Sales administrative staff members (also called sales assistants) main duties are to provide administrative assistance to the members of the sales department. Unlike normal administrative assistants, sales assistants work exclusively with the sales department of the company. They have specific duties that are individual to their role such as preparation of expense reports, tracking sales progress, coordinating the submission of proposals as well as normal administrative duties.

Administrative Duties

An administrative sales assistant carries out general administrative duties within the sales department. This includes preparing correspondence, such as letters or e-mails. A common responsibility of a sales assistant is to answer the telephone and deal with the customer directly. He will either get them the information the customer wants or pass the customer along to someone who can assist them. Reprographics is a common duty of sales administrative staff, who make copies of invoices, receipts and other important documents.

Assist Regional Sales Departments

In a large company that has offices throughout the country or the world, it is the duty of the sales assistant to provide support to these branches. The sales assistant will work with the sales department on site, where there is reduced staffing to help coordinate resources more effectively. He will also act as a communicator back to the main office of the company and liaise with other departments.

Producing Expense Reports

A sale assistant is responsible for producing regular expense reports for the department. Often several assistant will prepare the reports for a sales team with the department. This will then be combined with the others and submitted to the senior manager who will review the figures to ensure that they are correct.

With Traveling Staff Members

In an organization that has traveling salespeople, it is the duty of the sales assistant to ensure they have the support they require. This includes being available either through telephone or email to answer technical questions or forward information. A sales assistant will arrange and organization travel arrangements such as car hire and hotel stay for the salespeople. He will be sure to instruct the salesperson on the procedures for claiming expenses and gather in the required receipts before preparing the expense report on the salesperson’s behalf.