What do sales managers do?
This is one question that often crawls into our heads when we think of the sales team of any business. We know that sales and marketing are two major departments for every organization. They are directly responsible for promoting the company's products and services to increase revenue.
But what role does a sales manager play in the process?
Here we will discuss the most frequently asked questions and topics related to sales manager jobs.
- What is a sales manager?
- What does a sales manager do?
- Sales manager requirements
- JD of sales manager
- Where do sales managers work?
- What are the skills required for sales manager jobs?
- What is the salary of a sales manager?
- Sales manager career growth
- Where to find a sales manager job?
What is a Sales Manager?
Any company that has flourished or is growing is primarily because of its sales team. Sales is one of the vital pillars of every business. If the sales of your business is smooth, you are on the right track. The sales department plays a vital role in enhancing the profit of an organization.
The next question is, so who exactly can be called a Sales Manager?
A sales manager is the magic wand of companies that brings business and enhances revenue. Every company has some targets that they have to achieve. Yes, they set goals as we do for us, and sales managers are responsible for handling the teams that make those goals come to life.
What Does a Sales Manager Do?
We know that generating sales is not an easy task. Finding the right client, catering to their needs, and retaining them can be daunting. Sales manager jobs require staying on toes all the time. The sales manager’s work includes leading the sales team and interacting with different departments such as finance, marketing, or customer support in the organization.
They also have other responsibilities to perform.
- Sales managers are responsible for meeting the sales targets through effective planning and fund allocation.
- A sales manager looks after the sales team, encourages them, and guides them in the right direction to bring maximum revenue for the company.
- By potential mapping clients, sales managers generate leads and convert them into successful sales.
- A sales manager promotes a brand to generate heavy demand amongst clients or consumers.
- Since sales managers are heavily dependent on their sales teams, it thus becomes necessary for them to oversee the team’s daily operations. They monitor the team’s performance and find ways for improvement.
Sales Manager Requirements
After understanding the KRAs of a sales manager, you might think that the role would require something completely out of the ordinary to become one. That is not the case.
You can become a sales manager by gaining 1-5 years of experience in the sales field. Blossoming into a sales manager is a blend of both education and experience. Let us look at the primary requirements for a sales manager.
Education for Sales Manager Jobs
The minimum eligibility criteria for sales manager jobs is a bachelor’s degree in the related field. If you have a master’s, you would be the best catch for the recruiters. On rare occasions, it might happen that if you have an associate degree and good work experience, you will be welcomed as a sales manager in the industry.
Experience in Sales Manager Jobs
Without first-hand experience in handling clients, you will never succeed as a sales manager. It is, in fact, a prerequisite to have previous work experience for a few years to become a sales manager. You can start as a sales executive and, with some experience, climb up the ladder of sales manager.
Alternatively, if you graduated from top institutions and did some internships, you might get lucky and get a chance to work as a sales manager.
Certifications for Sales Manager Jobs
Some certifications can boost your chances of grabbing a sales manager job. Some organizations would even explicitly ask for Certified Professional Sales Leader (CPSL) or Certified Sales Executive (CSE) certificates. It is always a good idea to pursue these courses to gain extensive sales management and planning knowledge.
Some sales manager certifications other than the one mentioned that can boost your chances of selection in the interview process are given below:
- The Art of Sales: Mastering the Selling Process Specialization by Northwestern available on Coursera
- Mastering Sales: A Toolkit for Success by Kellogg School of Management
- Successful Negotiation: Essential Strategies and Skills by University of Michigan available on Coursera
- Inbound Sales Course: Get Certified in Inbound Sales by HubSpot
- Sales Machine: The Sales Training B2B Master Course available on Udemy
Also Read: What are the trending sales manager interview questions of 2022?
JD of Sales Manager
The JD of a sales manager would consist of all the key skills that a hiring manager would be looking for. Whenever you stumble across words like “customer/client acquisition,” “revenue generation,” and “handling sales team” in a job description, you should immediately know that it is for a sales manager.
A sales manager's job description should look something like this.
Job Brief: Our expanding enterprise is looking out for a high-performing sales manager to assist us in achieving our client acquisition and revenue growth goals. You will be in charge of our highly enthusiastic sales team and manage activities and performance by tracking sales goals, creating individual sales targets, and facilitating regular sales training.
