Introduction 

Proper sales management can help your company prosper. A company has multiple moving parts, and the sales management process must be well understood to guarantee that every sector of the joint sales effort runs efficiently.

Therefore, a company must hire competent sales managers and leaders who help their teams optimize revenues while providing the highest value to customers.

In this post, we’ll define sales management, discuss the function of a strong sales manager in hiring and managing sales staff, and discuss how to define and report on the sales process. In addition, we’ll discuss the salary of a sales manager, qualities to have, and much more.

What Is a Sales Manager?

A Sales Manager is the professional in charge of managing a company’s sales and the sales crew. They could answer to the Head of Sales or the Sales Director in a major corporation, but in smaller businesses, they most frequently answer to the CEO or General Manager.

Sales managers are often the business leaders that set sales objectives and targets and drive their staff to meet them. Sales Management job description might vary based on the firm’s size, kind, and product or service. Sales Managers are often in charge of recruiting and firing employees, determining the need for training and delivering it, coaching sales representatives, and establishing sales territory. To make wise selections, they are also responsible for developing sales strategies and data analysis. They may even play a role in directing the company’s future direction. They will often update the directors on their success.

Sales Manager’s Responsibilities and Duties

The most significant responsibilities of a Sales Manager are:

Choosing Sales Objectives: One of the primary responsibilities of a Sales Manager is setting sales targets. Of course, it’s not as easy as conjuring up a lofty goal and pushing your team to achieve it. Sales targets should be challenging, but objectives also have to be achievable; otherwise, the board will not be pleased, and your staff will lose motivation rapidly. However, if your established standards are too low, you risk hurting the company’s bottom lines. Consequently, a large portion of a Sales Manager’s job entails examining both historical and current data to determine,

• What the objectives and targets for sales should be
• How quickly their team is about to strike them
• What must be altered for their team to reach their sales targets?

Establishing Sales Plans: A thorough sales strategy that outlines a clear path to achieving these objectives and outcomes is crucial to a Sales Manager’s job. This work is rather complex as it should utilize several sales approaches and strategies, play to their team’s capabilities, and highlight their value offer. They would also need to undertake an A/B test to determine which strategy achieves the best results, explore various tactics, and aggressively establish a workable sales plan.

Providing Opportunities for Training: Training will likely be necessary for sales staff to meet their quotas. Since the introduction of social and internet selling, the sales field has become increasingly dynamic. It’s critical to stay current on the best, most efficient approaches and give sales staff the required training to utilize them to their fullest potential. The sales manager needs to be able to spot knowledge gaps and offer the necessary sales training. Additionally, they should provide one-on-one mentorship to sales representatives who are having difficulty or are new to the industry.

Enhancing Team Morale: Being a Sales Manager involves motivating the sales staff. Many sales managers build upbeat work personas to motivate their staff and help them complete more transactions. Work benefits like social gatherings and office drinks are typical strategies to consider. Nevertheless, financial incentive systems are quite popular in sales as it is a field that values money. The administration of incentive programs is normally the Sales Manager’s responsibility, who must strike a careful balance between encouraging sales representatives and safeguarding profit.

Handling Records: Every business has several essential clients that are too precious or vital to entrust to an amateur. For this reason, Sales Managers will frequently monitor these accounts and intervene when necessary. They might even take on all these clients directly at smaller businesses. 

Employment and recruitment: Mostly, the Sales Director is in the highest position to determine which individuals their sales team needs to achieve their goals and targets. But in certain organizations, a Sales Manager’s job profile would also include recruiting and firing sales employees. They will also be responsible for onboarding new employees into the Sales team.

Qualities of a Good Sales Manager

Certain Sales Manager skills are essential to the position:

1. Effective communication skills: Sales managers interact with clients and team members and must coordinate with other departments’ teams. Training group members is one of a Sales Manager’s other key duties. Thus, they must possess highly developed communication abilities to accomplish their responsibilities effectively.
2. Consumer handling capabilities: Managing conflicts between team members and clients falls within the purview of Sales Managers. They also monitor the retail environment and look for ways to enhance the way customers interact with the product or business. A Sales Manager with strong customer service abilities can better comprehend issues, resolve disputes, and foster client loyalty.
3. Effective leadership: A Sales Manager manages and motivates their team, promotes people, and is in charge of recruiting and onboarding new hires. Their ability to lead others can be extremely important to the sales team’s success. Managers have to make sure the team functions well and gradually increases production.
4. Ability to analyze and present sales data: Sales Managers must have analytical abilities. These abilities are essential for predicting trends and creating plans that will enable a general growth in sales. Furthermore, Sales Managers may be required to inform management and other upper executives on sales projections and operational expense statistics.
5. Ability to solve issues: Sales Managers frequently identify sales difficulties through problem-solving techniques. These abilities may often be used to answer client complaints and resolve problems that can impact a business’s sales targets. They are also in charge of settling disputes within a team to maintain a positive work environment.

Salary of a Sales Manager

In India, a Sales Manager makes an average yearly pay of ₹4.9 Lakhs. Sales managers operate in a variety of businesses because of the distinctive nature of their position.

Conclusion

Becoming a Sales Manager takes a lot of continuous effort and dedication, but if you have the right motivation, the effort will be well worth it. After all, being a Sales Manager will need far more consistent work and drive than merely landing the job in the first place. If operating in a fast-paced atmosphere, developing a team, and striving for major successes sounds awesome and inspiring to you – rather than intimidating and anxiety-inducing, then being a Sales Manager is a good career option for you.   

 UNext Jigsaw offers an Executive Program in Strategic Sales Management where you get to learn end-to-end sales lifecycle, digital sales strategies, and a lot more. The perks of registering for a Sales Management course with Jigsaw include hands-on experience, alumni status, and certification by IIM Indore.