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What is a sales support specialist and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
5 min read
Quoted experts
Del Ross,
Joseph Hancock
introduction image

A sales support specialist is an individual who provides assistance to the sales team by performing various tasks such as preparing and sending sales proposals, tracking sales data, and managing customer accounts. They collaborate with other departments such as marketing and customer service to ensure that all customer needs are met. A sales support specialist also helps to maintain relationships with clients by providing excellent customer service and handling inquiries or complaints.

What general advice would you give to a sales support specialist?

Del RossDel Ross LinkedIn profile

Chief Revenue Officer, Hotel Effectiveness

Embrace change. The only certainty about the future is that tomorrow's world will look much different than today's. This applies to the hotel and travel industries and to pretty much everything else. Guest expectations will change. Technology will change. The employer and employee experiences will vary - this may prove difficult, but much of it will be for the better. If you expect to change, you will be better prepared to handle it when it happens.
ScoreSales Support SpecialistUS Average
Salary
4.0

Avg. Salary $50,782

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level
7.1

Growth rate 4%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity
3.8
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.23%

Asian 5.21%

Black or African American 3.89%

Hispanic or Latino 14.57%

Unknown 3.72%

White 72.37%

Gender

female 63.88%

male 36.12%

Age - 48
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 48
Stress level
7.1

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level
8.4

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance
4.9

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

What are the pros and cons of being a sales support specialist?

Pros

  • Opportunity to work with a variety of customers and products

  • Chance to develop strong communication and problem-solving skills

  • Potential for career advancement into sales or management roles

  • Often offers a competitive salary and benefits package

  • Can provide job security with a steady demand for sales support specialists

Cons

  • Pressure to meet sales goals and deadlines

  • Requires strong attention to detail and organization skills

  • Involves repetitive tasks such as data entry or report generation

  • Requires working long or irregular hours, especially during peak periods

  • Dealing with difficult customers or handling customer complaints

Sales support specialist career paths

Key steps to become a sales support specialist

  1. Explore sales support specialist education requirements

    Most common sales support specialist degrees

    Bachelor's

    61.6 %

    Associate

    20.4 %

    High School Diploma

    8.0 %
  2. Start to develop specific sales support specialist skills

    SkillsPercentages
    Customer Service16.86%
    Sales Support11.50%
    PowerPoint4.69%
    CRM4.42%
    Salesforce4.31%
  3. Complete relevant sales support specialist training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New sales support specialists learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a sales support specialist based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real sales support specialist resumes.
  4. Research sales support specialist duties and responsibilities

    • Manage planning parameters in ERP via the item master (lead times, min/max, safety stock, pay terms).
    • Position demand high degree of accuracy, product knowledge and math skills.
    • Act as liaison to sales organizations and attend sales calls as necessary to address RFP or project management type activities.
    • Assist AE/VP in maintaining pipeline/ forecast in SalesForce.
  5. Prepare your sales support specialist resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your sales support specialist resume.

    You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a sales support specialist resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

    Choose from 10+ customizable sales support specialist resume templates

    Build a professional sales support specialist resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your sales support specialist resume.
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    Sales Support Specialist Resume
  6. Apply for sales support specialist jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for a sales support specialist job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

    1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
    2. Consult your professional network
    3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
    4. Watch out for job scams

How did you land your first sales support specialist job

Zippi

Are you a sales support specialist?

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Average sales support specialist salary

The average sales support specialist salary in the United States is $50,782 per year or $24 per hour. Sales support specialist salaries range between $31,000 and $82,000 per year.

Average sales support specialist salary
$50,782 Yearly
$24.41 hourly

What am I worth?

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How do sales support specialists rate their job?

-/5

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Sales support specialist reviews

profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Jun 2020
Pros

Communicating and helping my clients.

Cons

The travel was extensive. Sometimes. It took more than month to close a deaĺ.


profile
A zippia user wrote a review on May 2020
Cons

I don't like feeling like I haven't did a great at job at making customers feel comfortable and confident about where and who they are purchasing from.


profile
A zippia user wrote a review on May 2020
Pros

i enjoy the interaction with people, listen the customer in order to convert him/her into your friend, detect and help customer with his/her needs.

Cons

People without vision, dreams and selfishness.


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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.