Sales Manager Job Description

Irrespective of the kind of business being carried out, an effective and efficient sales manager is required for higher sales values and ultimately higher profits.

Be it the food industry, control panel accessories, cosmetic, automobile or even insurance industry, they all depend on the efficiency of their sales managers as they form the face of the company and are the ones dealing with the final consumer.

This is why this position holds a very important place and is a crucial one for the future of the company. However, what exactly does the job description for sales manager entail.

There are different roles that a sales manager of a company or organization is expected to carry out. These roles and responsibilities are as follows:

As a sales manager, the first thing to be done is identify the goals and jot down the strategy to achieve the objective. Without this clarity, the sales manager will be like a person chasing the wind.

You can only plan how to reach a particular destination if you know where you want to reach. It's the job of the sales manager to talk to his top authorities and understand clearly the sales target he and his team is expected to achieve at the end of the month or fiscal year. 

With the goals and objectives clearly understood, the next responsibility of a sales manager is to plan strategies to achieve the aspired goals. The sales manager is leading members of the sales team, who need to be directed as to what they are meant to do.

Thus, they plan and allocate different responsibilities to employees in the team, according to their strengths and work experience. The ultimate aim is to steer the team in the demarcated course such that, the particular team reaches the destination in terms of sales targets.

Being a sales manager is not an easy job. Just allocating employees their responsibilities is not enough. Under the sales manager responsibility, the duty to keep a constant tab on whether his team members are achieving their targets or not also lies with the sales manager.

If they are unable to do so, the sales manager has to quickly find a backup plan. If the strategies are failing, new strategies have to quickly be used to replace them. Overseeing also involves correcting the team members when they are wrong, guiding them and also encouraging them to give their best shot at their jobs.

The very fact that sales executives are selling something, itself means that inventory control is essential. For companies selling specific goods, for example, the sales manager of a store selling sound systems should maintain proper inventory control.

He must ensure enough sound system pieces in the store room to replace sold out pieces, such that the store is never out of stock. He also needs to ensure more sound systems which will be sent from the manufacturing plant to the store in time to replace the sold out pieces.

The sales manager job description involves to ensure he/she has a strong and efficient sales team in place all the year round.

For this, the sales manager will have to recruit potential people and also train them appropriately so that they deliver what is expected from them. At times, they also have to fire employees for defying the management policies, breach of contract, fraud or treason.

A sales manager's job also involves handling important sales deals. Being a sales manager is a job full of responsibilities and to fulfill them the personal needs to be able to handle a lot of stress.

The sales manager is expected to be able to turn around dipping sales figures and get them to climb. It's a stressful job, however, those with the drive for it, those with the courage to take up challenges, will definitely love this job.