Sales support assistant

About this occupation

Sales support assistants perform a variety of general sales support tasks, such as supporting the development of sales plans, managing clerical activities of sales efforts, verifying client invoices and other accounting documents or records, compiling data, and preparing reports for other company departments.

• Review orders for completeness according to reporting procedures and forward incomplete orders for further processing.
• Obtain customers' names, addresses, and billing information, product numbers, and specifications of items to be purchased, and enter this information on order forms.
• Recommend merchandise or services that will meet customers' needs.
• Inspect outgoing work for compliance with customers' specifications.
• Receive and respond to customer complaints.
• Check inventory records to determine availability of requested merchandise.

Typical education (US)

High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED)

Preparation

Job Zone 2 of 5

Interests

Conventional, Enterprising, Realistic

Top skills: Active Listening, Speaking, Reading Comprehension, Service Orientation, Writing, Critical Thinking

US median pay: US$46,170 a year (2025), 75,200 employed. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics.

Subjects this work relies on

How important each subject's knowledge is in the job itself, rated by people doing it (1 to 5).

• Computer StudiesO*NET: Computers and ElectronicsVery important (4.0)
• English or Literature in EnglishO*NET: English LanguageVery important (3.8)
• Mathematics or StatisticsO*NET: MathematicsVery important (3.7)
• Business Studies or EntrepreneurshipO*NET: Administration and ManagementImportant (3.2)

O*NET data describe work in the United States; requirements differ by country. This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. CareerProof Global has modified all or some of this information; USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.

Preparation needed

Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed

Most common education (US)

High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED)

Education

Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.

Experience

Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience. For example, landscaping and groundskeeping workers might require very little training or previous experience, while agricultural equipment operators can benefit from on-the job training.

Training

Ranges from a few days to one year of on-the-job training.

O*NET data describe work in the United States; requirements differ by country. This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. CareerProof Global has modified all or some of this information; USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.