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What does a sales operations specialist do?

Updated January 8, 2025
7 min read
What does a sales operations specialist do

The sales operation specialist is the one who is responsible for making certain that the company's sales are efficient and effective. They gather and evaluate sales data for a company. The results are compared with business plans and previous forecasts to find out if goals were achieved. These specialists are also responsible for creating forecasts about upcoming sales data. Also, they make contracts that fulfill both customer and company needs. Skills required for a sales operations specialist include negotiation, good communication skills, analytical, and strong leadership skills.

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Sales operations specialist responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real sales operations specialist resumes:

  • Manage and maintain SalesForce to implement and adjust as needed per sales team requirements.
  • Master delivering technical product information to doctors on training and teaching proper injection technique to achieve optimal results for patients.
  • Audit and execute contracts, banking documentation, in SalesForce to support creation of permanent client profile in PeopleSoft.
  • Project management of CRM migration and implementation activities as required.
  • Lead effort to redesign Microsoft CRM functionality and increase utilization.
  • Master delivering technical product information to doctors on training and teaching proper injection technique to achieve optimal results for patients.
  • Provide quotes to OEM customers and third party vendors for new and repeat business using company sales database.
  • Create and implement profitability (ROI, QQ, etc . )
  • Authore company's RMA protocol.
  • Work directly with shipping and receiving, process all RMA items and warranty machines.
  • Assign territory includes both international and domestic OEM accounts and distribution.

Sales operations specialist skills and personality traits

We calculated that 12% of Sales Operations Specialists are proficient in Sales Operations, CRM, and Customer Service. They’re also known for soft skills such as Physical stamina, Self-confidence, and Customer-service skills.

We break down the percentage of Sales Operations Specialists that have these skills listed on their resume here:

  • Sales Operations, 12%

    Traveled to various Manufacturing and Distribution facilities for off-site meetings involving projects related to the Sales Operations department.

  • CRM, 11%

    Managed CRM software, worked with management to create effective measurement strategies, and supervisor of program inefficiencies.

  • Customer Service, 10%

    Performed inventory management, including inventory review, forecasting and analysis of manufacturing schedule to insure customer service and inventory levels.

  • Salesforce, 9%

    Audited and executed contracts, banking documentation, in SalesForce to support creation of permanent client profile in PeopleSoft.

  • Product Knowledge, 4%

    Participated in pilot initiatives and product education classes to improve the customer experience and further product knowledge.

  • Sales Support, 3%

    Participated effectively in a variety of sales support activities with customers, vendors and affiliates.

"sales operations," "crm," and "customer service" are among the most common skills that sales operations specialists use at work. You can find even more sales operations specialist responsibilities below, including:

Physical stamina. One of the key soft skills for a sales operations specialist to have is physical stamina. You can see how this relates to what sales operations specialists do because "wholesale and manufacturing sales representatives are often on their feet for a long time and may carry heavy sample products." Additionally, a sales operations specialist resume shows how sales operations specialists use physical stamina: "support physical inventory of warehouse data entry. "

Self-confidence. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling sales operations specialist duties is self-confidence. The role rewards competence in this skill because "wholesale and manufacturing sales representatives must be confident and persuasive when making sales presentations." According to a sales operations specialist resume, here's how sales operations specialists can utilize self-confidence in their job responsibilities: "order entry billingo confidentiality with personal information (ssn, credit cards, etc. "

Customer-service skills. sales operations specialists are also known for customer-service skills, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to sales operations specialist responsibilities, because "wholesale and manufacturing sales representatives must be able to listen to the customer’s needs and concerns before and after the sale." A sales operations specialist resume example shows how customer-service skills is used in the workplace: "communicated and resolved any discrepancies with sales reps or higher management quickly so customer orders would stay on schedule. "

Interpersonal skills. For certain sales operations specialist responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "interpersonal skills." The day-to-day duties of a sales operations specialist rely on this skill, as "wholesale and manufacturing sales representatives must be able to work well with many types of people." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what sales operations specialists do: "provided a high level of customer service based on outstanding communication and interpersonal skills. "

Most common sales operations specialist skills

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Compare different sales operations specialists

Sales operations specialist vs. Inside sales coordinator

An inside sales coordinator is primarily in charge of overseeing a company's inside sales operations, ensuring efficiency and customer satisfaction. Their responsibilities include managing schedules and objectives, organizing meetings and discussions, performing research and analysis to identify new business opportunities, implementing solutions on problem areas, and maintaining an active communication line within different teams. Furthermore, as an inside sales coordinator, it is essential to monitor the progress of sales and develop strategies to build positive relationships with clients, all while implementing the company's policies and regulations.

