Sales support involves activities and services provided to sales teams and customers to facilitate the sales process and enhance customer satisfaction. Here's a detailed description of what sales support typically encompasses:

1. Customer Inquiry Handling: Sales support responds to inquiries from potential and existing customers regarding products or services. This can include providing information about features, pricing, availability, and delivery options.

2. Order Processing: Sales support facilitates the order placement process. They may enter orders into the system, verify order details, check inventory availability, and coordinate with logistics or fulfillment teams to ensure timely delivery.

3. Quotation and Proposal Preparation: Sales support assists in preparing quotations and proposals for potential customers. This involves gathering pricing information, creating documents outlining product/service offerings, and ensuring accuracy and clarity in proposals.

4. Sales Collateral Development: Sales support creates and maintains sales collateral such as brochures, presentations, case studies, and product sheets. These materials help sales teams effectively communicate the value proposition of products or services to prospects.

5. Lead Generation and Qualification: Sales support helps generate leads through activities like cold calling, email campaigns, and lead nurturing. They may also qualify leads based on predefined criteria before passing them on to sales representatives for further follow-up.

6. CRM Management: Sales support manages customer relationship management (CRM) systems to track leads, prospects, and customer interactions. They update customer records, enter notes from customer interactions, and generate reports for sales analysis.

7. Sales Reporting and Analytics: Sales support provides sales reporting and analytics to monitor key performance indicators (KPIs) such as sales pipeline, conversion rates, and revenue forecasts. They prepare regular reports for management and sales teams to assess performance and make informed decisions.

8. Sales Training and Support: Sales support assists in training new sales representatives on products/services, sales processes, and CRM systems. They may also provide ongoing support to sales teams by answering questions, resolving issues, and sharing best practices.

9. Customer Support Coordination: Sales support collaborates with customer support teams to address customer issues or concerns related to sales transactions. They ensure seamless communication and resolution of issues to maintain customer satisfaction.

10. Market Research and Competitive Analysis: Sales support conducts market research and competitive analysis to gather insights into industry trends, customer preferences, and competitor strategies. This information helps sales teams refine their approach and positioning in the market.

11. Event Coordination: Sales support assists in organizing and coordinating sales events such as trade shows, exhibitions, and conferences. They handle logistics, booth setup, promotional materials, and follow-up activities to maximize event effectiveness.

12. Feedback Collection and Improvement: Sales support gathers feedback from customers and sales teams to identify areas for improvement in products, services, and sales processes. They relay this feedback to relevant departments to drive continuous improvement efforts.

Overall, sales support plays a crucial role in enabling sales teams to focus on selling by providing administrative, logistical, and strategic support. By facilitating the sales process and enhancing customer interactions, sales support contributes to achieving sales targets and fostering long-term customer relationships.