Associate Interior Design Consultant

Ethan Allen•Palm Beach Gardens, FL

About The Position

The Associate Design Consultant is an entry-level role intended to transition to Design Consultant within six months. During this training period, the associate works closely with Design Consultants to develop sales and interior design skills, learn the company’s products and technology, and support sales activity in the Design Center. At the end of training, management determines whether to promote the associate, extend training for up to three months, or end employment if performance does not meet the required level. The role combines customer service, sales support, project assistance, Design Center operations, and administrative tasks. Duties may vary by location. The position pays $18.00–$22.00 per hour depending on experience, with the opportunity to earn a monthly incentive.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in Interior Design or a related field from an accredited institution.
Previous internship or experience with a professional design firm or design-retail organization.
Strong sales and organizational skills.
Ability to work with others.
Positive attitude, stylish professional appearance, high energy, and desire to learn the business.
Valid driver’s license, unless the associate establishes to the company’s satisfaction that an alternate means of transportation is available during all business hours and enables them to perform the job duties.
Ability to work evenings, weekends, and holidays listed on the incentive plan.

Nice To Haves

Minimum two years of retail sales experience is preferred.

Responsibilities

Greet customers when a Design Consultant is unavailable, establish rapport, offer limited design and sales assistance, and handle take-with and direct-ship accent sales, including wrapping and packaging purchases.
Provide limited furniture sales under the direction of unit management.
Assist Design Consultants with project development, including home calls, space plans, product selection, quotes, sketches, renderings, presentations, custom soft-goods quotes, and client hospitality.
Educate customers about Ethan Allen’s complimentary design service and provide the level of design service they want.
Stay current on design and color trends.
Use the customer rotation system to introduce qualified prospects to Design Consultants or arrange studio appointments and in-home consultations.
Enter orders and quotes in the retail point-of-sale system and communicate with clients by phone and email about appointments and order status.
Participate in corporate-sponsored marketing and training programs.
Explain available Ethan Allen-sponsored financing options to customers.
Use corporate systems and technology to support project design, presentations, and customer service.
Operate the information desk, answer phones, provide customer service, and manage the rotation system.
Support the visual merchandiser by replenishing floor stock and receiving, bar-coding, and tagging inventory as needed.
Assist with daily maintenance of floor displays and keep the Design Center neat and orderly.
Provide clerical support to Design Consultants, maintain files, and update price pages and follow-up correspondence.
Keep customers informed about order status and delays before and after the sale.
Update price pages, product books, and samples; order memo fabric swatches for clients and distribute them to Design Consultants.
Work overtime as needed and perform other duties as required.
Where required by location, reconcile, deposit, and record cash transactions; process cash-balancing exceptions; and maintain petty cash.
Where required by location, perform daily clerical and audit tasks, run end-of-day reports, and follow up on clerical or delayed orders.
Where required by location, process cancellations and merchandise returns, coordinate follow-up service, and review open-order reports and workroom logs.
Where required by location, manage incoming customer communications, research and resolve inquiries, monitor recurring issues, and forward service requests to the Customer Service Department.
Where required by location, identify unrecorded delivered sales and help implement procedures to prevent recurrence.
Where required by location, identify custom soft-goods and non-Ethan Allen product orders and forward copies for processing.

Benefits

401(k) plan with employer contributions
Medical plans with prescription drug coverage
Health Savings Account with employer contributions
Dental plan
Vision plan
Basic and supplemental group term life and accidental death and dismemberment insurance
Dependent group term life insurance
Short- and long-term disability
Business travel accident life insurance
Health care and dependent care flexible spending accounts
Commuter savings plans for public transit and parking
Voluntary whole life insurance
Voluntary critical care insurance
Voluntary accident insurance
Employee Assistance Program