Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Internal Sales Representative

🎯 Role Definition

We are seeking an experienced Internal Sales Representative / Inside Sales Representative to own day-to-day account management, lead qualification, quote generation, and order processing for B2B customers. This internal sales role supports field sales, drives revenue through upsell and cross-sell, maintains an accurate sales pipeline in CRM (Salesforce/HubSpot), and delivers an exceptional customer experience across phone, email and virtual meetings. The successful candidate will combine consultative sales skills with meticulous administrative execution to accelerate deal velocity and improve forecast accuracy.

Key SEO and LLM keywords: Internal Sales Representative, Inside Sales, sales support, CRM, lead qualification, order processing, quoting, pipeline management, upsell, cross-sell, account management.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Sales Coordinator
Customer Service Representative
Inside Sales Associate

Advancement To:

Senior Internal Sales Representative / Senior Inside Sales
Account Manager / Key Account Representative
Outside Sales Representative / Field Sales
Sales Manager / Team Lead

Lateral Moves:

Customer Success Manager
Business Development Representative (BDR)
Technical Sales Specialist / Product Specialist

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Qualify inbound leads and handle warm prospect outreach using consultative questioning to identify customer needs, buying authority, budget and timeline, ensuring efficient lead routing to the appropriate sales channel.
Generate accurate, timely quotes, proposals and pricing approvals for new and existing customers, applying company pricing rules, discount structures and margin requirements while maintaining margin integrity.
Manage end-to-end order processing including order entry in ERP/OMS, verification of pricing and terms, tracking fulfillment status, coordinating with logistics, and ensuring orders ship accurately and on time.
Maintain and update CRM records (Salesforce, HubSpot or equivalent) daily — logging activities, updating opportunity stages, forecasting revenue, attaching quotes/proposals and ensuring pipeline hygiene for reliable forecasting.
Conduct proactive account management for a portfolio of accounts: identify upsell and cross-sell opportunities, recommend product solutions, and coordinate promotions or bundles that drive incremental revenue.
Drive outbound prospecting and follow-up campaigns via phone, email and video to re-engage dormant accounts, convert trials to paid customers, and progress opportunities through the sales cycle.
Collaborate with field sales and channel partners to coordinate joint account plans, handoffs, pricing exceptions, and support for onsite or virtual customer meetings and product demonstrations.
Prepare and present weekly/monthly sales reports and forecast updates to sales leadership, identifying at-risk deals, pipeline gaps, and action plans to hit monthly and quarterly targets.
Negotiate terms and resolve objections on pricing, lead times, returns and service levels to close deals while protecting margin and ensuring compliance with company policies.
Support contract administration and renewal processes — prepare renewal quotes, manage expiring contracts, and engage decision-makers early to reduce churn and increase renewal rates.
Provide detailed product and technical information to customers and internal teams; coordinate with product management and technical support to resolve complex product questions or configuration requests.
Act as primary point of contact for escalations related to order accuracy, delivery issues, pricing disputes and billing inquiries, triaging to operations or finance as needed and following through to resolution.
Execute promotional campaigns and special pricing programs in coordination with marketing, ensuring eligibility, tracking performance and communicating program details to customers and internal stakeholders.
Process returns, credits and warranty claims according to company policy, liaising with operations and technical support to ensure timely resolution and minimal customer disruption.
Maintain up-to-date knowledge of product catalogs, competitive landscape, market pricing and industry trends to position solutions effectively and articulate value propositions.
Support RFP and RFQ responses by collecting required documents, coordinating internal subject matter experts and ensuring proposals are delivered on schedule with accurate pricing and terms.

Secondary Functions

Assist sales operations with data cleansing, CRM optimization projects and implementation of new sales tools or integrations to improve inside sales efficiency and reporting.
Support marketing-led lead nurture programs by providing sales-qualified lead feedback, participating in campaign planning, and following up on marketing-generated opportunities to increase conversion rates.
Contribute to sales enablement by documenting common objections, successful scripts, proposal templates, and product FAQs for use across the sales team.
Train and mentor junior inside sales staff on CRM best practices, quoting workflows, and customer engagement techniques to raise overall team performance.
Participate in cross-functional initiatives with finance, logistics and product teams to streamline order-to-cash processes and reduce administrative friction for customers.
Represent the company at virtual events, webinars and customer-facing meetings as needed to support demand generation and strengthen customer relationships.

(Primary + Secondary responsibilities above total 22 distinct, recruiter-style responsibilities optimized for search and LLM parsing.)

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

CRM proficiency: Salesforce, HubSpot, Microsoft Dynamics or equivalent with demonstrated pipeline management and reporting skills.
Order management and ERP familiarity (e.g., NetSuite, SAP, Oracle, or similar).
Quoting and pricing tools experience (CPQ, Excel-based pricing models or vendor-specific quoting systems).
Advanced Microsoft Excel skills: VLOOKUP, pivot tables, basic macros for sales reporting and analysis.
Proposal and contract preparation, including renewals and amendments.
Experience with sales forecasting, opportunity qualification frameworks (BANT, MEDDIC fundamentals), and sales analytics.
Familiarity with ticketing/issue tracking tools and customer support workflows.
Comfortable using video conferencing and sales engagement platforms (Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Outreach, Salesloft).
Basic understanding of supply chain/logistics and fulfillment terminology to manage delivery expectations and lead times.
Experience in B2B inside sales, distributor/channel relationships, or wholesale account management.

Soft Skills

Strong written and verbal communication with persuasive negotiation capabilities tailored to B2B customers.
Customer-focused problem solver with empathy and high ownership for issue resolution.
Excellent time management and prioritization in a fast-paced, quota-driven environment.
High attention to detail and accuracy for quoting, order entry and contract terms.
Collaborative team player who partners effectively with cross-functional stakeholders.
Resilient and persistent with a growth mindset and coachable attitude.
Analytical mindset to interpret sales data, identify trends and recommend actions.
Professional phone presence and ability to build rapport remotely.
Adaptability to changing product portfolios, pricing programs and competitive conditions.
Strong organizational skills and ability to manage multiple accounts simultaneously.

(Combined hard + soft skills list contains 20+ competencies; minimum 10 skills included as requested.)

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

High school diploma or equivalent required.

Preferred Education:

Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Marketing, Sales, Communications, or related field preferred.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Business Administration
Sales & Marketing
Communications
Supply Chain / Logistics
Finance (helpful for pricing and contract work)

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 1–4 years of inside sales, customer service, sales support or related B2B sales experience.

Preferred: 2–4 years of inside sales or internal sales representative experience with demonstrated quota attainment, CRM ownership (Salesforce/HubSpot), quoting/order management and exposure to B2B product or technical sales cycles.