How VAs Support Sales Ops for Growing Teams

In today’s marketplace, improving productivity and efficiency are crucial not just for smooth daily operations but for sustainable growth. However, achieving and maintaining high productivity levels is easier said than done.

In sales teams, for example, sales representatives are regularly bogged down by administrative tasks and other responsibilities that divert their focus from core selling activities. Tasks such as updating CRM systems, scheduling meetings, and database management consume valuable time that could otherwise be spent forging client relationships and closing deals.

These delays may seem small, but when they accumulate, they can greatly affect various parts of the business. They can lead to missed opportunities, delayed tasks, and slower revenue growth. When sales teams spend excessive time on back-office duties, they miss the chance to work on tasks that truly move the needle.

The solution? Dedicated virtual assistants (VAs). These remote professionals can be integral to your sales team’s overall success. They provide skilled support for your sales operations, taking on essential tasks that would otherwise consume your internal team’s valuable time and energy. Let’s explore how virtual assistants help in sales growth.

5 signs your sales team needs VA support

How do you know when your sales team is stretched too thin? While occasional busy periods are normal, ongoing inefficiencies and missed opportunities may indicate that your team needs additional support.

Here are five common signs your sales team could benefit from virtual assistant support:

Administrative work is taking up most of your day.

Administrative tasks, such as calendar management and data entry, are essential in every sales operation. One can consider these as the foundation of successful sales teams. For example, sales agents need to set appointments, update customer information, and monitor sales activities regularly if they want to effectively forge and strengthen client relationships.

However, while critical, these routine admin duties can consume up to 70% of your sales team’s time, reducing agents’ availability for core responsibilities and strategic engagement.

Virtual assistants for sales ops can efficiently handle these administrative responsibilities, ensuring accuracy and timeliness, which in turn enhances overall sales efficiency. By delegating such tasks, you can focus more on high-value activities like building customer relationships and closing deals, ultimately driving sales success and improving customer interactions throughout the sales cycle.

Inquiries are piling up.

Customer relationship management requires clear, professional communication with both potential and existing clients. Customers appreciate responsiveness and timely answers to their questions. Without prompt attention, both prospects and current customers may lose interest and even turn to competitors.

However, managing these interactions effectively can be challenging for sales teams already stretched thin with multiple responsibilities. VAs step in to handle this part of your operations, ensuring consistent, timely, and accurate communication across all customer touch points.

They monitor inquiries from various channels such as email, social media, and live chat, providing immediate responses to common questions and routing more complex issues to the appropriate team members.

Your sales pipeline lacks quality leads.

Sales teams need leads to perform. Without a steady flow of qualified prospects, meeting sales targets and performance metrics becomes challenging. A weak pipeline can stem from various reasons, including insufficient lead generation efforts, poor lead qualification, or ineffective nurturing strategies.

Virtual assistants can play a crucial role in improving the quality of your sales pipeline. They can conduct targeted lead generation using tools like LinkedIn Sales Navigator and industry databases to identify potential customers who match your ideal buyer profile. By segmenting leads based on criteria such as company size, location, and decision-maker roles, VAs ensure your sales team focuses on high-potential prospects.

Beyond lead generation, virtual assistants help maintain the pipeline by regularly updating CRM records, removing duplicates, and advancing leads through appropriate sales stages. This not only saves time but also provides sales agents with accurate data they may need for planning and fine-tuning strategies.

Opportunities are slipping away.

In sales, a lot goes on behind the scenes before a deal is closed. Admin work, follow-ups, answering inquiries, and other support tasks can pile on, overwhelming your team. When this happens, valuable opportunities can easily slip through the cracks.

Something seemingly simple, such as a delayed response to an inquiry or inconsistent follow-up, can result in lost deals and loss of sales. Fortunately, virtual assistants can help manage the workload by ensuring that every lead receives timely attention and that no prospect is neglected.

VAs maintain follow-up schedules, send personalized reminders, and maintain consistent communication, all of which are critical for nurturing prospects through the sales funnel. They can monitor the sales pipeline to identify deals at risk of stalling and alert sales managers to intervene early.

A dedicated VA can have a significant impact by freeing up your sales team to identify and pursue business opportunities that are aligned with your goals. With the right virtual assistant, you won’t have to let opportunities slip away.

You’re having difficulty managing your time.

Sales professionals who juggle multiple responsibilities daily may find it challenging to allocate sufficient time to high-impact activities. Time doing actual selling can be overshadowed by administrative duties, lead generation, and back-office tasks. This imbalance can hinder revenue growth and reduce overall team effectiveness.

By managing calendars, scheduling appointments, sending reminders, and handling follow-ups, VAs free sales reps to focus on building relationships and advancing deals. They take over routine and time-consuming tasks so sales agents can do what they do best and respond faster to leads.

Beyond improving productivity at work, having reliable VA support can also help you and your sales team achieve a healthier work-life balance. With fewer back-end responsibilities competing for your attention, you can better manage your workload, reduce stress, and create more time for personal commitments outside the office.

Streamline your operations with a business support virtual assistant. Schedule a free consultation call with our Sales Executives to get started.

What is a virtual assistant for sales ops?

A virtual assistant for sales ops is a remote professional dedicated to sales operations work: CRM hygiene, pipeline management, reports, meeting coordination, and execution support for sales leaders. These backend tasks are crucial for overall operations but are typically time-consuming.