If we compare the average sales operations specialist annual salary with that of an inside sales coordinator, we find that inside sales coordinators typically earn a $33,548 lower salary than sales operations specialists make annually.While their salaries may differ, the common ground between sales operations specialists and inside sales coordinators are a few of the skills required in each roleacirc;euro;trade;s responsibilities. In both careers, employee duties involve skills like crm, customer service, and salesforce.

These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a sales operations specialist are more likely to require skills like "sales operations," "work ethic," "excellent interpersonal," and "data entry." On the other hand, a job as an inside sales coordinator requires skills like "outbound calls," "counter sales," "phone calls," and "purchase orders." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.

The education levels that inside sales coordinators earn slightly differ from sales operations specialists. In particular, inside sales coordinators are 2.3% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a sales operations specialist. Additionally, they're 0.4% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Sales operations specialist vs. Associate sales representative

The duties of an associate sales representative depend on one's line of work or industry of employment. Their responsibilities typically revolve around reaching out to clients through calls or door-to-door visits, offering products and services, collecting payments, addressing issues and concerns, and performing corrective measures when necessary. An associate sales representative often has a quota and deadline to reach; therefore, it is essential to be sales driven and goal-oriented. Furthermore, one must adhere to the policies and regulations of the company.

On average, associate sales representatives earn a $25,893 lower salary than sales operations specialists a year.While the salary may differ for these jobs, they share a few skills needed to perform their duties. Based on resume data, both sales operations specialists and associate sales representatives have skills such as "crm," "customer service," and "product knowledge. "

In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, sales operations specialist responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "sales operations," "salesforce," "data entry," and "strong analytical." Meanwhile, an associate sales representative has duties that require skills in areas such as "patients," "excellent organizational," "sales techniques," and "customer satisfaction." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.

Associate sales representatives earn similar levels of education than sales operations specialists in general. They're 1.6% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.4% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Sales operations specialist vs. Business sales associate

A business sales associate's primary goal is to secure sales and reach sales targets. To make this possible, a business sales associate conducts market research and analyses to identify new business and client opportunities, generates leads, and develops sales strategies. They usually reach out to potential clients or representatives through calls or correspondence, arrange appointments, discuss product or service specifications, organize payment plans, and negotiate contracts, building positive business relationships along the way. Moreover, they produce progress reports and coordinate with managers regularly.

On average scale, business sales associates bring in lower salaries than sales operations specialists. In fact, they earn a $17,415 lower salary per year.Using the responsibilities included on sales operations specialists and business sales associates resumes, we found that both professions have similar skill requirements, such as "crm," "customer service," and "product knowledge.rdquo;

There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a sales operations specialist is likely to be skilled in "sales operations," "salesforce," "sales support," and "work ethic," while a typical business sales associate is skilled in "business sales," "customer satisfaction," "customer support," and "sales quota."

When it comes to education, business sales associates tend to earn similar degree levels compared to sales operations specialists. In fact, they're 0.7% less likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.2% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Sales operations specialist vs. Inside sales representative

An inside sales representative is responsible for selling services and products to clients, driving the company's revenues and increase sales profitability. Duties of an inside sales representative include developing strategic sales pitches, responding to customer's inquiries and requests, offering promotional products and discounts, researching potential clients, creating sales reports, and managing customer's possible complaints. An inside sales representative also provides strategic solutions to share with the sales team to improve their sales performance. Inside sales representatives must have excellent communication and negotiation skills to deal with customers' needs.

Inside sales representatives tend to earn a lower pay than sales operations specialists by an average of $32,487 per year.While both sales operations specialists and inside sales representatives complete day-to-day tasks using similar skills like crm, customer service, and salesforce, the two careers vary in some skills.Each job also requires different skills to carry out their responsibilities. A sales operations specialist uses "sales operations," "strong analytical," "sales reps," and "resolution support." Inside sales representatives are more likely to have duties that require skills in "outbound calls," "phone calls," "computer system," and "cold calls. "The average resume of inside sales representatives showed that they earn similar levels of education compared to sales operations specialists. So much so that theyacirc;euro;trade;re 2.9% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree by 0.3%.

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.