A Career as a Sales Manager

It is a known fact that in any economy, sales jobs are available in abundance. A sales associate or a sales manager as the personnel is called can easily land a job only if he or she has a proven sales track record. This profession and field have employees who are paid higher than any other professionals in the market. Most of the sales managers make around 6 to 7 figure earnings along with commissions. There are many people who are following the lead and are trying their fate in this field. A person must keep in mind that the job of a sales manager is not as easy as it sounds. You must be full of energy and have a positive attitude, without taking heed of any rejections. You must have excellent have managerial skills to supervise the associate team that is regularly changing. Most of the sales professionals have great personalities. So, all of these facts should be considered before thinking of a career in this field.

Responsibilities

Sales managers have the responsibility to manage all of the business development processes. A sales manager ensures new clients and customers are gained through direct sales, visits from business to business and cold calling. This process of business development is the major duty of a sales manager. He or she is responsible for the sales team and ensuring work is completed within the guidelines, policies and rules of the company. It is the sole responsibility of the manager to ensure that all goals are achieved with the help of his or her team.



As a sales manager it is your duty and responsibility to assign members for a new team and delegate tasks. Whenever any sales associate is eliminated from a company, his or her clients are reassigned to other sales representatives. The assigning of clients is done by the sales manager on the basis of sales specialty and ability. All accounts are in contact with the sales manager and therefore he or she must have knowledge of all the accounts and their various activities.

It is also the responsibility of a sales manager to mentor and develop the sales team. He or she ensures all team activities will reach the company set goals and quota. If the sales associate is not performing well, then it is the responsibility of the sales manager to help and develop the sales associate's skills.

Skills

First and foremost, all sales managers must possess strong interpersonal and communications skills. He or she should have an analytical mind with strong and proven sales skills. As a sales manager, he or she must lead and direct teams, therefore a sales manager must possess leadership qualities and a strong personality that can motivate others to follow him or her.

Most of the employers look for candidates who have a minimum Bachelor's degree, specializing in business administration, marketing, public relations, accounting, economics and other related fields. If you have a master's degree then the chances of being appointed to this type position are high. Apart from educational qualification, if you have substantial prior sales experience then there is no stopping you from earning a high salary.

The average salary of a sales manager annually is around $51,000. Depending on performance, proven abilities and the industry, there is potential to earn higher than this amount.