Compared to general or administrative virtual assistants, sales ops VAs provide more specialized support. They have an understanding of the common sales operations processes, such as sales pipeline management, sales forecasting, and data analytics. They’re also able to navigate common CRM tools, such as Zoho, HubSpot, and Salesforce, which are used for workflow automation, database management, and more.

Improve productivity, data accuracy, and efficiency of your sales team! Schedule a free virtual consultation session to find your own sales operations VA today.

Key tasks of virtual assistants for sales ops

A sales virtual assistant’s tasks may include a wide range of activities designed to streamline the sales process and support sales teams effectively. While the final list may vary depending on the organization or client, common responsibilities include:

Lead and market research

• Lead generation through LinkedIn Sales Navigator, company websites, and databases
• Database management
• List building and sourcing
• Data verification
• Competitor analysis
• Survey and feedback collection
• Trend & sentiment analysis

CRM administration and pipeline hygiene

• Lead qualification and nurturing
• Pipeline management and cleanup
• Monitoring deal progression and sales activities
• Identifying duplicate, outdated, or incomplete records
• Maintaining accurate customer and prospect information

Sales calls, scheduling, and calendar management

• Cold calling
• Appointment setting and calendar coordination
• Scheduling sales meetings and product demos
• Sending meeting reminders and confirmations
• Managing rescheduling requests
• Coordinating schedules across multiple stakeholders
• Preparing meeting notes and follow-up documentation

Administrative and sales support

• Preparing sales reports and dashboards
• Managing email communications and follow-ups
• Creating and updating sales documents
• Organizing presentations
• Processing data entry tasks
• Assisting with proposal and contract preparation
• Monitoring key performance indicators (KPIs)
• Phone routing
• Customer support ticketing

Manage your growing workload with a dedicated sales support virtual assistant. Book a free consultation session with our Sales Executive to get started.

How to hire the right virtual sales assistant for your growing team

Finding the right person for the role is a crucial part of VA staffing success. If you want to find a remote talent who can give your sales efforts a boost, it’s important to look beyond technical skills. Make sure to consider other factors, including experience, core principles, and soft skills.

Clarify your sales ops needs and goals

To hire a virtual sales assistant, businesses should first identify their specific needs, such as lead generation, CRM updates, or customer outreach, to ensure they find a candidate with the right skills. Clearly defining the scope of work of your future VA will help you answer important questions, such as “How many hours should my VA work?” and  “What skill level does my sales virtual assistant need to have?”

Grouping sales support tasks into different classifications, such as research, data management, outreach, and administrative work, before assigning metrics or goals. Examples of such goals include inquiries answered within 24hours, dashboard updated at a certain time and day of the week, and so on.

Evaluating virtual sales assistant candidates

Screening applicants and evaluating shortlisted candidates is a must. Look for CRM experience, outbound support, communication skills, industry familiarity, and attention to detail. Evaluation should include an initial background check, online interviews, and skills assessments.

These assessments will help gauge whether or not a candidate has the ability to complete key sales support tasks you need support with. A test task can include cleaning a sample CRM list or drafting an email sequence using your preferred CRM system.

Onboarding, training, and managing for results

Once you have selected the best-fit VA, it’s time to onboard them. This includes routing the independent contractor agreement, setting up access to systems, walking your VA through your sales processes, and aligning expectations. A structured onboarding plan ensures your VA understands their role, tools, and company culture from day one.

Ongoing training may cover product knowledge, sales processes and strategies, and any changes in CRM or communication tools. Additionally, extending access to resources like Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) equips your VA with the information they may need to execute processes efficiently.

While VAs are independent and self-motivated, they benefit greatly from clear communication and management. It starts with setting measurable goals and key performance indicators (KPIs) such as data accuracy and response times. Utilizing project management and communication tools like Slack and Microsoft Teams helps maintain clear communication lines and facilitates seamless collaboration between you, the client, and the VA.

Find your sales ops support VA with 20four7VA

Getting virtual sales assistant services is the next big move you need to make for your growing sales team. But finding and managing the right sales virtual assistant requires energy, commitment, and remote staffing experience. If you already have a lot on your plate, handling VA staffing on your own may be a challenge. That’s where 20four7VA comes in.

20four7VA is a remote staffing company that helps businesses overcome scaling challenges by providing expert support throughout the entire virtual assistant hiring process. From sourcing and vetting to onboarding and ongoing management, 20four7VA ensures you get a skilled sales operations virtual assistant who fits your team’s unique needs.

Access to global talent, pre-vetted for sales operations

20four7VA maintains a global talent pool of candidates experienced in sales support functions, customer engagement, CRM administration, and business operations. Candidates are screened for accuracy, communication, tool familiarity, and sales process understanding.

By leveraging our global talent pool, you can gain access to virtual sales reps and free your in-house sales team to focus on high-level activities.

End-to-end remote staffing solutions

We go beyond simply matching you with the right remote talent. Our team of remote staffing experts will be with you every step of the way, from compliance and contracts to timekeeping and payment processing. 20four7VA clients also have an assigned account manager who ensures concerns are handled in a timely and professional manner.

If you want backend support for your growing sales team, it’s time to look for a skilled sales virtual assistant. Book a free consultation call with the 20four7VA team to explore virtual sales assistant packages.

Frequently-asked questions (FAQs)