The Definitive Guide: How To Become A Sales Administrator
Index
What is a Sales Administrator?
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Job Description
A sales administrator has the responsibility of providing support for sales representatives. This involves dealing with customer requests, providing quotations, and information such as stock availability, delivery dates and prices.
This job can be tough to get into without any previous office experience so it is worthwhile to get a part time office job whilst studying. Employers often want to hire somebody that can walk in and do the job with minimal handholding. So, if you can prove that you are highly organised, have great telephone manner, and you are hardworking, then the job should be yours!
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Hours of Work
This job is great if you love routine. You can expect to work “normal” office hours (If that is still a thing) around 35-40 hours per week if you are working full time.
You will be working Monday to Friday – and sometimes Saturday’s depending on which company you are working for. The sales team may be required to work overtime when trying to meet their targets, in some cases, this could mean that you also need to work overtime in order to support the team – so be prepared to put in the extra work when you are needed!
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Main Responsibilities
So, what will your main responsibilities be as a Sales Administrator?
Duties typically include:- Processing orders
- Answering customer queries
- Speaking with customers via telephone, email and face to face
- Processing and sending out invoices
- Keeping track of sales targets
- Updating customer databases and maintaining records
Key Sales Administrator qualifications
Do you have the qualifications to get the job?
If you don’t have a degree, then don’t stress! A degree isn’t required for this job role. You will be expected to have GCSE’s A*-C, and any previous experience within sales or administration will be highly favoured. Of course, if you have any extra qualifications then this will give you a boost when applying for jobs. Some qualifications you could look into getting are:
- Level 2 certificate in sales
- Level 2 diploma in sales
- NVQ certificate or diploma in business and administration
Vital Sales Administrator skills
Want to know if you’ve got what it takes? These are the skills you’ll need for the role:
- Communication skills
- Customer service
- Spelling and grammar
- IT skills such as Microsoft Office
- Organisational skills
- Ability to prioritise workload
- Attention to detail
- Meeting deadlines
- Ability to work well in a team
What is a Sales Administrator’s salary?
Now we’re getting down to the nitty gritty…
As a newbie to this career, you can expect to earn between £15,000 and £19,000. Once you have gained more experience your salary can go up to around £20,000 to £24,000. Of course this will depend on factors such as the area and company that you are working for, your age and your past experience.
How to become a Sales Administrator?
Now that you know what a Sales Administrator does, how do you become one?
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One way of getting your foot in the door is by applying to an apprenticeship. You could do a business administration apprenticeship within a sales department. This will not only get you into the career that you want, but it will set you up with the knowledge and qualifications you need to go into other types of admin jobs in the future if you ever fancy a change in career.
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Another way of gaining experience before applying to a full time position is by doing an internship. Internships are usually unpaid but you will gain the experience that employers are looking for.
How to develop your Sales Administrator career?
If there’s an opportunity for you to work your way up you could become a team leader. You could be given much more responsibility and could work you way up even further.
If by now you’ve realised you are interested in sales, rather than supporting the sales team you could become apply to a sales assistant role. You will already be familiar with what they do, so it shouldn’t be too much of a transition.
Career Opportunities
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You can find some of the best Sales Administrator roles with brands such as Parkdean Resorts, Venues, Lyons Holiday Park, Elite Hotels and many more.
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