Internal Sales Support

Verdant Specialty Solutions LLC; Halifax; On-site; GBP 26,000 - 34,000; Full time

Job summary

Verdant Specialty Solutions LLC is seeking a highly organised Internal Sales Support to join our busy Sales, Commercial and Technical teams within the Home & Personal Care (HPC) business. The role supports day-to-day commercial activities across PC and HI&I markets in EMEA.

The role acts as a key link between customers, Sales Managers and internal departments, handling enquiries, coordinating samples and quotations, supporting commercial opportunities and ensuring high service standards.

Qualifications

• Excellent written & verbal communication skills.
• Strong customer service skills with a customer-focused approach.
• Excellent organisational & time-management skills.
• High attention to detail and accuracy.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced, deadline-driven commercial environment.
• Good working knowledge of Microsoft Office applications.

Responsibilities

• Provide day-to-day administrative and commercial support to the HPC Sales Managers across the PC and HI&I markets.
• Coordinate customer enquiries and prepare quotations for smaller customers and distributors.
• Maintain accurate records of sample requests, customer interactions and sales opportunities; update opportunity pipelines.
• Support relationship development with customers, distributors and trading partners; follow up on enquiries.
• Coordinate requests for technical, regulatory documentation and certifications with Regulatory/Technical teams.
• Assist with market research, lead generation and dissemination of marketing information to customers and distributors.
• Attend exhibitions and events as required to support the Sales Team.

Skills

Excellent communication

Customer service

Organisational skills

Time management

Attention to detail

Problem solving

Cross-functional teamwork

Proactive ownership

Supply chain understanding

Tools

SAP

CRM systems

MS Office (Excel, Word, Outlook, PowerPoint)

Job description

We are seeking a highly organised, proactive and customer-focused Internal Sales Support to join our busy Sales, Commercial and Technical teams within the Home & Personal Care (HPC) business.

The successful candidate will play a key role in supporting the day-to-day commercial activities of the Personal Care & Cosmetics (PC) and Home, Industrial & Institutional (HI&I) markets across EMEA.

Acting as a key link between customers, Sales Managers and internal departments, the role will involve managing customer enquiries, coordinating samples and quotations, supporting commercial opportunities and ensuring a high standard of customer service.

In addition to providing comprehensive support to the HPC Sales Managers, the role will involve taking ownership of smaller customer accounts and distributor relationships, identifying new business opportunities and contributing to the continued growth of the business.

Key Responsibilities

1. Sales & Commercial Support

• Provide day-to-day administrative and commercial support to the HPC Sales Managers across the PC and HI&I markets.

• Act as a key point of contact between customers, the Sales Team and internal departments to ensure efficient communication and resolution of enquiries.

• Respond to customer and prospective customer enquiries, identifying requirements and coordinating product sourcing where necessary.

• Prepare and issue quotations to smaller customers (T3 accounts) and distributors using approved price lists.

• Follow up on quotations, customer enquiries and commercial opportunities to support sales conversion.

• Request and coordinate product samples, monitor progress and proactively obtain customer feedback.

• Maintain accurate records of sample requests, customer interactions and sales opportunities, ensuring opportunity pipeline reports are updated.

• Identify and communicate potential sales opportunities, customer insights and market intelligence to the Sales Team.

• Support the Sales Team with follow-up actions arising from customer meetings, visits and commercial discussions.

• Request and update transport quotations from the Logistics Team to support customer pricing and commercial proposals.

2. Customer Relationship & Account Management

• Develop and maintain strong working relationships with customers, distributors & trading partners.

• Take responsibility for managing & developing smaller customer accounts through proactive telesales & regular customer engagement.

• Maintain regular communication with customers to identify requirements, follow up on enquiries & encourage repeat business.

• Support customer retention & account development by delivering a responsive & professional service.

• Resolve customer queries & issues promptly, coordinating with relevant internal teams where required.

• Act as an intermediary between the Sales Team & Customer Service, Supply Chain, Logistics & other internal functions to ensure customer requirements are met.

