Sales administrators support sales teams by preparing documents, generating reports, and communicating with customers. Computer, organizational, and interpersonal skills are required, as well as critical thinking and creativity. Prioritization skills are also important for tracking orders and requests.
A sales administrator has the job of supporting a team of salespeople or an entire sales department. Much of this work requires administrative skills, such as those involved in preparing documents, keeping records, and generating reports. You’ll also need communication, interpersonal, and problem-solving skills to deal with sales team members and customers. Computer skills are required because many documents are generated using computers, and many companies use computers to generate reports and presentations. Organizational and prioritization skills, as well as creative ability, can also help you excel in this job.
Among the skills needed to become a sales administrator are those that involve administrative support. You will typically need to create documents, prepare proposals, and write reports for this job. This job may also require knowledge of record keeping and archiving. For this job, you may need to create and maintain schedules; therefore, experience with this type of work is likely to be critical. Some employers, however, may be willing to train you for some of these tasks, especially if you are qualified for the job and are a quick learner.
Computer skills are also among the most important skills you will need as a sales administrator. You will need significant knowledge and ability with programs commonly used in business, including spreadsheet and database programs. Likewise, you will typically need experience with presentation software. Experience with email and online videoconferencing software will usually be helpful as well.
Interpersonal and communication skills are often critical in a job as a sales administrator. In this position, you will have to communicate with members of a sales team, customers and potential buyers. You will often serve as the initial point of contact for unhappy customers and will need to speak with courtesy even in tense situations. When sales team members are out of the office, it can be necessary to handle a large number of requests and concerns, receive messages, make appointments, and sometimes perform minor troubleshooting. As such, the ability to put customer service first, even when multitasking, will be important.
Organization and prioritization skills can help you in a sales admin position. This work may require you to keep track of sales documentation and promotional materials, and possibly order and replace them as needed. Sometimes you may need to track orders or request samples as well. You may receive many requests at once, so prioritization skills are likely to come in handy.
Critical thinking and creativity can also help you excel as a sales manager. In this job, you might be called upon to help create presentations or plan sales events, and the ability to think like a customer can come in handy. Additionally, other team members can seek your input when it comes to determining what is right or wrong in a quote, presentation or promotion.
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