Sales Correspondent

Part Salesperson, part Product Designer, and part Customer Service Representative, as a Sales Correspondent, you’re expected to do it all. You keep the manufacturing machines rolling and the customers happy. You’re like the elbow of the operation; the arm is a wonderful body part on its own, but adding the elbow makes things easier and more convenient.

Working with the sales team, either inside (your office) or outside (pounding the pavement for new accounts), you, the Sales Correspondent deal directly with clients to ensure their satisfaction with the product your company sells. Through letters, emails, and telephone calls, the Sales Correspondent can find out what’s needed and where improvements can be made. You coordinate the efforts of many departments to determine feasibility and cost estimates.

For instance, Acme Paper Plate Company produces eight-inch and 12-inch paper plates, and they’d like to offer nine-inch plates per the customer’s request. It’s your job to discuss this option with the product development team to see if it’s possible. Then it’s on to the accounting department to determine if the company has the funds to cover the additional expenses for its production, while training staff on how to make the new product. A trip to the production department provides you with information on when you can expect the first order, and then finally, you discuss all of this with the customer’s Salesperson.

The clerical side of the position requires you to track customer interactions, how the conversation was initiated, and the proposed solution to the problem. Whether your clients need a special product created from scratch or just a minor tweak, it’s your job to make it happen, document every step of the process, and coordinate timing between all parts of the operation.

This position is stressful at times, but it’ll be worth it when you see the new product actually in use, and the company’s profits soar.