Summary
Overview
Work History
Skills
Timeline
OfficeManager

LORI CERVANTES

Des Moines,IA

Summary

Accomplished sales operations professional with a strong ability to identify and resolve inefficient sales processes. Specializes in streamlining procedures to enhance the effectiveness of the sales team. Proven track record includes establishing sustainable infrastructure for order management during periods of rapid growth. Exceptional written and verbal communication skills enable effective collaboration across diverse cultures, geographies, and with both technical and non-technical teams. Solid foundation in accounting and customer service management excels at bridging strained relationships. Recognized for successfully implementing procedural changes to address broken and delayed order lifecycles, resulting in accelerated delivery schedules, automated reporting, and improved order accuracy by reducing errors by over 90%.

Overview

16
16
years of professional experience

Work History

Sales Support Specialist

Hirsh Industries
04.2023
  • Assisted customers with sales needs such as inventory and shipping questions.
  • Managed customer accounts, responding to inquiries and resolving customer service issues
  • Prepared and presented sales reports and customer profiles to upper management.
  • Coordinated responses and resources to handle special client requests.
  • Assisted in the development of custom solutions for clients'' unique needs through active participation in brainstorming sessions with the sales team.
  • Collaborated with vendor development and support staff to resolve various issues impacting sales activities.
  • Supported successful trade show participation by coordinating logistics, preparing materials, and managing booth setup.
  • Received and organized vendors samples for use by sales team.
  • Increased client retention rates with diligent follow-up on leads, accounts, and contracts.
  • Developed working knowledge of CRM to effectively track sales leads and activities.
  • Enabled more informed decision-making through regular competitor analysis studies shared across relevant departments.
  • Optimized sales presentations by creating compelling marketing materials, proposals, and product demonstrations.
  • Developed and maintained relationships with key accounts and existing customers.

CORPORATE SUPPORT MANAGER

PNW RAILCARS
09.2021 - 04.2023
  • Serving as first point of contact with customers regarding product offerings and pricing, escalating inquiries to Sales Reps/ Sales Managers when appropriate.
  • Work closely with staff to facilitate strong understanding of various product options and differentiators to use in the personalized services provided to customers. -.
  • Oversaw new software implementation along with training for international team, ensuring standardization of processes, automation, and compliance.
  • Designed onboarding process for new staff ensuring a smooth transition and clear ownership of their new responsibilities.
  • Oversaw bi-weekly payroll processing; validating US and Expat tax rates, employee benefits, and administration of benefits / 401K plans.
  • Accomplished multiple tasks within established timeframes.
  • Enhanced customer satisfaction by resolving disputes promptly, maintaining open lines of communication, and ensuring high-quality service delivery.
  • Resolved staff member conflicts, actively listening to concerns and finding appropriate middle ground.
  • Cross-trained existing employees to maximize team agility and performance.
  • Communicated clearly with employees, suppliers and stakeholders to keep everyone on same page and working toward established business goals.
  • Developed and maintained relationships with customers and suppliers through account development.
  • Monitored and analyzed business performance to identify areas of improvement and make necessary adjustments.
  • Developed a strong company culture focused on employee engagement, collaboration, and continuous learning opportunities.
  • Achieved departmental goals by developing and executing strategic plans and performance metrics.
  • Built high-performing teams through effective recruitment, onboarding, and talent development initiatives.
  • Managed budgets effectively, ensuring optimal financial performance while investing in necessary resources for business growth.
  • Reduced operational costs through comprehensive process improvement initiatives and resource management.
  • Streamlined workflows by identifying bottlenecks in existing systems and implementing appropriate solutions.
  • Optimized resource allocation by conducting regular performance evaluations and providing personalized coaching for staff development.
  • Led change management initiatives to drive organizational transformation without compromising employee morale or productivity levels.
  • Championed diversity and inclusion efforts within the workplace, resulting in an inclusive environment that fostered creativity and innovation among employees from various backgrounds.

