Sales Associate

About the role

This position combines showroom sales with technical project design responsibilities. The successful candidate will collaborate with trade and consumer clients to provide comprehensive lighting and shading solutions, supporting projects from inception through to completion.

Responsibilities

• Achieve and consistently surpass both individual and showroom sales objectives.
• Prioritize exceptional customer service throughout the sales process from opportunity to invoice.
• Manage sales pipeline to maximize success by ensuring consistent follow-up and follow-through using order entry software and various communication methods.
• Deliver expert design consultation and product recommendations to trade and retail clients.
• Provide guidance on lighting selections that foster enduring client relationships.
• Present compelling sales demonstrations featuring lighting, controls, and shading solutions.
• Utilize collaborative, design-driven sales strategies to secure client commitment.
• Independently and through collaboration with the Business Development Specialist, develop and sustain relationships with architects, builders, interior designers, and homeowners.
• Identify client objectives and explain how our systems support their design goals.
• Work with project management to align deliverables with approved designs.
• Collaborate with Visual Comfort & Co Design Studio in the preparation of comprehensive documentation for design and engineering teams to facilitate the creation of construction documents and bills of materials (BOMs).
• Respond to client inquiries, ensuring thorough understanding of proposed lighting and shading solutions.
• Maintain up-to-date knowledge of advancements in lighting technologies, control systems, and automated shading.

Requirements

• 3+ years of retail or showroom sales experience required, ideally in luxury home furnishings, lighting, or building materials.
• Prior experience within the design or building products industry required, including interior design, custom home construction, luxury furnishings, or lighting.
• Lighting experience is a plus.
• Bachelor’s degree preferred; High School diploma required.
• Proficient with Microsoft Office Suite; D365 knowledge preferred.
• Experienced with CRM/ERP systems for client management and project tracking.
• Technical understanding of lighting specs (color temperature, CRI, lumens, dimming) and control systems (e.g., Lutron, Control4).
• Able to build relationships with architects, builders, and designers; represent the brand at industry events.
• Proficient in preparing proposals, BOMs, and technical documentation.
• Excellent communication, emotional intelligence, and professionalism in client interactions.
• Organized, detail-oriented, able to handle multiple projects simultaneously.
• Stays up to date on lighting technologies and participates in ongoing training.
• Consistently represents Visual Comfort’s brand values and commitment to service.

Qualifications

• Must demonstrate commitment, dependability, punctuality, and adherence to agreed-upon schedule, while maintaining a consistent presence in the workplace to effectively collaborate and communicate with coworkers and teams.

Skills

• Communication
• Emotional Intelligence
• Professionalism
• Relationship Building
• Technical Understanding
• Product Knowledge
• Project Management
• Client Service

Benefits

• Work-Life Balance: Showrooms operate Monday through Friday, 9:00 am to 5:00 pm and Saturday, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.; closed on Sundays.
• Training & Development: A comprehensive and structured training program, complemented by ongoing education and opportunities for career advancement.
• Paid Time Off: Generous vacation accrual and paid time off policies.
• Holidays: 7 paid holidays per year, in addition to 2 floating holidays.
• Compensation: Competitive base salary plus monthly variable.
• Health Benefits: Visual Comfort covers the majority of employee medical premiums, and offers competitive vision and dental coverage available starting the first day of the month following your start date.
• Insurance: Company-provided life insurance and short-term disability coverage.
• Retailer: 401(k) plan with company matching up to 4%, available beginning the first of the month following your start date.

Pay

$68,000 - $73,000

Schedule

Showrooms operate Monday through Friday, 9:00 am to 5:00 pm and Saturday, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.; closed on Sundays. Team Members follow a five-day rotating schedule, including two Saturdays per month.