Sales Manager

Last updated January 20, 2020

Sales Manager directs the actual distribution or movement of a product or service to the customer. The work of a Sales Manager revolves around coordinating sales distribution by establishing sales territories, quotas, and goals and establish training programs for sales representatives. Sales Manager needs to analyze sales statistics gathered by staff to determine sales potential and inventory requirements and monitor the preferences of customers.

Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services can be a bonus for the Sales Manager. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems. Sales Manager also can benefit from the knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. 

Some of the duties required to be done by a Sales Manager:

  • Resolve customer complaints regarding sales and service
  • Monitor customer preferences to determine focus of sales efforts
  • Direct and coordinate activities involving sales of manufactured products, services, commodities, real estate or other subjects of sale
  • Review operational records and reports to project sales and determine profitability
  • Direct, coordinate, and review activities in sales and service accounting and record-keeping, and in receiving and shipping operations
  • Prepare budgets and approve budget expenditures
  • Represent company at trade association meetings to promote products
  • Plan and direct staffing, training, and performance evaluations to develop and control sales and service programs.
  • Confer with potential customers regarding equipment needs and advise customers on types of equipment to purchase
  • Oversee regional and local sales managers and their staffs
  • Direct clerical staff to keep records of export correspondence, bid requests, and credit collections, and to maintain current information on tariffs, licenses, and restrictions
  • Assess marketing potential of new and existing store locations, considering statistics and expenditures