Job description — Administrative and commercial assistant

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Within a sales team this job offers great career prospects to candidates looking for responsibilities. From missions to salary to training, advantages and disadvantages, discover the essential things you need to know about the job of administrative and commercial assistant.

What is an administrative and commercial assistant?

An administrative and commercial assistant can be referred to as the right hand man, the closest collaborator of the commercial operations specialist in a structure. She provides the secretariat for this specialist and can also travel to the field and professional organizations in some cases. She is in charge of updating the documents of the various customers and supports the sales teams as well as the sales management in daily tasks.

The main activity of an administrative and commercial assistant is to carry out the processing of the various orders of the company's customers. The administrative and commercial assistant must transmit to the customer technical information relating to the products or services of the company for which he works. Its function is very useful and decisive, as it is the element that streamlines the activities of the structure's sales department.

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What are the missions assigned to an administrative and commercial assistant?

The incumbent of an administrative and commercial assistant must perform a number of missions that are relevant to his function. These tasks are diverse and involve numerous uses. Indeed, the administrative and commercial assistant must among other things:

• Ensure commercial and technical processing within the time frame of each sale or order until the invoice and delivery;
• Ensure the reception and transfer of telephone calls and inform customers about their requests;
• Respond to internal and external requests relating to documents in process;
• Manage the customer base of the structure, sales plans and order payment items;
• Write quotes and forward data on commercial and technical terms and conditions to customers as well as sales representatives in the field;
• Participate in preparatory meetings for commercial operations in the field;
• Regularly update the database of customers, prospects and suppliers;
• Regularly update the company's statistical sales table;
• Propose commercial offers and to customers.

In addition, as part of her activity, the administrative and commercial assistant can also offer solutions in the event of a malfunction in the commercial sector.

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What are the skills expected of an administrative and commercial assistant?

To effectively carry out her missions, the administrative and commercial assistant must be versatile and professional. He needs rigor, reliability, a methodical character without forgetting an interest in the commercial function. She must also have organizational awareness and have relational qualities that will allow her to accomplish her various tasks. She is also expected to be pragmatic while showing humility and loyalty.

In addition, the administrative and sales assistant must have an excellent understanding of their work environment and be comfortable with numbers. Otherwise, it will be difficult for him to properly inform the customer and to best meet his needs. In addition, an administrative and commercial assistant must also master the office, telephone and communication tools that are connected to the company's network.

To go far, she must have a good foundation in business law and important commercial qualities such as negotiation. It can also result in excellent written and oral expression. Finally, the understanding of several foreign languages, including English, mainly is essential to work as an administrative and commercial assistant.

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How do I become an administrative and commercial assistant?

To work as an administrative and commercial assistant, several paths are possible. It can be the BAC pro management administration or the BAC science and technology of management and management (STMG marketing option). Then, the job is available to all holders of a level 5 business diploma (BAC + 2) such as:

• The DUT TC (marketing technique) of a marketing department;
• The DUT GACO (administrative and commercial management of organizations);
• The BTS as an assistant manager;
• The BTS as a SME-SMI management assistant;
• The BTS MCO (commercial and operational management);
• The BTS MUC (management of business units).

In addition, to reach a higher level and climb the professional ladder, administrative and sales assistants can continue up to level 6. Here, they have the option of opting for a bachelor's degree from a business-economics school or the professional technical-commercial license.

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What are the possible career developments for an administrative and commercial assistant?

The main career developments that an administrative and sales assistant can aspire to are to gain more responsibilities within her team. Thus, with experience, this professional can apply for the position of technical sales, commercial services attaché, customer manager or sales manager. These developments can take place within the same structure or elsewhere.

Indeed, the administrative and commercial assistant can work in several sectors of activity and in a variety of economic entities. She is most often recruited by associations, administrations, large groups or companies and TPMs. His profile is also highly sought after by small and medium-sized businesses. Be sure, the range of potential recruiters for administrative and commercial assistants is quite broad. Professional integration is also very good.

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What is the remuneration of an administrative and commercial assistant?

In general, the salary of an administrative and commercial assistant depends on her level of responsibility and the commercial challenges of the structure in which she works. This remuneration may also vary depending on the field of activity in which she is involved and her experience. The salaries of an administrative and commercial assistant in France are between 1600 and 2200 euros per month on average.

The average salary for a young graduate is around 1500 euros. During their career, administrative and commercial assistants can earn between 1800 and 2500 euros. In addition, administrative and commercial assistants can also claim certain bonuses available during their career. These depend on the structure of the work and the responsibilities of the department.

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What are the advantages and disadvantages of being an administrative and commercial assistant?

For people who want to be an administrative and commercial assistant, there are some advantages, but also some disadvantages. It is important to know them in advance in order to prepare accordingly.

The most (+) of the job

• To be the center of collaboration for several teams;
• Varied employers available on the market;
• Great prospects for professional career development.

The least (-) of the job

• The pressure for results;
• Frequency of overtime to be worked.

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