Careers in Sales Management
Sales managers coordinate the efforts of their organization to distribute goods and services to their customers. They set sales goals, allocate territories, manage resources and budgets, and hire, train or fire sales staff. They must maintain constant contact with both suppliers and customers, and both gather and analyze sales statistics so their companies can maximize profits.
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Environment
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Sales managers typically work in clean and comfortable offices, with easy access to subordinate salespeople and managers of other departments. As with many managers, those in sales typically work more than 40 hours a week, especially when trying to meet looming sales goals. Travel is often required as managers meet with customers to assess their needs or wrangle better deals from suppliers. They may also travel to national, regional and local offices to assess current marketing strategies and develop new ones.
Salaries
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Median salaries for sales managers run $96,790 annually as of 2009, with a range of $47,660 to more than $166,400. This breaks down to an average hourly rate of $46.53, with a range of $22.91 to more than $80. Sales managers are hired by almost any kind of company or enterprise, with about 328,980 people holding this job. The jobs paying the most are financial investment activities other than securities brokers and investment funds. They offer $77.68 per hour, or $161,580 per year, as of May 2009, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, or BLS.
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Qualifications
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Most employers prefer employees with at least a bachelor's or master's degree in business administration with a concentration in marketing. For technical sales, such engineering or computers, a related technical degree may be required as well. Useful skills include computer applications for keeping records and managing data, and foreign language ability, such as Spanish, in areas with large foreign populations. Certification from national organizations or vendors can enhance opportunities and salaries. As with most office jobs, the ability to speak and write clearly is important.
Outlook
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The BLS predicts jobs for sales managers to increase by 15 percent from 2008 to 2018, which is faster than average for all jobs. Demand will come from the growing competition among a crowded field of goods and services, which will require good sales managers to distinguish one organization, product or service from another. Keen competition is expected because these are highly desirable jobs. Those who can tap emerging technologies, such as the Internet and mobile media, to increase sales will have the best opportunities. Many sales managers start as members of a company's sales team and are promoted to management positions after proving their worth as salespeople.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit sales manager checking the sales image by Peter Baxter from Fotolia.com