• Attend customer visits where appropriate to support relationship development & commercial activities.

3. Technical Documentation & Regulatory Coordination

• Coordinate customer requests for technical & regulatory documentation, including Technical Data Sheets (TDS), Safety Data Sheets (SDS), Regulatory Data Sheets (RDS) & other product information.

• Liaise with the Regulatory Affairs Team to facilitate the completion of customer questionnaires, Raw Material Information (RMI) forms & other compliance-related documentation.

• Coordinate requests for product certifications & declarations, including Vegan, Halal, Kosher, RSPO, animal testing declarations & Leaping Bunny questionnaires.

• Ensure customer documentation is accurate, complete & returned within agreed timescales.

• Maintain organised records of documentation requests & follow-up actions.

• Work closely with Technical & Regulatory colleagues to ensure customer enquiries are directed to the appropriate specialists.

4. Business Development & Market Research

• Research & identify potential new customers & business opportunities within the PC & HI&I markets.

• Investigate new markets, customer segments & potential distribution opportunities to support business growth.

• Gather & share relevant market intelligence, competitor activity & customer feedback with the Sales Team.

• Support lead generation activities, including contacting prospective customers & distributing relevant product or promotional information.

• Ensure new leads & opportunities are recorded accurately within the relevant internal systems.

5. Marketing & Distributor Communications

• Support the implementation of HPC marketing activities, including promotional flyers, newsletters, email campaigns & new product communications.

• Create, maintain & manage distributor marketing email circulation lists.

• Coordinate the distribution of relevant marketing & commercial information to customers & distributors, including:

  • New product launches & product developments.

  • Technical information, brochures & promotional materials.

  • Available stock & product promotions.

  • Training opportunities, events & exhibitions.

  • Other relevant business updates.

• Liaise with the Sales & Marketing teams to ensure communications are accurate, timely & targeted to the appropriate audiences.

6. Exhibitions & Events

• Assist with the planning, coordination & organisation of HPC exhibitions & industry events across Europe.

• Support exhibition preparation, including logistics, marketing materials, customer communications & other administrative requirements.

• Attend exhibitions & industry events as required to support the Sales Team.

• Engage with existing & prospective customers at exhibitions, identifying potential business opportunities.

• Coordinate post-event follow-up activities & ensure leads & enquiries are recorded & progressed.

7. Accounts & Credit Control Support

• Coordinate credit check requests for new customers in conjunction with the relevant Finance & Credit Control teams.

• Assist with requests for credit limit increases for existing customers.

• Support the follow-up of overdue customer payments where highlighted by the Finance or Credit Control teams.

• Liaise with internal stakeholders to resolve customer account queries & support the smooth processing of commercial transactions.

Skills, Knowledge & Experience

Essential

• Excellent written & verbal communication skills, with the ability to build professional relationships with customers & colleagues.

• Strong customer service skills & a customer-focused approach.

• Excellent organisational & time-management skills, with the ability to prioritise competing demands & manage a busy workload.

• High attention to detail & a commitment to accuracy.

Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced, deadline-driven commercial environment.

• Confident problem-solving skills, with the ability to handle customer enquiries & resolve issues professionally.

• Good working knowledge of Microsoft Office applications, including Excel, Word, Outlook & PowerPoint.

• Ability to work both independently & collaboratively within a cross-functional team.

• A proactive, flexible & adaptable approach, with a willingness to take ownership of tasks & follow them through to completion.

• A good understanding of customer service processes & supply chain principles.

Desirable

• Previous experience in a commercial support, internal sales, sales administration or customer account management role.

• Experience working within the chemical, speciality ingredients, personal care, cosmetics or HI&I industries.

• Experience using SAP or a similar ERP system.

• Familiarity with CRM systems, sales pipelines & opportunity management.

• Understanding of technical & regulatory documentation associated with chemical products.

• Knowledge of chemicals, dangerous goods handling & associated supply chain requirements.

• Experience supporting sales & marketing campaigns, customer exhibitions or industry events.

• Experience communicating with customers or distributors across international markets.