Management & LeadershipISCO 1221
Sales manager
A sales manager is a person who develops a company's sales strategy and directs the commercial side of the business towards it.
Check yourself in a minute: sales manager
Rate 5 of the 42 essential skills of this occupation (European ESCO data). No account needed.
integrate strategic foundation in daily performance
plan marketing strategy
study sales levels of products
motivate employees
carry out sales analysis
About sales manager
The manager manages sales teams, allocates sales resources according to the plan, sets priorities and follows up on critical results, meaning the accounts, products or regions where sales targets are not being met. Sales targets are set for the team and for individuals, and sales strategies are implemented and then adapted once it becomes clear what the market is responding to. The manager also develops the sales pitch and adapts it over time.
The manager maintains a sales platform that tracks every result and every sale, and uses it to analyse business plans against actual results and to analyse consumer buying trends and respond to critical results.
The manager evaluates marketing content before it reaches customers. Daily decisions follow the company's strategic guidelines and take corporate social responsibility into account. The role calls for knowledge of sales techniques. Formal requirements are set by the employer.
European Skills Framework
Skills and knowledge areas required for this occupation based on European classification.
Essential (42)
sales argumentationsales argumentationTechniques and sales methods used in order to present a product or service to customers in a persuasive manner and to meet their expectations and needs.consumer goods industryconsumer goods industryThe consumer goods industry refers to a concrete economic sector that produce and sell goods to consumers for they direct consumption, enjoyment or use. Industry that covers a wide range of activities...pricing strategiespricing strategiesThe techniques, theories, and commonly accepted strategies regarding pricing of goods. The relation between pricing strategies and outcomes in the market such as profitability maximisation, deterrence...corporate social responsibilitycorporate social responsibilityThe handling or managing of business processes in a responsible and ethical manner considering the economic responsibility towards shareholders as equally important as the responsibility towards envir...brand marketing techniquesbrand marketing techniquesThe methods and systems used in researching and establishing a brand identity for marketing purposes.content marketing strategycontent marketing strategyThe process of creation and share of media and publishing content in order to acquire customers.sales department processessales department processesThe different processes, duties, jargon, role in an organisation, and other specificities of the sales department within an organisation.marketing mixmarketing mixPrinciple of marketing that describes the four fundamental elements in marketing strategies which are the product, the place, the price and the promotion.market pricingmarket pricingPrice volatility according to market and price elasticity, and the factors which influence pricing trends and changes in the market in the long and short term.sales strategiessales strategiesThe principles concerning customer behaviour and target markets with the aim of promotion and sales of a product or a service.integrate strategic foundation in daily performanceintegrate strategic foundation in daily performanceReflect on the strategic foundation of companies, meaning their mission, vision, and values in order to integrate this foundation in the performance of the job position.plan marketing strategyplan marketing strategyDetermine the objective of the marketing strategy whether it is for establishing image, implementing a pricing strategy, or raising awareness of the product. Establish approaches of marketing actions ...study sales levels of productsstudy sales levels of productsCollect and analyse sales levels of products and services in order to use this information for determining the quantities to be produced in the following batches, customer feedback, price trends, and ...motivate employeesmotivate employeesCommunicate with employees in order to ensure that their personal ambitions are in line with the business goals, and that they work to meet them.carry out sales analysiscarry out sales analysisExamine sales reports to see what goods and services have and have not sold well.manage staffmanage staffManage employees and subordinates, working in a team or individually, to maximise their performance and contribution. Schedule their work and activities, give instructions, motivate and direct the wor...evaluate marketing contentevaluate marketing contentRevise, assess, align, and approves marketing material and content defined in the marketing plan. Evaluate written word, images, print or video advertisements, public speeches, and statements in accor...manage profitabilitymanage profitabilityRegularly review sales and profit performance.analyse business plansanalyse business plansAnalyse the formal statements from businesses which outline their business goals and the strategies they set in place to meet them, in order to assess the feasibility of the plan and verify the busine...create annual marketing budgetcreate annual marketing budgetMake the calculation of both the income and expenditures that are expected to be paid over the coming year concerning the marketing related activities such as advertising, selling and delivering produ...analyse consumer buying trendsanalyse consumer buying trendsAnalyse buying habits or currently prevalent customer behaviour.define measurable marketing objectivesdefine measurable marketing objectivesOutline the measurable performance indicators of the marketing plan such as market share, customer value, brand awareness, and sales revenues. Follow up on the progress of these indicators during the ...track key performance indicatorstrack key performance indicatorsIdentify the quantifiable measures that a company or industry uses to gauge or compare performance in terms of meeting their operational and strategic goals, using preset performance indicators.coordinate marketing plan actionscoordinate marketing plan actionsManage the overview of the marketing actions such as the marketing planning, internal financial resource granting, advertising materials, implementation, control, and communication efforts.analyse internal factors of companiesanalyse internal factors of companiesResearch and understand various internal factors that influence the operation of companies such as its culture, strategic foundation, products, prices, and available resources.write work-related reportswrite work-related reportsCompose work-related reports that support effective relationship management and a high standard of documentation and record keeping. Write and present results and conclusions in a clear and intelligib...plan marketing campaignsplan marketing campaignsDevelop a method to promote a product through different channels, such as television, radio, print and online platforms, social media with the aim to communicate and deliver value to customers.impart business plans to collaboratorsimpart business plans to collaboratorsDiffuse, present, and communicate business plans and strategies to managers, employees making sure that objectives, actions, and important messages are properly conveyed.integrate marketing strategies with the global strategyintegrate marketing strategies with the global strategyIntegrate the marketing strategy and its elements such as the market definition, competitors, price strategy, and communication with the general guidelines of the global strategy of the company.produce sales reportsproduce sales reportsMaintain records of calls made and products sold over a given time frame, including data regarding sales