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Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Internal Sales Support Executive

💰 $ - $

SalesCustomer SupportSales OperationsInside Sales

🎯 Role Definition

The Internal Sales Support Executive is a customer-facing, operations-focused role responsible for supporting field sales teams, managing order processing, maintaining CRM data integrity, preparing sales documentation, and driving exceptional internal customer service. This role ensures seamless order-to-cash flow, improves sales productivity, and acts as a central coordinator between sales, logistics, finance, and product teams.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

  • Sales Coordinator / Inside Sales Representative
  • Customer Service Representative (B2B/B2C)
  • Administrative or Order Management Assistant

Advancement To:

  • Senior Internal Sales Support / Sales Operations Specialist
  • Sales Operations Manager / Head of Sales Support
  • Key Account Manager or Territory Sales Manager

Lateral Moves:

  • Logistics / Supply Chain Coordinator
  • CRM / Data Analyst (Sales-focused)
  • Marketing Coordinator (Sales Enablement)

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

  • Manage end-to-end order processing for internal and external customers, including accurate creation, validation, and entry of sales orders into the ERP/CRM system (e.g., SAP, Oracle, Salesforce), ensuring on-time fulfillment and error-free documentation.
  • Act as the primary point of contact for sales representatives and customers on order status, delivery tracking, lead times, and order amendments, resolving exceptions and service issues proactively to maintain SLA compliance.
  • Prepare and issue quotations, price confirmations, sales contracts, proforma invoices, and official confirmations; verify pricing, discounts, special terms, and contractual clauses with the sales manager and pricing team.
  • Maintain accurate and up-to-date customer and product records in CRM (Salesforce, Microsoft Dynamics) and ERP systems, ensuring data integrity, logging interactions, and updating account contact details, credit limits, and payment terms.
  • Coordinate with logistics and warehouse teams to schedule shipments, prioritize urgent deliveries, manage backorders, and expedite partial shipments while communicating timelines and alternate options to customers and internal stakeholders.
  • Facilitate the invoice to cash process by liaising with finance on billing issues, credit notes, invoicing discrepancies, and collections support; follow up on outstanding payments and escalate delinquent accounts per process.
  • Support the sales team by preparing sales forecasts, weekly/monthly pipeline reports, territory performance dashboards, and KPI trackers using Excel, Power BI, or Google Sheets to enable data-driven decision making.
  • Manage product sample requests, warranty/return authorizations (RMA), and warranty claims—documenting the issue, coordinating inspections, and ensuring timely resolution or credit issuance.
  • Process and track promotions, rebates, and special pricing programs; update marketing campaigns in CRM and coordinate with finance to apply correct accounting treatment and reporting.
  • Liaise between sales, product management, and engineering to escalate product issues, clarify technical specifications, coordinate availability of technical literature, and ensure accurate product configuration during order entry.
  • Support sales enablement by preparing customer-facing materials: presentations, product spec sheets, price lists, competitive comparisons, and customized proposals to help close deals more efficiently.
  • Conduct upsell and cross-sell administrative support: prepare targeted product lists, assist in campaign execution, and follow up on leads generated by marketing or inside sales initiatives.
  • Ensure compliance with internal policies, export controls, tax regulations, and company pricing policies by verifying documentation and obtaining necessary approvals before order acceptance.
  • Provide real-time support during promotional launches and peak seasons—managing order surges, triaging system bottlenecks, and coordinating additional resources across operations.
  • Handle customer inquiries via phone, email, and CRM cases with professional, timely responses; document resolution history and identify repeat issues for process improvements.
  • Prepare and maintain service level agreements (SLAs), SOPs, and knowledge base articles for internal sales processes to reduce onboarding time and standardize responses across the team.
  • Reconcile order entry discrepancies, resolve SKU mismatches, and validate delivery notes against invoices in collaboration with warehouse and finance to minimize revenue leakage and chargebacks.
  • Support contract administration tasks including renewal tracking, amendment processing, and maintenance of master agreements with approval workflows and expiry alerts.
  • Monitor credit limits and payment terms for assigned accounts; initiate credit hold processes when necessary and coordinate credit reviews with the finance team to protect company exposure.
  • Train and mentor junior sales support staff, conduct process walkthroughs, and participate in continuous improvement initiatives to raise team efficiency and accuracy.
  • Implement and test CRM/ERP updates, supporting UAT for new releases, and documenting business requirements to ensure system changes meet sales support needs.
  • Collect feedback from customers and sales reps on process pain points and suggest operational improvements, automation opportunities, and simplified workflows to the sales operations manager.

