Job description - Commercial Secretary

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It is a key player that allows the company to have traceability of all commercial operations. Still called sales assistant, this professional is in high demand in VSEs and SMEs where the sale of goods or services is the main source of income.

Its versatility allows any The sales team to focus only on prospecting in order to increase turnover. But what does the commercial secretary do exactly? How much does she earn and what are the essential qualities for this position? This job sheet zooms in on this profession.

Commercial secretary: the definition

The commercial secretary is the professional in charge of management of administrative tasks within the company. She manages all sales and procurement operations. His work allows the company to record all the transactions inherent in marketing. This is why the commercial secretary is often referred to as a “company memory”.

This professional is the main point of contact for suppliers and customers. He is the one who lists the orders and forwards them to the sales team. The commercial secretariat then allows you to follow the entire sales chain, from the order to the delivery.

What is the role of a sales secretary?

The role of the commercial secretary is mainly act as a relay between customers and the sales team. It is she who records the needs of customers and settles the various dysfunctions related to commercial exchanges.

All supplier-related files pass through the commercial secretariat. The secretary is then in charge of the various operations related to procurement and when invoices are issued. It is therefore not possible to cash in at the accounting level of a company without using this professional.

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What is the salary for a commercial secretary?

The income of the commercial secretary is often a function of the status of the company in which she works. They are also linked to her experience and the quantity of tasks she manages. Generally, junior commercial secretaries receive an annual salary of between €20K and €25K gross.

In SMEs where this professional takes on several accountancy-related tasks, the salary can go up to €30K. With a bit more experience, it is possible to move up to the rank of senior commercial secretary. In this case, the Pay is also increasing and may be around €30 MILLION -32 MILLION.

Apart from these details, certain personal qualities can increase the remuneration of the commercial secretary. Proficiency in English and certain CRM software are selection conditions during recruitments.

Main missions of the commercial secretary?

Although its function is sedentary, the commercial secretary is very versatile. The tasks assigned to this position are varied and often depend on the status and sector of activity of the company. Thus, this professional may be required to manage missions such as:

• The verification of the availability of products for the benefit of customers;
• Les Telephone exchanges with customers and suppliers;
• Drafting quotes;
• The monitoring of technical commercial arrangements by salespeople in the field;
• A regular update on product releases and the level of progress of deliveries;
• Order registration ;
• Monitoring payments;
• Issuing and sending invoices to customers and suppliers;
• Management of sales administration if the company does not have an sales manager;
• Les reminders to customers and partners who are still owed to the company;
• Management of the current secretariat.

These are all tasks that the commercial secretary must tackle. By ensuring them properly, the sales team works more easily and improves their performance.

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Qualities to have for this position

The relay role that the commercial secretary plays requires her to have a certain Relational ease. She will thus be able to fully assume the link between the various departments of her company. Its missions related to the archiving and traceability of commercial transactions require a good editorial level.

If the commercial secretary works in a company specialized in import/export, the Mastery of commercial language What is English is an asset. It is also important that this professional knows how to use certain computer tools.

Among them, office software that is used to process texts, record orders, and respond to messages instantly are required. Sales management tools such as CRMs are also required to fully monitor transactions.

Rigor and concentration are personal qualities required to practice this profession. The commercial secretary must have a real sense of organization. A necessary asset for planning activities well and ensuring the link with the other departments of the company.

How do I become a commercial secretary?

To become a commercial secretary, you need to be dynamic and versatile. These are qualities that allow the sales team to have fewer tasks to manage in the company. It is much more focused on finding prospects and customers.

The profession of commercial secretary cannot be improvised. Prior training is required to apply for such a position. In general, a Professional Baccalaureate in Management/Administration is essential to enter a private secretarial school.

One BTS after a qualifying training in executive secretariat or in commerce is enough to get the job of commercial secretary. Some undergraduate degrees (bachelor, DUT...) in project management and organization management are valid for doing this work.

It is possible to become a sales secretary by starting your career as an executive assistant. In this case, you need to be open-minded in order to improve your level and prove yourself.

What career development for this position?

The profession of commercial secretary is evolving. Already, several companies in the growth phase are actively recruiting this professional. It is enough to have the required qualities and to have some computer skills to increase your chances of getting this job.

Generally, the sales secretary can quickly become the Sales Administration Manager. Depending on the status of the company, this professional can also become customer manager or Commercial Attaché.

Other employers may transfer the sales secretary to the position of sales and administrative assistant. But in fact, the missions assigned to this position are similar.

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FAQ: Becoming a commercial secretary

To become a commercial secretary, you must complete a course in Management-Administration, Commerce or Project Management. You must then have the personal assets required to maximize your chances of winning this position.

What baccalaureate to be a VEFA salesperson?

To get the job of commercial secretary, you must pass at least one Professional bachelor's degree in commercial management. At the end of a course in a private secretarial or business school, you can have a BTS or a DUT.

You can also do a professional license to increase your employability. With a Technological baccalaureate in management and management It is also possible to do a qualifying training in commercial secretarial skills.

What are the appropriate retraining profiles?

It is possible to retrain to become a commercial secretary in a company. In this case, the position previously held must relate to customer relations and sales administration.

One procurement manager can easily become a commercial secretary. One commercial can also retrain to work in the secretariat. In this case, he must be very versatile and balanced in the way he acts.

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