1. Most companies need to be able to sell goods or services in order to make a profit. This is
the purpose for hiring a strong and competent sales manager, who is tasked with
persuading consumers to take advantage of whatever the company is selling. The sales
manager is a vital position, which assists the company in continuing to meet the needs of
its target market and proceeding towards increased growth and success. A general sales
manager is responsible for the success of failure of the sales department. Whether or not
the company stays afloat depends on the ability of sales staff members to sell products or
services, as it is the sale of company goods that brings in revenue. Therefore, it is
accepted that a sales manager plays a key role in the success and failure of an
organization. He is the one who plays a pivotal role in achieving the sales targets and
eventually generates revenue for the organization. Sales management encompasses
“planning, direction and control of personnel selling, including recruiting, selecting,
equipping, assigning, routing, supervising, paying and motivating as these tasks apply to
the personnel sales force,” according to the American Marketing Association. As a sales
manager, you would have to carry out these responsibilities, including:
1. Setting goals for the sales force
All business organizations should have written goals that are part of their business plan.
These goals can describe what the company plans to accomplish in terms of market share,
growth and profitability. Goals may also be set for internal measurement like expanding
staff or boosting employee morale. Similarly, one of the main responsibilities of the sales
manager is setting goals that provide the direction for all sales force. When sales manager
set goals for salesperson, it shows them the sales aims and priorities. Salesperson then
know what to focus on in the coming quarter or year, thus prioritizing projects and other
tasks as they weigh how their work will impact those goals. It also provides focus for
management when deciding on major projects and how to best divide tasks among
salesperson.He has to consult with the top management of the company and the sales
director, and draft sales policies and marketing strategies for approval from the
management. After the strategies have been finalized, he has to explain them to the team

2. members. Guiding sales executives and planning ways to go according to the sales
strategies is also a very important responsibility of a sales manager.
A sales manager can’t work alone. He needs the support of his sales team where each one
contributes in his best possible way and works towards the goals and objectives of the
organization. He is the one who sets the targets for the sales executives and other sales
representatives. A sales manager must ensure the targets are realistic and achievable.
2. Establishing a business plan
A business plan is one of the most important features in any business, since it allows a
company to determine what's necessary for success. Sales managers are responsible for
creating the sales portion of the plan, which offers a detailed account on the growth
strategy, distribution channels and marketing or sales strategy. As a sales manager, you
must develop a sales strategy that outlines how sales representatives can meet sales goals,
compensation for those sales, promotion of the representatives and future growth.
3. Building and training a strong sales team.
A sales manager is responsible for the success of representatives within the company, and
must offer training or act as an advisor to improve sales techniques with each
representative. As the leader of the sales team, a manager must constantly monitor the
development of sales leads and analyze the performance of each individual. Providing
individual reviews for sales representatives allows a sales manager to increase
communication within the team, determine areas for improvement and boost sales
activities.
A sales manager is responsible for training his sales team. In large companies, this is
handled by a separate department; but in a small business, the sales manager may have to
directly train his team members. This training usually involves company history,
product/service description, competition analysis, customer requirements, sales
techniques and technology. However, the most important aspect of sales training is to

3. build the confidence of the sales team, as a confident sales team is often a successful
sales team. Some sales managers believe in ongoing sales training so as to keep the team
fighting fit and to update it on any new sales techniques or changing competitive scape.
In some companies, the sales manager is responsible for directing a team of sales
associates. This team usually performs all the duties associated with making the sale. In
this case, the manager has to ensure that proper price guidelines are being followed and
that the sales associates are using proper sales techniques to close new accounts. He has
to make sure that his team is selling enough to make regular quotas. He may also deal
with resolution of employee conflict, hiring, interviewing, termination and professional
training to get new sales team members ready to sell.A sales manager has to analyze the
strengths and weaknesses of his team members for the purpose of assigning tasks to sales
and marketing executives. He has to handle all administrative issues of his team
members. He is also supposed to keep a record of the employee productivity of his team
members.
4. Sales resource management.
One important responsibility is to recruit well-qualified resources for contributing to the
company's sales development. He has to work with the human resource manager and
arrange for interviews, conduct interviews of eligible candidates, and recruit efficient
sales workforce. The manager may seek candidates through advertising, college
recruiting, company sources, and employment agencies.
5. Motivating team members.
Maintaining a good teamwork spirit in the sales team is also a crucial part of the job
description. A sales manager has to motivate the team to give their best and be true
resources for the company. He has to address the difficulties that are faced by the
executives in achieving their targets. Motivating team members is one of the most
important duties of a sales manager. He needs to make his team work as a single unit
working towards a common objective. He must ensure team members don’t fight

4. amongst themselves and share cordial relationship with each other. Develop lucrative
incentive schemes and introduce monetary benefits to encourage them to deliver their
level best. Appreciate whenever they do good work. In a perfect world sales people are
motivated. But there is no perfect world and salespeople deal with more rejection and
negativity than any other profession. So it’s critical that the Sales Manager be sensitive to
each team member, their interactions with each other, their personal life and what is
really going on under the surface. Sales people are motivated by many different things
just as any other group. Believe it or not most sales people are not as money motivated as
everyone on the outside may think. I have found that competition and recognition are
bigger motivators. And then of course FREE time off is always good too.
Sales manager is an important position in a company. He does not only focus in sales
alone, yet he needs to set sales objectives, forecasting, budgeting, organizing and
salesforce's recruitment. In order salesforce to achieve it objective, sales manager needs
to create a positive environment for his salesforce. According to Barker (2001),
salesperson's behavior is influenced by three groups of antecedents - activities of sales
manager, characteristics of salesperson and an appropriate sales organization's design.
One of the important functions of sales manager is motivating salesforce towards their
job performance, productivity, job satisfaction and employees extension.
6. Handling important sales deals.
If there are deals which can get the company a substantial amount of business and profits;
the company may require the sales manager to travel places, discuss with such clients,
and attract more business. In such situations, the sales manager has to show off his full
potential for finalizing the contract with the client. He also manages crucial aspects of the
advertising and marketing processes.
7. Communicate the corporate message to sales team:
A sales manager also acts as a bridge between top management and sales team. He
conveys important corporate messages to the team. For example, if the management has

5. decided to launch a new product, it is the sales manager’s job to educate the team about
the product and its features, its pricing and positioning. Similarly, if the management
decides to introduce a new sales software, the sales manager has to inform the team and
clear any doubts it may have regarding the transition. It is also the sales manager’s job to
bridge the distance between the marketing department and the sales team so as to achieve
superior sales performance.
8. Recordkeeping
Managers are constantly looking for ways to improve sales, so a manager must regularly
look over statistics from the local or regional sales territories. A sales manager needs to
frequently check sales in various territories to determine if an increase in marketing is
necessary keep track of inventory and analyze pricing and sales activity. The manager
must compile this information into reports to provide senior executives with an idea of
how the sales department is operating.
To sum up, if your company sells products or services, a sales manager is a necessary
addition to your team. Sales managers are responsible for determining where a product or
good sells and acting as an advisor to the company's sales representatives to help them
increase profit and sales performance. Sales managers have many duties and
responsibilities to ensure the company continues to grow and maximize its potential.