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Who is a Sales Manager?
A sales manager is one who manages the sales team and executes them to achieve sales goals. They make sales plans & goals, hire sales personnel, motivate them, control them, control sales expenses, and help to achieve the firm’s sales goals.
Sales managers are most important for the sales organizations, their contribution primarily determines whether the firm achieves its sales goals or not. To perform better-qualified sales managers are needed and they need to be positioned with the right duties and responsibilities. The primary objective of sales managers is profit optimization through unlocking true revenue potential.
They also greatly contribute to sales management, as its goal is also to achieve the company’s goal through effective sales team management. They have the potential to create and break sales goals and teams, their efforts always tend to be noticed.
A sales manager assumes to perform different duties and responsibilities and also characterize himself/herself through different qualities such as marketing expert, having professionality, the right personality, and so forth.
What Does A Sales Manager Do?
Being a sales manager is a professional position, so the task. Thus, all the involved in management functions namely planning, organizing, controlling sales force activities, have to think in a professional way rather than simply focusing on the right person to the right job to ensure sales volume.
They should perform their duties and discharge their responsibilities as per their assignments. Saying so, major duties and responsibilities performed by the sales manager are mentioned below.
Strategic Decision Role
A sales manager has certain obligations and duties in relation to a strategic role. It establishes the objectives and goals of the sales force. It creates sales forecasts and budgets in order to satisfy the prediction as well as the objectives and goals of the sales force. It develops various plans and approaches to be implemented by sales teams in that course.
Organizing Role
Sales management determines salesforce organizations such as line sales department organization, line and staff sales organization, functional sales organization, and committee sales organization for successful sales performance by the sales team.
It defines the size of the sales force and the layout of sales territories after agreeing on such organizations. The company then intends to coordinate budgets for various sales organizations, as well as the number of the salesforce in various areas at various levels.
Aside from that, he/she works with salespeople to set the sales quota.
Directing and Guiding Sales Team
Between the sales manager and the sales team, there should be a warm and friendly interaction. They should meet on a regular basis to discuss their accomplishments.
If an issue emerges with salespeople throughout the selling process, the sales manager should provide instructions and guidance on how to proceed with the performance and achievement of the sales goal.
HR Management Role
Sales management is responsible for a variety of tasks in this regard. It recruits and selects the necessary sales force in terms of both numbers and capabilities (technical and non-technical). It gives the anticipated roles and responsibilities to these salespeople.
If the salesforce detects a gap between what they have and what is required by the assigned job while performing these duties and obligations, the sales management plans appropriate training programs to close the gap. Furthermore, the sales management employs a variety of techniques and incentives to encourage the sales team and achieve the required results.
Finally, sales management reviews salesforce contributions and efficiency and receives feedback as a result of this work. Control is required if feedback falls short of the standard sought to reach. By revitalizing sales operations and sales force efforts, sales management may maintain control.
It never punishes or fires anyone. Firing is not permitted under modern management principles. It simply allows for the necessary aspects to be corrected and updated in order to reinforce the target. The sales manager should maintain this level of supervision.
Qualities of A Sales Manager
Sales managers play multi-functional roles. For that, they possess these qualities in common and specific situations.
Professional
Professional qualities are required of sales managers. They must have a thorough understanding of the literature as well as hands-on experience planning, organizing, implementing, and controlling sales and sales-related operations. With competent judgment, this is more successful.
Right Personality
Sales managers require the right personality for the related field and area. By right personality, we mean that they must possess these features.
- Foresightedness
- Organizing ability
- Intuition
- Fair Judgement
- Technical know-how
- Planning Implementation and Control
- Logical Dominance
- Critical Thinking
Strategist
The period of global rivalry in the global arena has arrived. At whatever cost, no company wants to lose. They always aim to adopt the “Win and Win” strategy.
In order to design sales strategies, methods, plans, and budgets, as well as anticipate sales, a sales manager must have an innate strategy quality. Sales managers should work as the origin of input to the organization.
Marketing Expert
Selling is a part of marketing. It is, in fact, related to a company’s distribution system for getting its products or services to the point of sale. Today, however, marketing encompasses a broader variety of operations, from product development through distribution.
In this case, sales management has to have a high-quality marketing team that can successfully integrate selling and marketing activities.
Analyst and Directive Centered
Businesses are challenged and threatened by a variety of causes, some of which are competitors and others which are the environment (internal and external). It’s also a virtual fact that selling companies are always looking for possibilities in the face of problems and threats.
As a result, in order for the company to succeed in such a circumstance, sales managers must be capable of analyzing these events and reaching a decision on how to provide directives to the company and sales teams.
Development Adaptor
In any discipline, advancements are a never-ending process. Because of advances in technology, governing systems, economic indicators, and other factors, changes and innovations in the sphere of global business happen quickly.
In the modern business climate and in the field of human resources, many businesses implement new theories, practices, and working systems. As a result, sales managers must keep up with these advances. They will not be able to lead sales businesses and teams if this is not the case.
Researcher
Researchers are inheritable in the selling field for finding out differences in previous selling practices and present ones. It is also necessary to prepare a future sales road map for the firm. Thus, the sales manager must possess the quality of researcher.
Willing To Empower Sales Force
Sales managers should be ready to allow the sales force to take their decisions regarding their responsibilities and duties/actions. This can help to reduce the negative attitude of the sales force.
Source of Skill
Salespersons should work as a bucket full of skills. These skills we meant to are,
- Communication and listening skill
- Human relations skill
- Time management skill
- Coaching skill
- Motivational skill
- Leadership skill
- Selling skill
Honest and Ethical Tendencies
Salespeople must be open and honest about their work habits. They must be able to implement ethical issues in an honest manner. Falsifying and deceptive tendencies will almost surely result in the selling firm losing its reputation and, in the long run, suffering.