Becoming a Sales Manager

Selling a product or service is a core goal, and an essential task, of virtually all businesses. Even if a company has a superior product offered at a great price and promoted with a vigorous marketing campaign, without sales, all those efforts will have been in vain, and the company will not make a profit. No matter how good the product, most businesses simply can't afford to play a passive role and wait for customers to find them—they need to aggressively pursue customers and actively drive sales in order to be profitable. The sales manager is the guiding force behind the sales department, overseeing all aspects of the sales staff and sales campaigns.

Education, Training & Degrees for Sales Managers

Entry-level sales positions can often be obtained with no more than a high school diploma. Sales managers, who supervise sales personnel and departments, however, are typically required to possess at least a bachelor's degree. Depending on the industry in which the sales manager is employed, a bachelor's degree in any of several different disciplines could prove appropriate. This includes degrees in business administration, accounting, finance, economics, business law, and statistics, among others areas of study.

Sales managers in advanced industries such as electronics or pharmaceuticals might be required to possess advanced degrees, such as a master's degree in the field, or an MBA (Master of Business Administration). This is often the case in industries in which the sales staff and manager are required to have a deep understanding of complex products, in order to describe them accurately to professionals within the field they are selling to, as well as to be able to answer in-depth questions about these products. Representatives of pharmaceutical companies, for instance, must understand the chemistry, clinical studies, side effects and potential drug interactions of their product, among other detailed data, as they will often be promoting these pharmaceuticals to highly-educated and experienced doctors. The electronics, engineering, law, health, and finance industries often follow this policy. In addition to an advanced degree, candidates for sales manager positions in any of these industries might be required to pass a detailed exam testing their knowledge of their field and the products they will represent.

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Job Responsibilities and Desired Skills for Sales Managers

Sales staff can be found in many lines of work, including retail, wholesale, advertising, technology, and medicine. The numerous responsibilities of a sales manager expand far beyond simply making sales. The position of sales manager also includes such tasks as studying the product and its competition, searching out potential customers, preparing cost estimates, negotiating sales terms, and possibly even training sales staff or providing customer support.

While sales managers in smaller companies might meet directly with clients and potential customers, sales department managers in larger companies and corporations might rarely go on sales calls or enter the field, and instead spend their time in organizational and strategic tasks such as overseeing the sales staff, assigning sales territories, setting sales goals, and creating training programs for sales representatives. Sales managers also set budgets, analyze sales statistics, determine the sales potential of a product or service, and work with the advertising and marketing departments to plan marketing campaigns.

Individuals interested in a career as a sales manager must possess excellent interpersonal and communication skills. They must be able to listen to both their customers and to their own staff, to understand their needs and to communicate with them convincingly. They must be knowledgeable, persuasive, proactive and confident.

Sales Manager Salary Range and Employment Outlook

The U.S. Department of Labor reports that in 2004, about 337,000 people were employed as sales managers. Most of these individuals were employed in wholesale and retail sales, although a significant number were found in the finance and insurance industries. The Department projects that sales manager positions will grow faster than the average for all occupations well into the next decade, although competition for these high-paying positions is expected to be high.

Figures released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics indicate that the median sales manager salary in 2004 was over $84,000. This figure can vary widely depending on the industry and the size and sales of the company, as well as on the sale manager's education, experience, bonus structure, and territory.


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