Kelly VanderWerf
San Diego,CA
Summary
Trade Sales professional with 6+ years of experience in luxury interior design and retail, specializing in B2B relationships, consultative selling, and order management, with a proven ability to drive sales and deliver high-touch service.
Overview
4
4
years of post-secondary education
6
6
years of professional experience
Work History
Trade Sales Specialist, West
Lulu and Georgia
San Diego, CA
06.2025 - Current
- Manage pre-purchase Trade inquiries across the Western Territory, providing personalized product recommendations, pricing, availability, lead times, swatches, shipping information, and order guidance to help designers confidently move from consideration to purchase.
- Support the Territory Sales Manager in driving Trade sales and territory growth, taking ownership of day-to-day client communication and administrative responsibilities to allow greater focus on business development and relationship building.
- Consistently achieve monthly sales goals by managing a high volume of Trade inquiries and guiding clients through the purchasing process from initial product questions through order placement.
- Troubleshoot Trade account and purchasing issues across Shopify B2B and internal systems, resolving questions related to Trade pricing, promotions, tax exemption, shipping, and account access to remove barriers to purchase.
- Support the Trade team’s transition to HubSpot by developing CRM and pipeline-management expertise, adapting workflows, and maintaining accurate client and sales activity within evolving team processes.
Lead Sales Assistant
Designer’s Resource Collection
San Diego, California
03.2021 - 05.2025
- Provide administrative and executive support to the Director of Sales & Operations by managing sales documents, coordinatingclient meetings, preparing materials for design presentations, and assisting with day-to-day showroom operations.
- Track all stages of purchase orders valued between $100,000-$500,000 for high-end residential and commercial interior designprojects ensuring accurate status reports and delivery timelines, proactive communication, and timely resolution of issues.
- Liaise with 250+ vendor partners to obtain specifications for proposals, in-depth product knowledge, purchase order updates, salestrainings to foster business growth, and current sales-aids for team use.
- Collaborate with the Director’s clientele during pre- and post-sale meetings by addressing needs, providing pricing quotes, andensuring a seamless experience throughout the order fulfillment process.
- Utilize Quickbooks to handle estimate preparation, purchase orders, sales order progress, and account management.
Showroom Assistant
Designer’s Resource Collection
San Diego, CA
09.2020 - 03.2021
- Responsible for front-desk operations by directing guests, fielding phone calls, receiving mail and packages, maintaining showroom appearance, and managing appointment scheduling to ensure an organized and efficient office environment.
- Handled high-volume client inquiries across phone, email, in-person interactions, demonstrating professionalism and efficient problem-solving skills.
- Supported the Executive Sales Team during client consultations and managing their orders, by communicating order status updates to clients and proactively following up with vendors.
- Executed administrative closing duties by processing credit card transactions, preparing order documents, and reporting daily sales totals and showroom activity to management.
- Provided hands-on assistance to clients in the showroom by checking in/out sales aid materials, pulling tags on floor merchandise memos, processing sample requests, and photocopying sales documents.
Interior Design Intern
Simply Stunning Spaces
San Diego, CA
06.2020 - 08.2020
- Assisted in developing interior design concepts and mood boards for client projects.
- Prepared presentation materials for client meetings and design reviews.
- Coordinated with vendors to obtain samples and pricing for project materials.
- Maintained organized project documentation and files for easy access by the team.
Education
Bachelor of Liberal Arts And Sciences - Psychology, Public Health, And Art
San Diego State University
San Diego, CA 08.2016 - 08.2020
Skills
- Trade sales
- Product knowledge
- Order management
- B2B e-commerce
- CRM software
- Customer relationship management
- Vendor communication
- Problem solving
- Attention to detail
- Proactive follow-up
- Customer service
Timeline
Trade Sales Specialist, West
Lulu and Georgia
06.2025 - Current
Lead Sales Assistant
Designer’s Resource Collection
03.2021 - 05.2025
Showroom Assistant
Designer’s Resource Collection
09.2020 - 03.2021
Interior Design Intern
Simply Stunning Spaces
06.2020 - 08.2020
Bachelor of Liberal Arts And Sciences - Psychology, Public Health, And Art
San Diego State University
08.2016 - 08.2020