When you become a Sales Manager, you need to know how to guide and motivate your team to achieve collective sales goals. To do that, it's not enough to excel as a salesperson. In this article, discover the skills that the chosen training must develop to prepare you well for your future role.
In the business world, the Sales manager Is the professional who Translates the business strategy Of the company In one action plan concrete. He supervises and optimizes the progress of the activity of the salespeople he manages. Its main objective being toachieve goals set by management.
What are the missions of the Sales Manager?
Les missions of a Sales Manager can vary According toindustry And lThe company. However, some responsibilities are shared by everyone in this role.
Commercial operations
The Sales Manager has a mission as close as possible to terrain. It takes into account the directives of his superiors, but he is the one who goes organize activities of the company. This feature includes the project management And ofteam. His daily life is punctuated by actions related to prospecting, Thecustomer data analysis, the commercial reminders And the customer appointments.
Commercial management
The Sales Manager must optimizing the company's strategy. That is to say, he must use your resources (human and material through sales tools...) in order to develop sales and make sure toachieve goals every part of the year. He also oversees the inventory management And their turnover.
Commercial and marketing strategy
The Sales Manager keeps a certain global vision To his scale. That is to say, he may have to take strategic decisions to develop sales. It therefore has an operational but also strategic mission via brand image and customer relationship.
What is the ideal profile of a Sales Manager?
![Trouver la bonne formation commercial en fonction de son profil](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/62275984d0ebeff7da8c5ff9/6470a053a61024d9b323b437_2.webp)
To assume the responsibilities of a Sales Manager, the interpersonal skills are as important as the technical skills.
Technical skills
- Business data analysis
A Sales Manager must To know its environment as well as the products and services that he markets. It must therefore be in a position toanalyze their characteristics And ofinterpreting data and key indicators (KPI performance, customer behavior, market trends...).
- Sales cycle management
A Sales Manager must Understand your market and master sales techniques. This includes, among other things, the ability to manage customer relationships, the negotiation, the sales tracking, in order to close sales. Throughout the process, he will have to identify business challenges and decide on strategies to be applied to overcome them.
- Team management
The Sales Manager must coordinate the work of several individuals in order toharmonizing And ofoptimizing the sales cycle. He must therefore be comfortable with technological tools (CRM, communication, task assignment, sales automation...). He is required to do project management and so to Plan, organize and follow The commercial activities.
Human skills
- Communication and leadership
A Sales Manager must demonstrateemotional intelligence. He must Guide and motivating his team. To do this, he must be able tolisten The opinions and of communicate clearly. It is a manager who must manage individuals who are often different in an environment favorable to collaboration To one common objective.
- Stress Management and Conflict Resolution
A Sales Manager is often confronted with voltages, whether within theteam, with patrons or in thecommercial activity. He must Keep your cool to find quick solutions and Effective in order to maintain good relationships and performances at work.
- Organization of time and work
A Sales Manager should know Organize your priorities. He often works under pressure but must always stay resilient and organized. He must love overcoming challenges and find innovative and creative solutions. Managing a team requires skills in scheduling And in prioritization.
Training or studies to become a sales manager
![formations pour devenir responsable commercial](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/62275984d0ebeff7da8c5ff9/6470a3cedeace073b86da3f6_Corps%20texte%20blog%20(34).webp)
Sales manager is a transversal role with numerous responsibilitys. To hold this position, it is necessary to follow adapted training. Some key areas are absolutely at To know to be efficient.
Training courses focused on business development
Numerous university courses Or in school offer a specialization in commercial development. Often, these courses are delivered in compliment of a first cycle of apprenticeship, especially in management. At the end of these studies, students therefore have a solid business base. These courses allow them to understand All the commercial sales process. This knowledge will help them later to do well parse their sales cycle and to make decisions for the manager effectively. Their training generally prepares them well for the responsibilities of their future career.
Bachelors Sales and Marketing Manager
Some post-baccalaureate courses offer targeted and intensive training. These courses aim at a Trades Or a realm in particular.
One in-depth knowledge ofthe trade And of marketing is necessary for a sales manager. This type of training will allow the student to understand the marketing principles and strategies that will be useful to him in the commercial management Of her mark.
Dual courses
To become a good Sales Manager, the Knowledge of the field is generally required in addition to academic training. Combined with Theoretical courses, thealternation Bring it practice to form a Full curriculum. This path is often appreciated by students but also recruiters. Individuals acquire a better market knowledge And products.
Distance training
Les distance learning have the advantage of being able to be carried out in autonomy. En compliment ofthe initial training (via the CPF for example if eligible), they allow you to acquire new skills. They are generally organized in the form of contents to watch (videos, articles) andonline assessment. Les platforms sometimes even issue a certification attesting to theassiduity And of tier acquired by the participant. These courses are good ways todeepen your knowledge Or of specialise in some key areas.
What is the salary of a Sales Manager?
In France, the average gross remuneration of a Sales Manager is between 36K € and 42K€ per year.
What are the differences between a Director and a Sales Manager?
The Sales Director and the Sales Manager are key positions In the sales development of a company. However, they have responsibilities And different missions.
Compared to the Sales Manager, the Sales Director is more focused on the development of sales strategy rather than on theoperational. He has a global vision of commercial activity. That is to say, he is working upstream On the instructions and objectives which will be sent to the Sales Manager.
Its role is to Define sales goals And the action plans. For the application, the coordination of sales teams will be carried out by the Sales manager. However, he keeps an eye on the smooth running of the sales strategy and on theEvolution of results to achieve the goal set.