Sales support professionals work in the administration side of the business. Their job includes handling correspondence, reviewing and distributing sales related documents, creating new sales opportunities, examine client accounts, prepare and distribute financial and sales reports to advise team members. They also assist sales teams with new ideas and suggestions to achieve their targets.
Persons in this profession work long hours typically in an office setting. Generally, the job requires 40 hours per week but as they must meet targets, they work overtime to achieve that. Sales support staff often transition from working in support to jobs as account executives, sales executives, or sales team leaders.
Sales support employees not only earn a standard salary, but receive added income as well. This income comes from bonuses and commissions when they have both met and exceeded their targets. They also get other vacation, pension, and insurance benefits.
Functions of Sales Support employees include:
•  Assist sales teams
•  Handle client issues and enquiries
•  Check on customer orders, prices and discounts
•  Coordinate with other departments, such as accounts, purchasing and despatch
•  Perform administrative duties
•  Plan employee activities, proceedings, and meetings

• Excellent communication skills
• Be enthusiastic and dependable
• Be focused and goal oriented
• Be able to achieve sales objectives
• Be able to achieve high customer satisfaction
• Have good organisational skills
• Be able to multitask
• Have good knowledge about sales procedures and merchant services
• Be able to work with teams or groups
• Be inventive and resilient

Persons working in sales support should have experience relevant to the capacity they are working in. They can gather job experience through intern or part time jobs. A graduate who is working with engineering products should have an engineering background, or if they are supporting computers or telecommunication products, they should have an IT background.
Sales support staff need to have a reliable knowledge about the sales industry. This knowledge will help them to be competent sales professionals. These professionals should also have training in sales methods and procedures, administration techniques and merchandising. There are no set qualifications for working in sales support. However, persons must have the right aptitude and attitude for the job.