Sales Manager Job Description: All Key Roles & Duties

5 min read. Updated on June 03, 2024

Charlotte Grainger (TCV)

Use this Sales Manager job description to craft a job-winning resume.

Are you looking to advance your career by landing a Sales Manager position? If so, you've come to the right place!

To land a Sales Manager job, you need to craft a resume that stands out from the hundreds of resumes employers often receive for a single position. One way to help you meet that goal is to review Sales Manager job descriptions, like the example provided below.

What is a Sales Manager?

Sales Managers direct and oversee an organization's sales team, processes, and procedures. They're responsible for tasks like goal setting, motivating teams to meet goals, interacting with consumers, and resolving consumer challenges that arise. A Sales Manager must remain current on emerging market trends to keep up with the competition and continue to meet internal sales goals and initiatives.

Sales Managers are found in a variety of industries and often work closely with marketing and advertising teams. Becoming a Sales Manager is a lucrative career choice, with the national average Sales Manager salary being $135,160 as of 2023.

Depending on the organization, a Sales Manager might also be referred to as a:

Sales Consultant
Sales Director
Sales Operations Manager
Manager of Sales
Director of Sales
Account Executive
Channel Sales Manager

How can a Sales Manager job description help?

When you're attempting to craft an interview-winning Sales Manager resume, it can be really helpful to look at various job descriptions for Sales Manager positions. Why?

Because reviewing job descriptions gives you an idea of what employers are currently looking for and the current industry terminology being used. It also allows you to discover your skill set, experience, and education that aligns with a Sales Manager career path.

Another benefit of reviewing job descriptions is that it provides you with the opportunity to highlight any experience and skills gaps you might have. From there, you can identify ways to fill those gaps to achieve your career goals.

Below, we provide an example of a Sales Manager job description, as well as some of the skills that you'll often find on a Sales Manager resume.

Sales Manager Job description example

As you begin searching for jobs online, you'll likely find that most job descriptions follow a similar format and include similar information. Most Sales Manager job descriptions will include a general job overview to kick it off, followed by job requirements and responsibilities. Education and experience requirements are also included, along with who the position reports to.

Here is a Sales Manager job description example to support you in designing a resume you're proud to submit.

Sales Manager job description

The Sales Manager directs and oversees organization's sales policies, objectives, and initiatives. Sets short- and long-term sales strategies and evaluates effectiveness of current sales programs. Recommends product or service enhancements to improve customer satisfaction and sales potential.

The Sales Manager must be familiar with a variety of [name of field] concepts, practices, and procedures. The incumbent relies on extensive experience and judgment to plan and accomplish goals, while leading and directing the work of others. A wide degree of creativity and latitude is expected.

The successful candidate will understand what motivates customers to buy and know how to tap into those needs and desires in an effective way. They will also be able to effectively motivate the team they lead to meet individual and organizational sales goals.

This position reports to the Head of Sales.

Sales Manager responsibilities:

Determine annual unit and gross-profit plans by implementing marketing strategies
Analyze sales trends and results
Establish sales objectives by forecasting and developing annual sales quotas for regions and territories
Project expected sales volume and profit for existing and new products
Implement national sales programs by developing field sales action plans
Maintain sales volume, product mix, and selling price by keeping current with supply and demand, changing trends, economic indicators, and competitors
Maintain professional and technical knowledge by attending educational workshops, reviewing professional publications, establishing personal networks, and participating in professional societies
Contribute to team effort by accomplishing related results as needed
Plan to ensure achievement of divisional and personal target, aligning with company sales policies and strategies
Manage, develop, coach, control, and motivate the sales force to develop their skills to ensure that a high professional standard is achieved and monthly sales target and KPI target are met
Ensure targets are delivered through people management, performance review, reward, and individual recognition
Assess the strengths and weaknesses of the sales team and manage the sales program accordingly
Provide on-the-ground support for sales associates as they generate leads and close new deals
Meet with customers to discuss their evolving needs and to assess the quality of our company's relationship with them
Develop and implement new sales initiatives, strategies, and programs to capture key demographics
Identify emerging markets and opportunities for expansion
Provide daily report of field sales success and communicate Voice of Customer (VOC) data to superiors
Sell to existing and potential direct accounts
Provide sales support to distribution partners to participate in closing and order or to facilitate and add value to the selling process
Continually develop knowledge of the business climate, applications, and competition for defined geography and accounts
Develop, maintain, and execute a territory plan
Continually assess current business distribution channels, develop and evaluate their performance, and manage conflict, ensuring alignment with territory plans
Maintain data relative to partners, accounts, and activities
Document customer interactions
Data analysis and reporting preparation as needed
Develop successful and ongoing relationships with customers and clients
Serve as the internal and external face of the organization
Prepare and oversee sales budget

