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Sales Manager

Duties for a sales manager's position vary depending on the size, location, and policies of an organization, as well as the type of merchandise sold.  Their main responsibility is to ensure customer satisfaction, which is achieved by employing excellent sales professionals and support staff.  Sales managers are responsible for filling in if employees are absent, interviewing, hiring, training, and scheduling.  Often called sales supervisors or department managers, they create and enforce goals, policies, and procedures for the specific areas they oversee.  Depending upon the size of the organization, sales managers may supervise an entire store, or only a specific department.  These managers create budgets, develop sales promotions, implement incentive programs for their employees, and in some instances, assign and monitor sales territory.  Within the facility, merchandise pricing, inspecting, cleaning, and organizing are the most common duties they delegate to employees.  Sales managers generally spend their time equally between the sales floor monitoring activity and handling paperwork. 

Most managers have offices that are centralized if they supervise an entire facility, or if they are in charge of a specific department, they are generally located within or close to their departments.  Time in the office is spent computing, scheduling, ordering, and budgeting.  While most work weeks are at least 40 hours, extended schedules are common.  Shifts may include days, evenings, or weekends, depending on customer demands.  Peak seasons, such as special sales or holidays, generally mandate longer, more irregular hours.  Sales managers may deal with difficult customers on a daily basis, and therefore must have excellent communication skills and the ability to resolve issues without disturbing other customers. 

The majority of skills in the sales industry are learned on the job, so many sales managers begin in entry level positions.  As their knowledge of the facility and industry increases, associates are able to move into higher positions.  Educational requirements are different in each organization, but commonly accepted degrees are Associates and Bachelors.  While working towards their degree, many students gain further experience through internships.  Many of the larger companies offer their own training programs, which may range from a week to one year, formal education generally speeds advancement into these positions.  The sales field is highly competitive, and the most successful candidates are generally patient, disciplined, and decisive. 

Sales managers in commercial, or wholesale, sales have similar duties to retail, but because their products are sold to other businesses, retailers, government agencies, manufacturers, and other organizations, their sales are on a much larger scale.  Business to business, or B2B, managers spend the majority of their time within a central office.  They must determine the sales territories for each sales representative, as well as assist sales reps with any necessary transactions.  Sales engineers, sales managers, and sales representatives generally work together when presenting product ideas to new or prospective clients, so managers must be able to properly coordinate all associates' schedules, and may endure a great deal of travel to distant clients.  The majority of wholesale sales occur under contract; therefore, sales managers must have the ability to effectively create, explain, and alter these documents as necessary, while still maintaining customer satisfaction and company guidelines.

Candidates with previous sales experience will have the best opportunities for management positions.  Competition is generally high with these occupations, but those offering higher pay and more prestigious careers will be highly sought after.  As companies give sales associates more responsibility, the need for managers is slowly being eliminated.  The growth for sales managers is projected to grow slightly less than average industries through 2014.  The majority of openings will be from those candidates being promoted into higher positions rather than from industry growth.  Unlike many other occupations, the electronic commerce and internet will create more job openings and have a positive affect on these careers.  Fortunately, sales management positions are rarely affected by consolidations and tend to offer more stability.  For more information on a career as a Sales Manager, please visit the following sites:

• Sales Manager Training Seminar
• The Sales Communication Workshop
• Sales Training Institute
• The Customer Service Zone & Help Center
• Eye on Sales

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