What is the role of a Sales Manager?

Even though this is an increasingly common role within companies, there are still many doubts about the role of a sales manager.

What is a Sales Manager?

Anyone who works in the job market has probably heard of this role.

After all, the Commercial Manager – also known as the Commercial Coordinator – is one of the key players in the success of a company’s commercial sector.

The sales manager is the person responsible for managing the sales team and everything that involves results – from planning and motivating the team to commercial actions – and which encompasses the sales area.

What is the role of a Sales Manager?

Among the main functions performed by a sales manager are: managing their sales team well and leading actions that aim to increase the company's sales.

It is also the sales manager's mission to guide – and motivate – his team so that professionals can achieve their goals, resulting in positive performance for the company as a whole.

In addition to this guidance, it is up to the sales manager to draw up a well-structured plan and, when playing the role of leader, help his team achieve success and reach its goals.

What are the main skills of a Sales Manager?

Many people may think that being an excellent salesperson is enough to become a successful sales manager.

Of course, having good sales skills is essential to being a successful sales manager. But the truth is that this role encompasses much more than just sales.

In order to perform their role well, a good sales manager must have some essential skills to manage both the business and their team.

To better illustrate, we have listed some of the main skills that a successful sales manager must have:

Good planning

This is perhaps one of the most essential skills for a good sales manager. After all, planning is essential when managing a team or department.

It is through this planning that the manager will be able to have a broader view of the scenarios that the team faces – and will face in the future.

Good planning also has a direct link with the path the company will follow and, consequently, with the results the company will achieve.

Organization

This item is directly linked to the previous topic. After all, you can't have good planning without organization, right?

Good organization has a direct influence on the tasks involved in a team’s routine.

With organization, the manager can better delegate the functions of each team member – without overloading anyone – and the results that concern each one.

Leadership spirit

Much more than management, the sales manager needs to play a leadership role in front of his team.

And this goes far beyond giving orders in the workplace.

A good leader is always available to offer all the necessary support to the employees under his management.

Furthermore, good leadership plays a fundamental role in achieving results.

After all, a good leader, in addition to pointing out the right direction for the team to follow, must always offer all the necessary motivation for the entire team to go further!

A passion for management and sales

And of course, a good salesperson profile! Everyone who reaches the position of sales manager does so because they started out in sales and identified with the area.

A passion for sales – and everything that involves this sector – is what drives the sales manager.

A good business vision

Another essential skill for a sales manager is having a good business vision.

When leading a team focused on sales, it is necessary to obtain a broad view of the market and how competitors and your target audience behave – as these are factors that can directly affect your area of activity.

A good business vision is also essential when it comes to creating action plans and strategies to boost your team's results.

How to train to become a Sales Manager

The skills of a Commercial Manager can be acquired through professional training, such as courses focused on management and business.

Nowadays, there are several course and specialization options – from colleges to shorter courses – aimed at training professionals who want to work as sales managers.

There are also several companies that offer a career plan so that their employees can acquire more knowledge and, consequently, achieve better positions and develop within the company.

Therefore, if you aim to achieve this position within a company – whether the one you already work for or even another one on the market – know that this is a possibility that is within your reach.

Conclusion

The idea that many people had – and still have – of the role that a manager needs to play has changed a lot over the years.

What previously involved much more bureaucracy and was more focused on more technical aspects has been changing along with the way organizations position themselves – and even the way customers consume.

These changes made the role more “human”, requiring greater skills in interpersonal relationships and communication.

Having this skill has become one of the main criteria for achieving success, both in management and when closing deals and achieving success.

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