Sales Manager job requirements:

20 to 30% travel required
Must be willing to work some evenings and weekends
This is a hybrid position, requiring 3 days in the office and 2 days available to work remotely

Required/preferred experience and education:

Bachelor's degree in business management, sales, marketing, or related field from an accredited university required
Minimum of 3 to 5 years of sales experience required
Experience in [name of field] preferred

Sales Manager skills list

Most employers will include the necessary skills required for their open position within the general job description and job requirements sections. Therefore, it's not common to find a simple list of skills in a Sales Manager job description.

That said, some employers might include a list of technical skills for positions that heavily require specific tech skills. Regardless, it's helpful to review a list of standalone skills required to succeed to further support you in writing an interview-winning resume.

Soft skills vs. hard skills

To garner the most attention possible, your resume should have a healthy blend of hard and soft skills. Hard skills are the ones we learn through education and training. They are also referred to as technical skills, which are easily measured and highlight the fact that you have the ability to get the job done.

Soft skills, on the other hand, are not easily measured, yet they're vital to career success. Also referred to as people skills, soft skills are intangible in nature, and we typically improve upon them through experience over time.

Below is a list of the hard and soft skills employers look for in Sales Manager applicants.

Hard skills for a Sales Manager

Here are a few of the technical skills that support a Sales Manager's success:

Techniques to meet sales goals
Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)
Product or service knowledge
Ability to identify and sell to customer needs
Sales planning
Coaching techniques
Process management
Process improvement
Market knowledge
Budget development
Staffing
Data analysis
Reporting
Presentation skills
Marketing knowledge
Social media
Effective goal setting
Customer Relationship Management: CRM software
Training and development

Soft skills for a Sales Manager

Here are some of the people skills that employers look for in a Sales Manager:

Motivation
Negotiation
Relationship building
Inspiration
Effective verbal communication
Effective written communication
Customer service
Interpersonal
Integrity
Teamwork
Leadership
Organization
Time management
Delegation
Adaptability
Conflict resolution
Problem-solving

Tips to effectively use a job description to create your resume

Now that you have an example of a Sales Manager job description, how can you use it and other job descriptions to craft your resume? Here are a few guidelines to help:

Review several job descriptions. Review the above job description, as well as several other Sales Manager job descriptions posted online. Highlight the Sales Manager qualifications and skills that stand out in each.
Make a list of your skills, experience, and credentials. Refer to the highlights you made based on the Sales Manager job descriptions you review, and make a list of all of your skills and abilities that align with those various job descriptions.
Craft your resume with the right sections. Using your list of skills, build your resume to include, at a minimum, your contact information, a resume summary, a core competencies list, your work history, and your education and required credentials or certifications.
Include quantifiable results. As you develop the content for your resume based on your past experience that relates to each job description, be sure to incorporate what you did and the results you achieved for each accomplishment you include. When describing results, use as much quantifiable data as possible to create emphasis. For example, include data around the level of results you achieved or the number of people you led or worked with.
Use keywords. Including keywords – like the skills and credentials noted in a job description – helps your resume bypass an employer's applicant tracking system while grabbing the attention of hiring managers.
Tailor your resume. Before submitting your resume for applications, be sure to tweak it so that it aligns with each job description. In other words, adjust your resume based on the different keywords – skills and credentials – in each job description.
Identify ways to fill in skills gaps. If you notice you have consistent skills or experience gaps for the Sales Manager job descriptions you review, you can always seek out training and certifications to help fill in those gaps. Once you complete the training or certifications, you can add them to your resume to boost your chances of landing an interview. You can also seek out ways to gain experience through volunteer or internship opportunities to add to your resume.

Expert tip: To identify the sections to include in your resume, as well as how to best write them, refer to:

Create your job-winning resume today!

To ensure your professional resume will support your goals, use the above Sales Manager job description to inform what you should highlight on your resume. As mentioned, it's also crucial to tailor your resume to each Sales Manager job application you submit. Use the above insights and tips to create a resume that you're confident will support you in achieving your career goals. Good luck!