volumes, number of new accounts contacted and the costs involved.implement sales strategiesimplement sales strategiesCarry out the plan to gain competitive advantage on the market by positioning the company's brand or product and by targeting the right audience to sell this brand or product to.develop professional networkdevelop professional networkReach out to and meet up with people in a professional context. Find common ground and use your contacts for mutual benefit. Keep track of the people in your personal professional network and stay up ...prepare visual dataprepare visual dataPrepare charts and graphs in order to present data in a visual manner.analyse customer service surveysanalyse customer service surveysAnalyse results from surveys completed by passengers/customer. Analyse results to identify trends and draw conclusions.set sales goalsset sales goalsSet sales goals and objectives to be reached by a sales team within a period of time such as the target amount of sales made and new customers found.analyse external factors of companiesanalyse external factors of companiesPerform research and analysis of the external factor pertaining to companies such as consumers, position in the market, competitors, and political situation.supervise sales activitiessupervise sales activitiesMonitor and oversee the activities related to the ongoing sales in the shop to ensure that sales goals are met, assess areas for improvement, and identify or solve problems that customers could encoun...identify potential markets for companiesidentify potential markets for companiesObserve and analyse market research findings in order to determine promising and profitable markets. Consider the firm's specific advantage and match it with markets where such value proposition is mi...align efforts towards business developmentalign efforts towards business developmentSynchronise the efforts, plans, strategies, and actions carried out in departments of companies towards the growth of business and its turnover. Keep business development as the ultimate outcome of an...make strategic business decisionsmake strategic business decisionsAnalyse business information and consult directors for decision making purposes in a varied array of aspects affecting the prospect, productivity and sustainable operation of a company. Consider the o...perform market researchperform market researchGather, assess and represent data about target market and customers in order to facilitate strategic development and feasibility studies. Identify market trends.analyse work-related written reportsanalyse work-related written reportsRead and comprehend job-related reports, analyse the content of reports and apply findings to daily work operations.
Optional (19) — show
public relationspublic relationsThe practice of managing all aspects of the image and perception of a company or individual among stakeholders and the society at large.international businessinternational businessThe processes related to production or distribution of goods and services across borders.statisticsstatisticsThe study of statistical theory, methods and practices such as collection, organisation, analysis, interpretation and presentation of data. It deals with all aspects of data including the planning of ...market researchmarket researchThe processes, techniques, and purposes comprised in the first step for developing marketing strategies such as the collection of information about customers and the definition of segments and targets...communicate with customerscommunicate with customersRespond to and communicate with customers in the most efficient and appropriate manner to enable them to access the desired products or services, or any other help they may require.forecast sales over periods of timeforecast sales over periods of timeCalculate and estimate the expected sales of products and services over different periods of time in order to determine their profitability.integrate headquarter's guidelines into local operationsintegrate headquarter's guidelines into local operationsUnderstand and implement the guidelines and objectives provided by the headquarters of a company into the local management of a company or subsidiary. Adapt guidelines to the regional reality.manage budgetsmanage budgetsPlan, monitor, report on the budget and prepare set production budgets.present arguments persuasivelypresent arguments persuasivelyPresent arguments during a negotiation or debate, or in written form, in a persuasive manner in order to obtain the most support for the case the speaker or writer represents.estimate profitabilityestimate profitabilityTake various factors into account to calculate the cost and potential revenues or savings gained from a product in order to evaluate the profit that could be generated by the new acquisition or by a n...manage distribution channelsmanage distribution channelsOversee distribution channels with regards to the requirements of customers.recruit personnelrecruit personnelCarry out assessment and recruitment of personnel for the production.teach marketing principlesteach marketing principlesInstruct students in the theory and practice of marketing, with the aim of assisting them in pursuing a future career in this field, more specifically in courses such as sales strategies, brand market...analyse supply chain strategiesanalyse supply chain strategiesExamine an organisation's planning details of production, their expected output units, quality, quantity, cost, time available and labour requirements. Provide suggestions in order to improve products...collaborate in the development of marketing strategiescollaborate in the development of marketing strategiesWork together with a group of professionals to develop marketing strategies performing market analysis and financial viability while staying aligned with the company's goals.define geographic sales areasdefine geographic sales areasDetermine the different areas and reach that the company has in terms of sales, in order to segment and divide those areas geographically for a better approach.investigate customer complaints of food productsinvestigate customer complaints of food productsInvestigate customer complaints in order to determine the non-satisfactory elements in food products that lead to complaints from customers.manage accountsmanage accountsManage the accounts and financial activities of an organisation, supervising that all the documents are correctly maintained, that all the information and calculations are correct, and that proper dec...liaise with managersliaise with managersLiaise with managers of other departments ensuring effective service and communication, i.e. sales, planning, purchasing, trading, distribution and technical.
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Frequently asked questions
What does a sales manager do?
Sales managers develop sales and targeting strategies for a company. They manage sales teams, allocate sales resources based on the plans, prioritise and follow up on critical leads, develop sales pitches and adjust them over time, and maintain a sales platform to track all leads and sales.
What skills does a sales manager need?
A sales manager needs 42 essential skills, including sales argumentation, consumer goods industry, pricing strategies, corporate social responsibility, brand marketing techniques.
Will AI replace sales manager jobs?
The AI disruption score for sales manager is 79/100 (very high risk). Skills most exposed to automation: track key performance indicators, produce sales reports, carry out sales analysis. Most resilient: motivate employees, liaise with managers, make strategic business decisions.
AI Replacement Risk
79/ 100
Very High Risk
Low riskHigh risk
Skills most at risk from AI
Skills resilient to automation
This is the average for the whole occupation. The AI Career Shield test (about 10 minutes) shows the risk in your own work and what you can do about it.
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