Job Responsibilities: The major responsibilities would include:
- Create and execute strategic plans to increase the client base and extend the global reach
- Meet with potential clients to learn about their needs and develop a long-term relationship to form a protracted partnership.
- Track, analyze, and convey critical quantitative information and business trends related to partner relationships.
- Set sales targets for the team and devise ways to achieve them.
- Recognize rising markets and market shifts while staying informed about new products and competition.
- Train the sales team with new market products and research.
Job Requirements: We are looking for a candidate who has:
- Bachelors’/ Masters’ degree in Business Administration or related field.
- Previous experience of working as a Sales Executive or Manager.
- Outstanding ability to lead a sales team.
- Proven track record of successful lead generation from plan to close.
- Ability to travel (domestic and international)
- Superb leadership skills.
Preferred Qualifications: We would prefer candidates with
- Sales related certifications
- Motivational speaking experiences
- Proven success rates in the sales field
Also Read: How to build a sales manager resume in 2022?
Where Do Sales Managers Work?
Every company has some core product from which they want to generate revenue. This is where the sales team comes into the picture. It is also the reason that sales managers can be found working in nearly every industry. They can sell products in both business to consumers (B2C) and business-to-business (B2B) verticals.
Sales managers work in many different fields, including:
- Finance
- Traveling
- Retail and wholesale trade
- Healthcare segment
- Manufacturing
- Technology
- Media and advertising
- Real estate
The schedules of sales managers are very hectic, and they have to travel a lot depending on the company requirements. They also work nights and weekends as per the workload.
What Are the Skills Required for Sales Manager Jobs?
Like any other job profile, effective sales managers will have skills that will make them stand out from the crowd. Here are some top skills that hiring managers will always look out for in a sales manager.
- Communication skills
- Technical skills
- Interpersonal skills
- Analytical skills
- Leadership skills
- Organizational skills
- Time management
- Collaboration skills
- Ability to mentor and coach
- Team handling
Also read: Should you add soft skills to your resume?
What Is the Salary of a Sales Manager?
You must have been curious to know how much a sales manager earns. On average, a sales manager in the US earns a handsome salary of $65,248 base pay annually. Additionally, they earn a $10,000 cash bonus per year and a $24,000 commission every year too.
The salary of a sales manager depends on factors like job location, education and experience, and the product they sell.
Also Read: [How much is the sales manager salary in 2022?](How much is the sales manager salary in 2022?)
Sales Manager Career Growth
According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, it is expected that there will be a 4% overall growth in the employment of sales managers between 2019 to 2029. This would directly correlate to the standard of living for sales managers in the future.
An effective sales team increases the profitability of a company. Therefore, a new sales strategy would require adept sales managers in the work field. The demand for sales managers will especially increase in the e-commerce industry.
More demand will certainly lead to more applications resulting in high competition. Hence, you must acquire all the necessary skills to get hired and flourish as an exceptional sales manager.
Where to Find a Sales Manager Job?
Sales manager jobs can be remote or from the office. If you are dwelling over how to find sales manager jobs near me, we have got you covered. There are so many job portals like Indeed, LinkedIn, etc., that can come in handy to find a sales job.
Some common job search portals are:
- Glassdoor
- Indeed
- Monster Jobs
- ZipRecruiter
- Recruit.net
- Yakaz
- Job.com
- Searchremotely
You can scroll through the mentioned websites and hunt for the best sales manager jobs for yourself. Always keep in mind to send an updated resume to any job application. You can also connect with hiring managers and look out for vacancies in companies.
Key Takeaways:
A sales manager is a leader who manages the team and ensures that the sales team is working in the right direction. They are the assets that any company takes pride in. If you are looking forward to finding sales manager jobs, keep these points in mind.
- A sales manager is responsible for bringing profit to an organization by generating revenue.
- The job role of sales managers includes meeting sales targets, reaching potential clients, and leading a team to create maximum profit for the company.
- You can become a sales manager with an educational background in Business Administration or a related field and some work experience.
- If you have the key skills for a sales manager or can learn them, you can excel in this field.
- A sales manager job has a lot of growth potential due to heavy demand from companies, and therefore they are well paid.
- You can find a sales manager job using online job searching portals like LinkedIn and Indeed.
Have queries regarding sales manager jobs or any other relevant field?
Reach out to Hiration's Career Activator Platform, which has 24/7 chat aid and professional assistance with all your job & career-related queries.
You can also write to us at support@hiration.com.