Secondary Functions

  • Support ad-hoc market and competitive research to provide context for sales proposals or promotions.
  • Assist with event logistics for trade shows and customer visits including sample coordination, order fulfilment, and post-event follow-up.
  • Maintain a repository of approved commercial terms, product datasheets, and sample agreements for rapid reference by sales personnel.
  • Help track and report on warranty, claims, and return rate metrics to product and quality teams for root cause analysis.
  • Participate in cross-functional projects (ERP/CRM rollouts, pricing model changes, channel enablement) to represent the voice of the sales support function.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

  • CRM proficiency (Salesforce, Microsoft Dynamics, or equivalent) — strong experience creating cases, opportunities, and maintaining account records.
  • ERP and order management experience (SAP SD, Oracle, NetSuite, or similar) for sales order entry, shipment, and billing processes.
  • Advanced Microsoft Excel (VLOOKUP/XLOOKUP, pivot tables, conditional formatting) and comfortable building reports and dashboards; familiarity with Power BI or Tableau is a plus.
  • Order-to-cash lifecycle knowledge including order entry, credit checks, invoicing, collections, and returns processing.
  • Strong knowledge of pricing structures, discounting workflows, rebate administration, and promotional mechanics.
  • Experience with electronic document control and e-signature tools (DocuSign, Adobe Sign) for contract execution and sales confirmations.
  • Familiarity with logistics and distribution processes, shipment scheduling, and carrier coordination.
  • Ability to create and maintain sales forecasts, pipeline reports, and KPI dashboards using analytics tools and spreadsheets.
  • Experience with customer-facing quoting tools or CPQ (Configure, Price, Quote) platforms is advantageous.
  • Solid understanding of compliance, export controls, tax implications on sales, and basic contract law as it relates to sales agreements.

Soft Skills

  • Exceptional verbal and written communication skills with an ability to craft professional customer-facing messages and internal memos.
  • Strong customer-service orientation and commitment to delivering high-quality, timely support to sales teams and customers.
  • High attention to detail and accuracy in data entry, order validation, and financial reconciliation tasks.
  • Excellent organizational skills and ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment.
  • Analytical problem-solver who can triage issues, identify root causes, and propose practical, scalable solutions.
  • Collaborative team player who builds productive relationships across sales, finance, logistics, and product teams.
  • Adaptability and resilience in handling shifting priorities during peak sales periods or product launches.
  • Proactive mindset with initiative to identify process improvements and automation opportunities.
  • Confidentiality and professionalism when handling customer contracts, pricing, and sensitive financial information.
  • Time management and accountability for meeting SLAs and performance metrics.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

  • Bachelor's degree or equivalent in business, commerce, marketing, or a related field; or equivalent work experience in sales support/order management.

Preferred Education:

  • Bachelor of Business Administration, Commerce, Marketing, Supply Chain Management, or Finance.
  • Certifications in CRM administration (Salesforce Admin), Excel/Power BI, or sales operations are a plus.

Relevant Fields of Study:

  • Business Administration
  • Marketing
  • Supply Chain / Logistics
  • Commerce / Finance
  • Economics

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

  • 2 to 5 years of experience in internal sales support, sales operations, order management, or customer service in a B2B environment.

Preferred:

  • 3+ years supporting field sales teams or inside sales with hands-on experience in CRM and ERP systems (Salesforce, SAP, NetSuite).
  • Demonstrated ability to manage complex order processes, contract administration, and cross-functional coordination with finance and logistics.
  • Industry experience in manufacturing, industrial distribution, technology hardware, or professional services is advantageous.
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