Imagine this scenario: ABC Corporation, a rapidly growing technology company, has recently launched an innovative software solution that has gained significant traction in the market. The company’s sales team has been working tirelessly to capitalize on the product’s success and drive sales. However, as demand surges and the customer base expands, they need help to keep up with the workload.
The sales team realizes that they need additional support to maintain momentum and ensure high customer satisfaction. After careful consideration, they hire sales assistants to alleviate the burden on the sales team and facilitate business growth.
This is a specific scenario, but it provides one example of when sales assistants are needed and how they can help a business to increase sales and continue to scale. In this blog, we’ll explore what sales assistants do, when a business needs sales assistants, and how sales assistants can benefit a team.
The role of sales assistants
As an extra layer of support, sales assistants empower a sales team by playing a proactive role in lead management. Sales assistants contribute to pipeline growth, enabling a sales team to focus on closing deals with qualified prospects and generating more potential opportunities. Assistants can also build and nurture customer relationships, streamline administrative tasks, and analyze sales data to make data-driven decisions.
Outsourced sales assistants
Outsourcing sales assistants refers to the practice of hiring sales assistants from a third party to provide support to a sales team. Instead of employing full-time or part-time sales assistants directly within the organization, businesses outsource these roles to external service providers, like Influx sales assistants, who specialize in digital sales support services for cost optimization and increased lead generation.
Looking for an end-to-end sales solution? Check out dedicated sales teams.
Does my business need sales assistants?
A business may need to hire sales assistants in various situations, depending on its industry, size, customer base, and specific needs. A business can benefit from sales assistants if a sales team is having difficulty with the following:
- It’s challenging to manage a growing customer base or sales targets.
- The sales team could use an extra layer of support to handle their workload effectively.
- If researching potential customers, making initial contact, qualifying leads, and scheduling appointments is taking up too much valuable time.
- If following up on leads or providing post-sales support is too much.
If any of these areas start to fall behind or could use backup, sales assistants can help to strengthen the sales process. By assessing workload, areas of support required, and the potential for enhanced efficiency, businesses can determine when it’s necessary to bring sales assistants on board. The following section covers different ways sales assistants can help alleviate these pain points.
7 reasons every sales team should have sales assistants
Sales assistants offer several benefits to sales teams, including:
1. Streamlining sales processes
From proposal and contract preparation to order processing and fulfillment, sales assistants contribute to streamlining sales processes. Their support ensures smoother operations, reducing administrative bottlenecks and enhancing overall efficiency.
2. Improved lead generation and qualification
A staggering 50% of sales time is wasted on unproductive prospecting. Sales assistants help with lead generation and prospect efforts, conduct research, and manage initial outreach. By identifying qualified leads and gathering relevant information, the sales team can prioritize their efforts on leads with higher potential, ultimately improving conversion rates.
3. Data management and analysis
Sales assistants can help manage and analyze sales data to identify trends, patterns, and opportunities for improvement. Their insights enable the sales team to make data-driven decisions, refine their strategies, and maximize sales performance.
4. Productivity and time management
By taking care of administrative tasks, data management, and other support functions, sales assistants free up time for sales professionals to focus on core selling activities. This leads to increased productivity and allows sales teams to use their time more effectively. Salesforce shares a shocking stat…
Sales representatives spend only 28% of their week selling, down from 34% in 2018.
When sales teams are weighed down by manual work, it prevents them from focusing on sales. Sales assistants can help a team focus more time on sales.
5. Customer experience enhancement
Sales assistants play a vital role in creating a smooth customer journey and building positive relationships. Providing personalized customer support, promptly addressing inquiries, and resolving issues improve the customer experience, leading to higher customer satisfaction and loyalty that can help boost future sales.
6. Increased ROI
Because sales assistants’ contributions are multifaceted, they can work where they are most needed to support the sales team. Their support in sales-related activities contributes to improved sales effectiveness, optimized sales processes, and unlocking potential revenue opportunities that result in higher ROI.
7. Scalability and growth
Sales assistants provide scalability and flexibility to sales teams, particularly during periods of increased workload or growth. Adapting to changing demands allows the business to scale operations and handle higher sales volumes effectively.
Remember our imaginary corporation from earlier? By bringing sales assistants on board, the sales team experiences immediate relief as they can offload time-consuming administrative tasks and focus more on revenue-generating activities. The sales assistants quickly prove their value by identifying new leads, qualifying prospects, and providing prompt customer support—their contribution results in increased sales productivity, improved customer satisfaction, and faster sales cycle times.
As a result of the sales assistants’ support, ABC Corporation successfully scales its sales operations. The business can now handle a larger volume of leads, expand into new markets, and provide exceptional customer service while sustaining business growth. The sales team can pursue new opportunities and achieve higher sales targets, ultimately driving the company’s success in the competitive market.
Supercharge your pipeline
On average, sales companies spend $97,960 to replace a sales representative. On top of that, filling a vacancy can take between 3.5 and 5.5 months. Outsourcing your sales assistants or sales team can be a cost-effective solution.
Influx sales assistants help chase down leads, allowing you to close more qualified deals. Our dedicated sales teams offer a robust solution that provides an extra layer of sales support with all management and training included. Get a quote to find out how to leverage Influx to scale and boost your sales.
