Sales manager: tasks, studies, salary + application

Author: Peter Berry
Date Of Creation: 14 February 2021
Update Date: 9 May 2024
Anonim
Sales manager: tasks, studies, salary + application - careers
Sales manager: tasks, studies, salary + application - careers

Content

Companies can only be successful when sales figures and profits are right. As a sales manager, you play an important role and are responsible for ensuring that the company's products and services are brought to the customer. You can not only convince potential buyers of the advantages of your products: As a sales manager, everything comes together with you. Here you can find out everything about the job description of sales manager with information on tasks, training, salary and applications ...

Sales manager duties

Sales are primarily about sales, so the sales manager keeps an eye on sales and turnover figures. The aim is to optimize these and contribute directly to the company's success. The tasks of a sales manager cover an extensive and complex field.

The sales manager is much more than a product seller. As Head of Sales, he takes on numerous important management decisions and tasks that have a decisive influence on the success of the entire department:


  • Composition of the team
    The sales manager must assemble a team of qualified and committed employees. The decisive factor here is the mix of required skills and personalities that work well together.
  • Expand the qualifications of employees
    Not only the personnel decision, but also the training and ongoing qualification of the team is the responsibility of the sales manager. This includes training employees on their own products and working on persuasiveness.
  • Employee motivation
    Sales is a tough area, goals and expectations are high. As a sales manager, you need to be able to motivate your team to perform at their best at all times.
  • Creation of the necessary framework conditions
    In addition to a good working atmosphere, this also includes technical equipment. The sales manager ensures that the required hardware and software (computers, laptops, CRM systems ...) is available for all employees.
  • Development of concepts
    The sales department is about acquiring new customers and selling products or services. The sales manager develops (together with the team) concepts and ideas to open up new target groups and to increase sales.
  • Optimizing processes
    As in other departments, sales are also about constant optimization. Processes are analyzed and the results evaluated in order to improve processes.
  • Communication with other areas
    Sales is closely networked with other areas in the company. As a sales manager, communication with other departments therefore plays a major role. In this way you can influence the development and adaptation of products or the further corporate strategy.

Further tasks in the daily work of the sales manager are:


  • Set goals and specifications in consultation with management
  • Formulate standards and guidelines for the team
  • Check results and present them to management
  • Negotiations with external service providers and suppliers

Sales manager training

There is no classic training that leads directly to the job of sales manager. Rather, there are several career steps that can lead you into this position. Typical stops along the way are:


  • Junior Sales Manager

    This entry-level position brings you closer to operational business and you gain valuable experience in sales. The focus is on customer appointments.

  • Senior Sales Manager

    After some work experience, you can advance to Senior Sales Manager. Here you will increasingly take on planning and strategic tasks relating to the company's sales activities.

What qualifies for this career? A typical entry point is a degree in economics. Here you will get to know important relationships in companies as well as entrepreneurial thinking and acting. Important elements on the curriculum are:


  • general business studies
  • Economics
  • Finance and accounting
  • marketing
  • Business Mathematics
  • statistics
  • human Resource
  • Supply chain management
  • logistics
  • law Sciences

If you are planning a career as a sales manager, a master’s degree is recommended, in which you can deepen your knowledge and specialize. Possible areas of focus are, for example, taxation, finance, controlling or personnel management.


Training to become a sales manager

Products and services have become more and more similar over the last few years, and competition is getting tougher across all industries. In order to survive here and to lead the company into a successful future, systematic and intelligent sales management is more important than ever. And with that, the need for good sales managers is also increasing continuously.

A challenging job with a wide range of tasks. The good news: sales management is not a question of talent or charisma, it can be learned. There are now some institutes that offer recognized and IHK-certified further training to become a sales manager - for example the German Sales School (DVKS, see box).

Become a successful sales manager now!

The German Sales School will qualify you as a sales manager (IHK) within 15 to 18 months. Instead of a certificate, the course ends with an internationally recognized educational qualification at Bachelor level. In addition, the cost of the course can be subsidized by the state with up to 75 percent through the Advancement Training Act (AFBG). Regardless of income. HERE you can find out whether you are also eligible.


Exclusively for career Bible readers: With the voucher code "Career" you will also receive a further training voucher worth EUR 300 - redeemable at any time at the German Sales School or the Limbeck Group.

Here to the offer


Sales manager salary

Basically: As a sales manager you can expect a very good salary.Although the exact amount varies depending on the region and size of the company as well as individual qualifications, sales managers are among the top earners everywhere.

Even the starting salary in the first few years is an average of 4,600 euros gross per month. After more than five years of professional experience, the sales experts come up with an average gross salary of 7,000 euros per month.

Over the course of a career, the salary can even rise to 9,000 euros per month after ten or more years in the job.

Employer: Who is looking for a sales manager?

Sales managers are needed almost everywhere and therefore have a wide range of potential employers to choose from. The most common industries include:

  • banks and insurance companies
  • Pharma and Healthcare
  • Electronics and technology
  • Cosmetics
  • Telecommunications

Career Opportunities: The Prospects As A Sales Manager?

Sales professionals have excellent opportunities in the job market. Qualified specialists are urgently needed in many areas, which can make it easier to start a career.

If you have made it into the senior position of sales manager, you are already high on the career ladder. However, that doesn't have to mean that you can't move forward. If you have the necessary ambitions, you can move up to the management board yourself.

Sales manager application: tips & templates

Due to the great importance in the company, the demands on sales employees and especially sales managers are high. In the application you have to be all the more convincing and make it clear that you have everything you need for the demanding job.

Especially soft skills should be brought into focus and substantiated with credible examples. Do not just write "I am flexible and can negotiate well", but provide specific situations from your career so far in which you have successfully used these key competencies. You can score points in the cover letter with these characteristics and skills:

  • Good education and work experience
  • Exact knowledge of the product / company / industry
  • Identification with the employer
  • Communication skills
  • Comprehension and willingness to learn
  • Resilience and resilience
  • negotiation skills
  • Very great motivation
  • Analytical skills

Free templates with sample text

Benefit from our free application templates. You can download these individually as a Word file by clicking on "Cover letter", "Cover sheet" or "CV" - or as a complete application set by clicking on the preview image. You will then receive all three Word templates combined in one zip file.

➠ Template / sample: cover letter, cover sheet, curriculum vitae

Application templates: 120+ free samples
Use our other professional designs and free application templates to apply. More than 120 professional templates for CV, cover letter and cover sheet as WORD files including sample texts can be found here:

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