SALES COORDINATOR

CIRIUM
01.2019 - 01.2021
  • Drove significant improvements in team's contract turnaround time by implementing processing procedures to significantly improve contract accuracy and quality of source data (Salesforce) through the standardization of processes, while leveraging contributors' strengths to increase efficiency and effectiveness. - Cross-collaboration with legal department ensuring contracts are tracked and processed (renewal dates, pricing, products) with minimal turnaround time
  • Responsible for driving down the SLA of contract processing by 75% - Maintained regular check-ins with Sales Managers/ Sales Representatives and others who contribute to opportunity development to determine how sales opportunities are tracking against plan and identify any problems for internal review and problem solving - Enhanced sales productivity by proactively looking for opportunities to enable sales team to work more effectively through the simplification of processes and procedures. - Assisted in the facilitation of the global transition of two SalesForce instances into a single instance
  • Also identified potential issues and presented alternatives as we worked to create a collective solution. - Took responsibility for the implementation of training processes and materials after Unity was launched
  • Partnered with Sales Enablement team to create documentation for sales reps to utilize as they interfaced with the new tool.
  • Worked closely with the sales team to prioritize tasks, set goals, and allocate resources efficiently; resulting in increased productivity and revenue.
  • Maintained accurate records of all sales activities, including contracts, proposals, quotes, follow-ups, and customer communications.
  • Increased sales revenue by establishing strong relationships with clients and identifying new business opportunities.
  • Streamlined sales processes for improved efficiency and customer satisfaction.
  • Supported sales team members in achieving individual goals and targets through coaching, mentoring, and guidance.
  • Negotiated contracts on behalf of the organization while adhering to set guidelines; leading successful deals that resulted in increased profits.
  • Served as a liaison between internal departments such as production, logistics, finance, ensuring seamless end-to-end management of client accounts.
  • Coordinated product demonstrations to showcase key features for sales prospects.
  • Developed comprehensive understanding of product offerings in order to effectively communicate benefits to prospective customers.
  • Provided effective recommendations to increase customer satisfaction and marketing effectiveness to secure long-term accounts.
  • Managed efficient RFP database and responses, generating timely reports to inform and adjust plans.
  • Employed closing sales techniques, upselling and customer loyalty incentives to boost sales.

SALES COORDINATOR

SPORTIQE APPAREL
01.2015 - 01.2018
  • Initially found limited structure and quickly jumped in to define processes, procedures, and policies
  • Duties included entering art requests, emailing documents via DocuSign, and managing inventory in Sync to all 70 corporate clients. - Provided a higher level of support to the sales manager - completing all client follow up, orders, art requests, and pricing quotes
  • Ran a wide variety of financial reports including sales reports, pricing, margins, and discounts that helped in business decision making. - Handled 100% of orders from company's largest client, Nintendo, and tracked >200 different styles; also trusted with company's 2nd largest account, the NBA, and designs associated with 30 team logos
  • Proactively assessed inventory levels and monitored inventory reports ensuring orders were filled as quickly as possible. - Trained at least 8 new sales representatives in Salesforce, Zoho, and Sync
  • Personally created most of the training material and reduced sales team data entry errors to 20% along with serving as the SME and reinforcing data accuracy.
  • Worked closely with the sales team to prioritize tasks, set goals, and allocate resources efficiently; resulting in increased productivity and revenue.
  • Maintained accurate records of all sales activities, including contracts, proposals, quotes, follow-ups, and customer communications.
  • Increased sales revenue by establishing strong relationships with clients and identifying new business opportunities.
  • Supported sales team members in achieving individual goals and targets through coaching, mentoring, and guidance.

PROGRAM DIRECTOR

OPTIMAE LIFESERVICES
01.2007 - 01.2014
  • Oversaw 40 employees and 5 group homes in 4 counties with 60 disabled adult residents
  • Completed full audits of each county and rapidly brought all finances into compliance - a critical task when serving as representative payee to the Social Security Administration
  • Reduced costs by nearly 30% by identifying redundancies and legacy processes, while avoiding $1,000s in potential fines by bringing the company back into compliance with federal regulations.

Skills

  • Microsoft Office Suite (Excel, Word, PowerPoint)
  • Outlook
  • QuickBooks
  • Zoho
  • Salesforce CRM
  • Verbal & Written Communication Skills
  • Prioritization
  • Interpersonal Skills
  • Detail Oriented
  • Analytical

Timeline

Sales Support Specialist

Hirsh Industries
04.2023

CORPORATE SUPPORT MANAGER

PNW RAILCARS
09.2021 - 04.2023

SALES COORDINATOR

CIRIUM
01.2019 - 01.2021

SALES COORDINATOR

SPORTIQE APPAREL
01.2015 - 01.2018

PROGRAM DIRECTOR

OPTIMAE LIFESERVICES
01.2007 - 01.2014

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