using their knowledge and expertise, they try to influence customers in a store to purchase their products. They often perform product demos, answer customer questions and compare their products to competitors. Brands that employ sales promoters typically set up a separate kiosk or table in a retail store to display their products and attract potential customers.

As a sales promoter, your job is to create brand awareness by delivering presentations, running sales campaigns and distributing free samples. Unlike an in-house salesperson who assists customers with any purchase, a sales promoter answers specific queries related to their brand's products. For example, the promoter in an electronic store may explain the features of a particular smartphone to customers. Or, if they are promoting a new product at a grocery store, they may provide free samples to customers in an attempt to persuade them into purchasing those products.

What do sales promoters do?

A sales promoter's daily work depends on the company they work for, their location and the product they are promoting. Here are some common job responsibilities:

Listening to customers' needs and helping them find a product based on their requirement
Building product knowledge and delivering information to customers in an engaging way
Demonstrating products to customers
Providing guidance and advice to customers on product selection
Arranging products or merchandise attractively in the retail store
Building customer relationships by contacting them for follow up purchases and inviting them to try upcoming products
Presenting products using interactive materials like flyers, charts, videos or presentations
Achieving a daily sales target
Collecting customer feedback and submitting it to the management team
Networking with relevant stakeholders to search for business opportunities

Difference between a sales promoter and a salesperson

While both sales promoters and salespersons work in a retail environment, they have different goals and job responsibilities. A sales promoter is an employee of a specific brand or product manufacturer in a retail store, whereas a salesperson is an employee of the retail store. The promoter receives training on only their brand-specific products, while the salesperson receives training on all products displayed in the store.

Sales promoter work environment

As sales promoters spend most of their time interacting with customers, they may need to spend more time standing during office hours. They spend long hours giving presentations, performing demonstrations and solving customer queries. While most sales promoters work in the nine-to-five environment, six days a week, they might work on weekends or evenings when customer footfall is likely to increase. They typically work in a retail store, but here are some other places where they might find employment:

Clothing stores
Automobile shops
Trade shows
Markets
Make-up stores
Electronic stores
Supermarkets
Footwear stores

Average salary of a sales promoter

The average salary for a promoter is ₹2,18,424 per year. This salary may vary based on the work environment, as some sales promoters work in a grocery store while others may work in a make-up or electronics store. Some sales promoters qualify for bonuses if they are able to meet their sales quotas.

Skills of a sales promoter

To become a sales promoter, consider the following skills:

Customer service

A sales promoter requires excellent customer service skills to solve customer problems, provide services and resolve customer queries and complaints. A person with a polite and positive attitude often excels at this job because customers remember such professionals for a long time. Furthermore, the ability to cater to different types of customers is desirable for making customers feel valued.

Communication

Excellent written and verbal communication skills are necessary to communicate with your customers. Verbal skills are important for a sales promoter as it helps them explain a product and its benefits to the customer during face-to-face interactions. They also need to create presentations or flowcharts, which requires written communication skills.

Multi-tasking

A product promoter often needs to respond to customer queries while they are performing other duties. For instance, they may need to receive customer feedback and arrange products on a kiosk simultaneously. A sales promoter supports their customers while performing these tasks and without ignoring any customer request.

Sales

Using their sales skills, a product promoter influences and encourages customers to purchase products and become loyal to their brand. Also, using this skill set, they achieve their daily targets and complete all customer transactions. This helps in building long-term relationships.

Problem-solving

Problem-solving skills help product promoters to adapt to workplace challenges and keep customers satisfied. The ability to find solutions to common problems such as product failure after purchase or out-of-stock situations is desirable for this role. When product promoters react well to unprecedented situations, it builds brand and retail store reputation.

Product knowledge

Sales promoter requires in-depth knowledge of the products they are selling. Understanding the benefits of each product and the reasons a customer selects their brand over others is essential for a successful career in this job role. With excellent product knowledge, product promoters can provide recommendations based on customer requirements.

Ability to work independently

As a sales promoter is not an employee of the retail store for which they work, they often work independently to promote products. They may need to set up a kiosk, table or booth on their own. Also, they perform product demos and take care of their brand's inventory without help from floor sales staff.

How to become a successful sales promoter

Use these steps to become a good sales promoter:

1. Complete your 10+2

To start your career as a sales promoter, pass your 10+2 or higher secondary in any stream. This step often represents the basic minimum qualification required to gain admission in sales and its related degree programmes. Consider reading a few sales promoter job descriptions to understand the typical educational qualifications.

2. Get a bachelor's degree

You can enrol in a three-year bachelor's degree programme for sales-related disciplines. A professional sales-related degree equips you better to understand customers, solve their problems and promote your brand's product. Furthermore, a bachelor's degree from a reputed institute is likely to attract more employers.

3. Complete an internship

During your bachelor's degree, try to earn an internship in a retail store to gain hands-on experience. It helps you understand purchase psychology and why customers may purchase from a particular brand. You can also learn about some practical strategies to promote and sell products. Having retail experience enhances your chance of getting hired for a desirable job.

4. Join a sales association

When you join a sales association, you network with like-minded people who are passionate about this field. Through these associations, you can read about the latest innovations and techniques of the retail sector. Joining a local association builds your professional network and helps you improve your skills. Also, the connections you build help you find better job opportunities.

5. Create your CV

Create your CV and include all educational qualifications and experience you have in this field. It is always good to tailor your CV based on the job description. So, read the jobs description, pick out keywords from it and include them in your CV as appropriate. This makes your CV applicant tracking system (ATS) compliant and helps you stand out as a promising candidate.

How can I be a good sales promoter?

To become a good sales promoter, approach product promotions with the right mindset and attitude while understanding the company's customers. For building a long-lasting relationship with customers and promoting your brand's products, you may benefit from these four things:

A basic understanding of sales
In-depth product knowledge
The ability to influence a customer's buying decisions
The ability to provide excellent customer service