Your sales team is working harder than ever to differentiate your product or service and close new business. Reps need to prospect, sell, and close — and that doesn’t always leave a lot of time for administrative or big-picture work.
Enter, the sales operations manager.
Sales operations exists to help teams use technology effectively, implement training exercises, align sales and marketing, set territories, evaluate compensation plans, and more. Duties and titles vary by company, but we’ve gathered a few of the most common roles to help you decide which one will be the right addition to your team.
Sales Operations Jobs
1. Sales Operations Administrator
When you see a sales ops role with “administrator” in the title, you can expect the position to involve a lot of … well … administrative work.
Job Description
This person might oversee CRM performance and engagement across the team, onboard new salespeople, strategize on process improvements, and coordinate team and executive meetings.
This role is usually an entry or mid-level position that requires little to moderate experience (~2-3+ years). Experience working with a CRM, excellent organizational and communication skills, and customer or sales experience will all be preferred.
Salary
The average salary of a sales operations administrator is $68,877 USD per year and can expect an average of ~$1,200 in commission.
2. Sales Operations Specialist
A common phrase you’ll see in sales ops positions, regardless of title, will be, "... is responsible for supporting all stages of the sales cycle.”
A sales ops specialist will do just that. This role often has a focus on data and forecasting, so experience in these two areas will be crucial.
Sales Operations Job Description
A sales operations specialist will likely handle quotes, contracts, and pipeline performance. The right candidate is mid-level with at least five years of sales support experience and is proficient in at least one CRM and Excel.
Salary
The average salary for a sales ops specialist is $60,700 USD and can expect an average of ~$4,000 in commission.
3. Sales Operations Coordinator
The sales operations coordinator is the most junior of the sales ops positions we’re reviewing in this post.
Job Description
This role serves as an administrator and gatekeeper for your sales team. Their duties might include general office management, individual administrative support for reps, data entry, and answering phones.
This is usually an entry-level position with fewer than one year of experience required, but previous customer service, support, or administrative experience is preferable.
Salary
LinkedIn reports that the average salary for a sales operations coordinator is $50,000 USD, with an average compensation bonus of ~$1,600 per year.
4. Sales Operations Analyst
This is another role that’s heavily involved in forecasting and data analysis.
The right candidate for your sales analyst opening will work with your sales and finance teams on sales-order entry, manage the team’s CRM, handle reporting, and calculate commissions. You want someone who will be able to evolve or reinforce existing sales processes and implement new ones.
This position usually requires at least five years of management or sales ops experience and proven analytical skills, familiarity with a CRM, and order management experience.
According to LinkedIn, here is the salary information for a sales ops analyst:
Sales Operations Analyst Salary
The average salary for a sales operations analyst is $67,000 USD and can expect an average of ~$5,000 in commission, along with RSUs and stock options.
5. Director of Sales Operations
The most senior of these roles is the sales operations director. Let's discuss their responsibilities.
Job Description
This person often manages the sales ops team, coordinates organizational planning processes, partners with sales management to ensure process and technological efficiency, and leads sales forecasting.
The role is heavily involved in go-to-market strategies, liaises with executives and organizational leadership, and ensures quotas are appropriate and well-allocated.
Experience is usually a minimum of 10 years with demonstrated leadership skills, sales operations strategy, and excellent understanding of reporting and forecasting best practices, territory management, and compensation management.
Salary
The average salary for a director of sales operations is $131,000 USD per year with annual bonuses, commission, RSUs, and stock options that can total up to another $65,000.
So, which of the above roles is right for your team? Assess their different job duties, and make sure you have the correct support for your business.
Want more on sales ops? Check out this piece on sales operations managers or this one on sales and operations planning.
Editor's note: This post was originally published in July 2019 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.
