| Detail | For this role |
|---|---|
| Department | Sales and Business Development |
| Level | Manager |
| Reports to | Regional Sales Manager |
| Direct reports | Sales Executive, Sales Officer |
| Experience | 5 to 9 years in sales with team handling experience |
Sales Manager job description template
Copy this job description, replace the text in square brackets and post it on your careers page or a job portal.
Job title: Sales Manager
Department: Sales and Business Development
Reports to: Regional Sales Manager
Location: [City], [office, branch or site]
About the role
A Sales Manager leads a sales team for a territory, product or segment, owning its target and driving the team to hit it. They set individual targets, plan coverage, coach the team and handle important customers and deals. A strong sales manager delivers the team target every month, builds a productive team and keeps the pipeline healthy. The role is the core people leadership role in most sales organizations, reports to a senior, regional or area sales manager and leads sales executives and officers.
Key responsibilities
- Own the team sales target and set individual targets for each team member.
- Plan coverage, territories and account allocation for the team.
- Coach the team through joint calls, reviews and feedback.
- Handle important customers and larger deals alongside the team.
- Keep the pipeline healthy and review it with the team regularly.
- Monitor activity such as visits, calls, demos and follow ups.
- Manage pricing and discounts within the authority given to the role.
- Resolve customer issues and escalations that the team raises promptly.
- Own the team forecast and drive actions to close any gap.
- Report team sales, pipeline and market feedback to the reporting manager.
Requirements
- Graduate in business, commerce or any discipline
- MBA in sales or marketing is an advantage
- Experience managing a sales team
- 5 to 9 years in sales with team handling experience
KRAs and KPIs for a Sales Manager
Key result areas for the appraisal form, each with a KPI you can measure every month or quarter.
| Key result area | How to measure it |
|---|---|
| Team target | Team achieves 100 percent of the assigned target each period |
| Team quota | Share of the team hitting individual targets grown to the agreed level |
| Pipeline health | Qualified pipeline held at the agreed multiple of target |
| Activity | Team meets the agreed visit, call and demo standards |
| Forecast accuracy | Team forecast within the agreed variance of actuals |
| Retention | Team attrition kept low with new joiners ramped on time |
Skills and tools
Tools used day to day: CRM platform, Sales dashboards, MS Excel, Route or beat planning tools, Forecasting tools.
Reporting line and career path
Next roles: Senior Sales Manager, Area Sales Manager, Regional Sales Manager
Interview questions for a Sales Manager
- How do you set individual targets and coverage for your team?
- How do you coach a struggling salesperson to improve?
- How do you keep the team pipeline healthy and honest?
- How do you balance managing the team with handling big deals yourself?
- How do you build a forecast for your team?
- Tell me about a team you led to beat its target.
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What does a sales manager do?
A sales manager leads a sales team for a territory, product or segment, owning its target. They set individual targets, plan coverage, coach the team and handle important customers and deals. They keep the pipeline healthy, monitor activity, manage pricing within limits and own the team forecast, delivering the team number month after month.
What is the difference between a sales manager and a sales executive?
A sales executive is an individual contributor who sells and hits a personal target. A sales manager leads a team of executives and officers, owns the team target and spends time coaching, planning and reviewing. The executive focuses on their own sales, while the manager is responsible for the whole team's results.
What skills does a sales manager need?
A sales manager needs to lead and coach a team, plan territories and targets, and keep the pipeline healthy. Negotiation and customer handling for big deals, forecasting and pricing judgement matter. Above all they need to get results through others, so people leadership, clear communication and a disciplined review habit are essential.