Sales Operations is one of those roles people think they understand. It is often described as “admin support” or “back office”, as though the work mainly involves moving documents through systems and ticking boxes as requests come in.
That description only captures the surface. What it misses is the judgement required to turn a conversation into something deliverable.
At The Missing Link, Sales Operations is the engine room of the business. It's where detail is checked before it becomes a problem and where timelines are confirmed before expectations are set. When it runs well, very few people notice. When it doesn't, everyone does.
What does Sales Operations do at The Missing Link?
At The Missing Link, Sales Operations connects commercial agreements to delivery reality, translating sales conversations into structured Statements of Work, validated pricing, confirmed supplier timelines, and clean handovers to technical teams.
On paper, the responsibilities are straightforward. It covers quoting across all service lines, preparing documentation, processing orders, tracking shipments, supporting agreements, and working closely with Finance to close sales accurately.
In reality, none of those tasks stands alone. A quote may require vendor confirmation and internal clarification before it can be sent with confidence. A Statement of Work must accurately represent what can be delivered, not simply what was discussed. An order moves through suppliers, freight, asset allocation, and Finance before it is complete.
To understand the role properly, it helps to challenge a few common assumptions.
Myth 1: Sales Operations is just admin
It's easy to look at outputs and assume the work is procedural. Quotes are generated. Orders are processed. Documents are filed. But none of those tasks are automatic.
What's confirmed at this stage shapes delivery expectations and client experience. What's approved, clarified, or escalated within Sales Operations directly influences how smoothly The Missing Link’s Security Consulting, Infrastructure & Cloud, and Automation teams can deliver.
Reducing that responsibility to “admin” underestimates the role entirely.
Myth 2: The team is mostly reactive
From a distance, Sales Operations can look as though it is responding to whatever lands in the inbox next. There are requests that need attention quickly, documentation waiting for review, and colleagues seeking updates. The volume alone can make it appear as though the team is constantly playing catch-up.
What's less visible is how decisions are made.
Rather than working from whichever message arrives last or sounds most urgent, the team steps back and assesses what is open, what is dependent on suppliers, and what has the greatest impact on delivery. That broader view allows them to prioritise deliberately instead of reacting impulsively.
There's a reaction involved, certainly, but it's deliberate rather than reactive in the way the myth suggests.
Myth 3: If everything is urgent, it must be chaotic
There are days when multiple time-sensitive requests converge at once.
A quote needs to be issued before the close of business. An order must be placed before a supplier cutoff. A shipment update is overdue. Documentation can't progress without clarification.
From the outside, that concentration of deadlines can look like pressure building in every direction at once.
Urgency, however, doesn't automatically create chaos.
What prevents it from becoming chaotic is coordination. Because the team has a clear view of active work and dependencies, they can sequence tasks deliberately and ensure that progress continues without cutting corners. When several items compete for attention, they decide what must move immediately and what can follow, instead of allowing the loudest request to dictate the pace.
Finishing work properly before shifting attention protects the quality of the outcome. Cutting corners at this stage creates work later.
The pace at The Missing Link is real, and there are days when the inbox fills faster than it empties. It is that coordination under pressure that keeps the work steady.
How does Sales Operations support delivery teams?
Sales Operations works at the intersection of Sales, technical consultants, project managers, and Finance, which means decisions made at this stage shape what delivery teams inherit later.
If the scope is unclear, delivery teams spend time clarifying it. If supplier timelines are not confirmed, project schedules become unstable. If pricing or configuration details are misaligned, technical teams are left reconciling expectations instead of progressing work.
Addressing those details early means delivery teams inherit clarity rather than correction.
The team does not just pass information along. It filters, confirms, and aligns it so that when a project begins, consultants and project managers can focus on execution rather than correction.
That steady oversight is one of the reasons delivery across The Missing Link remains consistent across service lines.
What makes someone effective in Sales Operations?
Organisation is essential, but it's not the defining characteristic of the role.
What matters equally is judgement. Knowing when to escalate and when to resolve something quietly. Knowing when to push a supplier for clarity and when to reset expectations internally. Knowing when to slow down and double-check a scope because something does not quite align.
The team consistently highlights focus, attention to detail, accountability, and clear communication as the qualities that matter most. There is also a shared understanding that their work underpins the success of other departments. When Sales Operations is thorough, Projects, Services, and Finance encounter fewer surprises and fewer corrections.
Being central to so many workflows brings pressure as well as responsibility, and the team accepts both as part of the role.
What success looks like
Success in Sales Operations rarely attracts attention.
It appears as a quote that goes out accurately the first time and does not require revision. It appears as an order that arrives when expected because timelines were confirmed carefully. It appears as a handover to Services that does not generate follow-up questions, or a sales order that Finance can close without chasing additional detail.
Success in Sales Operations rarely attracts attention. It appears as a quote that goes out accurately the first time, an order that arrives when expected, or a handover that does not require clarification.
When Sales Operations is working well, other teams can focus on delivery rather than correction. Much of that effort stays behind the scenes, but it shapes how the business operates every day.
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