Job Description: Assistant Sales Manager
An assistant sales manager helps oversee a sales force. Assistant sales managers work in nearly every industry, from retail sales to wholesale and manufacturing to automotive to electronics. They report to the sales manager and are in charge of the staff when she is not working. Assistant sales managers might handle tasks such as scheduling employees, assigning territories or developing sales pitches.
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Basics
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Assistant sales managers do plenty of selling themselves. They sometimes need to demonstrate how products and services are properly used, and follow up with customers once a sale is made. They also help the sales manager motivate the staff and get it to work as a unit, perhaps by offering incentives or bonuses. Assistant sales managers aim to secure clients and create accounts not only for themselves, but for their supervisors and team as well. Like most other salespersons, assistant sales managers receive much of their salary through commissions.
Skills
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Assistant sales managers must be assertive when it comes to delegating and must be highly organized. They need to possess strong leadership and communication traits, as well as maintain a positive approach to their job. They should be passionate about customer service, and since they might have to occasionally operate a cash register and computer, they should understand basic technology. Math and analytical skills are also required because assistant sales managers hold jobs that revolve around numbers. On top of those things, they must be professional, courteous, resilient and patient.
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Background
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Requirements to become an assistant sales manager vary greatly by company. For instance, a shoe salesman might only need a high school diploma. Someone who sells computer software, on the other hand, might need to possess a bachelor's degree. Assistant sales managers tend to focus on studies in marketing, advertising, business, math and communications. Almost all have to work their way up through the ranks, displaying a sound work ethic and management characteristics.
Prospects
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Jobs for assistant sales managers should always be available because sales teams need more than one person to help lead them. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of sales worker supervisors will increase by 5 percent through 2018. That is slower than the national average, but it is growth nonetheless.
Earnings
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Much of an assistant sales manager's earnings are based on success because he often receives a percentage of items sold. According to PayScale.com, assistant sales managers earned anywhere from $26,000 to more than $47,000 in May 2010.
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References
- Photo Credit businessman image by forca from Fotolia.com
