Sales Support Specialist

Primary Activities

A Sales Support Specialist in the Sales function is typically expected to perform the following activities as a part of their job. Expect questions delving deeper into these areas depending on your level of experience. This is a representative list and not a complete one; the latter are generally based on the exact nature of the role

Assisting Sales Team: Provide support to the sales team by helping with administrative tasks, preparing sales materials, and coordinating sales activities
Managing Customer Inquiries: Handle customer inquiries and provide timely and accurate responses, ensuring customer satisfaction and building strong relationships
Preparing Sales Reports: Compile and analyze sales data to generate reports, track sales performance, and identify trends or areas for improvement
Coordinating Sales Meetings: Schedule and organize sales meetings, including preparing agendas, booking venues, and ensuring all necessary materials are available
Supporting Sales Campaigns: Assist in the planning and execution of sales campaigns, including coordinating marketing materials, tracking campaign progress, and providing updates to the sales team
Maintaining Crm System: Update and maintain customer relationship management (CRM) system with accurate and up-to-date information, ensuring data integrity and accessibility for the sales team
Providing Product Knowledge: Stay informed about the company's products and services, and provide product knowledge support to the sales team and customers
Assisting With Sales Proposals: Collaborate with the sales team to create and customize sales proposals, ensuring they are accurate, compelling, and aligned with customer needs
Handling Sales Documentation: Manage and organize sales documentation, including contracts, agreements, and sales collateral, ensuring they are properly filed and easily accessible
Coordinating Sales Training: Assist in organizing and coordinating sales training sessions, workshops, or webinars to enhance the skills and knowledge of the sales team

Key Performance Indicators

Sales Support Specialists in the Sales function are often evaluated using the following KPI metrics. Address atleast some of these metrics in your resume line items & within your interview stories to maximize your prospects (if you have prior experiences in this or a related role). This is not a comprehensive list and exact metrics vary depending on the type of business

Sales Support Efficiency: Measures the efficiency of sales support activities in terms of time taken to complete tasks and responsiveness to sales team's needs
Customer Satisfaction: Evaluates the level of satisfaction among customers with the sales support provided, including responsiveness, problem resolution, and overall experience
Sales Support Ticket Resolution: Tracks the average time taken to resolve sales support tickets or inquiries, ensuring timely and effective resolution
Sales Support Response Time: Measures the average time taken to respond to sales team's requests or inquiries, ensuring prompt and efficient support
Sales Support Documentation Accuracy: Assesses the accuracy and completeness of sales support documentation, such as product information, pricing, and sales collateral
Sales Support Training Effectiveness: Evaluates the effectiveness of sales support training programs in equipping the sales team with the necessary knowledge and skills to assist customers
Sales Support Team Collaboration: Measures the level of collaboration and teamwork within the sales support team, ensuring smooth coordination and efficient support delivery
Sales Support Process Improvement: Tracks the identification and implementation of process improvements within the sales support function to enhance efficiency and effectiveness
Sales Support Cost Efficiency: Evaluates the cost-effectiveness of sales support activities, ensuring optimal resource allocation and minimizing unnecessary expenses
Sales Support Cross-functional Collaboration: Assesses the level of collaboration and coordination between the sales support team and other departments, such as marketing or customer service

Selection Process

Successful candidates for a Sales Support Specialists role in the Sales function can expect a similar selection process as the one outlined below. Actual process may vary depending on seniority, size/type of company etc.

Phone screening
Brief phone call to assess qualifications and fit
First-round interview
In-person or virtual interview with hiring manager to discuss experience and skills
Skills assessment
Test or exercise to evaluate relevant sales support abilities
Second-round interview
Meeting with sales team or senior management to further assess fit and potential
Reference check
Contacting provided references to gather insights on past performance
Final interview
Final discussion with decision-makers to determine suitability for the role
Offer
Job offer extended to successful candidate

Interview Questions

Common Interview Questions that a Sales Support Specialists in the Sales function is likely to face. Prepare stories that tailor to your own experiences that may help you answer these questions effectively. This is not a complete list and more questions will be added over time. Use the topic tags in the search box below to filter by specific topics

Link	Question	Topic(s)
Link	Tell me about your experience in sales support.	Experience
Link	How do you prioritize your tasks and manage your time effectively?	Time Management
Link	What CRM software have you used in the past?	CRM Software
Link	How do you handle customer complaints or difficult situations?	Customer Service
Link	Describe a time when you had to work collaboratively with a sales team.	Teamwork
Link	What strategies do you use to generate leads and support sales efforts?	Lead Generation
Link	How do you ensure accuracy and attention to detail in your work?	Attention to Detail
Link	Tell me about a time when you had to meet tight deadlines.	Time Management
Link	How do you stay organized and keep track of multiple projects?	Organization
Link	What metrics or KPIs do you use to measure your performance?	Performance Measurement
Link	Describe a situation where you had to resolve a conflict within a sales team.	Conflict Resolution
Link	How do you handle rejection or objections from customers?	Customer Service
Link	Tell me about a successful sales support project you have worked on.	Experience
Link	What steps do you take to ensure customer satisfaction?	Customer Service
Link	How do you stay updated on industry trends and changes?	Industry Knowledge
Link	Describe a time when you had to adapt to changes in sales processes or strategies.	Adaptability
Link	What tools or software do you use to track and analyze sales data?	Sales Analytics
Link	How do you handle a high volume of incoming customer inquiries or requests?	Customer Service
Link	Tell me about a time when you had to provide sales support to a difficult client.	Customer Service
Link	What strategies do you use to upsell or cross-sell products or services?	Sales Techniques