Sales Manager Role

Sales managers organise a team of sales representatives and devise strategies for the team to use to maximise sales and customer loyalty. They may be responsible for sales in a specific geographical area, nationally or even worldwide.

Duties may include:

recruiting and training a team of sales representatives
devising a marketing plan and setting sales targets for their team
allocating territories (geographical areas) for each sales representative to cover
monitoring the work of the team to encourage them to meet their sales targets.
Hours are usually 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday, but some late evening and weekend work may be required. Sales managers are normally office based, although they may be required to travel long distances to attend conferences and meet clients.

Salaries may range from around £15,000 to more than £70,000 a year. Most companies offer a basic salary with a bonus or commission scheme.

Sales managers should be:

excellent organisers, with the ability to prioritise and allocate work
good communicators, in person, on the phone and in writing
enthusiastic, ambitious and self-motivated
knowledgeable about their products and those of their competitors
interested in managing and motivating people.
Sales managers can be found in all job sectors. Some of the major areas of employment include finance, manufacturing, retail, distribution and information technology. There is a constant demand for skilled sales managers, and there are opportunities throughout the UK and overseas.

There are no set qualifications, and many sales managers are promoted into the job after three or four years' experience in sales, and with a strong record of achievement. An increasing number of employers are recruiting applicants with higher education qualifications. Most subjects are acceptable, but a degree or an HNC/HND in a subject related to sales, marketing or business is most relevant. It is possible to become a sales manager at any age, but most are in their mid-twenties or older.

Most companies provide in-house training on their products, organisation and the methods used for sales and sales administration. This could be done at head office or an external training centre. A number of NVQs and professional qualifications in sales and marketing are available through the relevant professional bodies.

Promotion possibilities depend on sales results. Successful sales managers may be able to progress into senior management positions, such as sales director, or take responsibility for larger areas. Some sales managers may become national account managers. It may be possible to move into research and product development.